Wisconsin Minimum Wage Calculator
Wisconsin’s ordinary minimum is $7.25 per hour, with $2.33 cash for eligible tipped employees, unchanged since July 24, 2009, when it replaced the state’s own $6.50 rate. This 2026 calculator covers workers age 20 or older with ordinary overtime after 40 hours. It separates employer cash, tip shortfalls and total gross.
Time card Calculate pay for a covered hourly job
Weekly gross including tips—
Confirm coverage to calculate.
- Hourly floor—
- Per workday—
- Weekly gross—
- Monthly average—
- Yearly gross—
- Employer cash before shortfall
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- Weekly tips retained
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- Employer shortfall payment
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- Total employer cash
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Overtime uses the full regular rate before subtracting a permitted tip credit. The employer must cover a weekly tip shortfall within the selected scope. This floor scenario does not calculate pay at a higher agreed rate. Per-workday pay divides the week by the days with hours. Annual figures repeat the rounded weekly result.
Reviewed rate period: 2026-01-01 through 2027-12-31. Gross earnings before taxes or deductions. Annual figures repeat this weekly scenario; they do not combine different rate periods.
Reviewed October 2, 2026. DWD minimum-wage schedule · Official DWD 272 rules.
Wisconsin minimum wage by year
| Rule period | Adult employees | Minor employees | Opportunity wage | DWD 272.03 subsection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1, 2006 – July 23, 2009 | $6.50 | $5.90 (same as the opportunity rate) | $5.90 | (1m) |
| July 24, 2009 – present | $7.25 | $7.25 | $5.90 | (1) |
| 2027 work dates | $7.25 (the rule has no later dated step) | $7.25 | $5.90 | DWD schedule |
Wisconsin sets its floor by administrative rule rather than by an automatic index, so the figure only changes when DWD amends chapter 272. The 2009 amendment lifted adult pay to match the federal $7.25 and moved minors up to $7.25 as well; from June 1, 2006 until then, minors had shared the $5.90 opportunity rate. The rule text keeps the superseded subsection on the books, which is where the $6.50 row comes from. This calculator applies $7.25 through December 31, 2027. Checked October 12, 2026.
$2.33 cash requires a documented tip credit
The difference between the ordinary floor and tipped cash is $4.92 per hour. Wisconsin requires an employee-signed tip declaration each pay period and payroll records supporting the credit. Sporadic gifts do not establish customary tipped employment. The rule requires the wages-plus-tips minimum for each week in which credit is taken. DWD 272.03(2).
For a 40-hour week with $150 retained tips, base cash is $93.20. The employer adds $46.80, making employer cash $140 and total gross $290. With $250 retained tips instead, no adjustment is needed: cash stays $93.20 and gross becomes $343.20. Do not enter tips distributed to another employee as tips you retained.
Tipped overtime starts from the full regular rate
The state rule includes the credit in the regular rate; tips above the claimed credit need not be included. For this minimum-rate scenario, each overtime hour adds a $3.625 premium to the underlying $2.33 cash. The calculator preserves precision through the calculation and rounds the weekly result. DWD 272.03(2)(h).
At 45 hours with $300 tips, cash is 45 × $2.33 + 5 × $3.625 = $122.98 after rounding. Total gross is $422.98. A full-cash worker at $7.25 earns $344.38 for the same 45 hours. Higher regular wages, commissions or nondiscretionary bonuses change the premium and are outside this floor-only tool.
Two weeks totaling 80 hours can still include overtime
Wisconsin’s agency gives the example of 35 hours in one week and 45 in the next: the second week has five overtime hours even though the pay period totals 80. Calculate each workweek separately. At $7.25, those weeks total $253.75 + $344.38 = $598.13, not $580. DWD workweek FAQ.
A hospital or residential-care 8/80 arrangement, an exempt occupation or a minor’s daily-overtime rule cannot be evaluated with this ordinary adult weekly model. Confirm coverage first. Coverage and exceptions.
Include paid breaks before calculating the weekly total
DWD treats breaks shorter than 30 consecutive minutes as paid work time. Its meal-period guidance also requires pay when the employee lacks 30 uninterrupted minutes or is not free to leave the premises. Break and meal guidance.
Suppose a worker has 40 recorded hours plus five deducted 20-minute breaks that must be paid. Add 100 minutes, or 1⅔ hours, to the weekly total. At the ordinary floor, gross becomes $308.13 instead of $290. The calculator accepts decimal hours; enter 41.6666667 for that scenario.
A rest-day rule is separate from an overtime premium
Covered factory and retail employees generally receive 24 consecutive hours off in each Sunday–Saturday calendar week, subject to exceptions and voluntary written choices. The rule is not a universal requirement for every occupation and does not itself add a seventh-day premium to this calculator. Confirm scheduling compliance separately. One day of rest in seven.
Why this tool does not use the $5.90 opportunity wage
Wisconsin publishes $5.90 for eligible workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive days with an employer, ending sooner at age 20. Separate camp-counselor and caddie rates also appear in its schedule. This calculator requires age 20 or older and ordinary hourly coverage, so it does not silently apply those exceptions. Special rates and age limit.
A regular 40-hour week repeated for 52 weeks gives $15,080 gross; 30 hours for 48 weeks gives $10,440. Annual and monthly figures repeat the entered schedule without estimating taxes or local living costs.
Compare neighboring Minnesota minimum wage, Michigan minimum wage, Illinois minimum wage and Iowa minimum wage by workplace. Methodology · Sources.
Updated First published