United States Department of Labor

Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Minimum Wage

Overview

The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Many states also have minimum wage laws. Some state laws provide greater employee protections; employers must comply with both.

The FLSA does not provide wage payment collection procedures for an employee’s usual or promised wages or commissions in excess of those required by the FLSA. However, some states do have laws under which such claims (sometimes including fringe benefits) may be filed.

Key News

On June 12th, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced that it will publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish standards and procedures for implementing and enforcing the minimum wage protections of Executive Order 13658. More information is available at the Wage and Hour Division’s E.O. 13658 NPRM Website.

History

• History of Minimum Wage
• Historical Minimum Wage Rates

General Guidance

• Employment Law Guide — Minimum Wage and Overtime Pay
• Questions and Answers about the Minimum Wage
• Minimum Wage Laws in the States (en español)
• Wage Rates in American Samoa
• FLSA Handy Reference Guide
• Spanish Version
• Information on Raising the Minimum Wage

Fact Sheets

• Coverage under the FLSA (PDF)
• Hours worked under the FLSA (PDF)
• Youth Minimum Wage (PDF)
• Recordkeeping under the FLSA (PDF)
• Visits to Employers (PDF)
• Additional Fact Sheets

E-tools

• Elaws FLSA Advisor
• Elaws Hours Worked Advisor

Posters

• FLSA Minimum Wage Poster
• Spanish Version
• Chinese Version (PDF)
• Russian Version (PDF)
• Thai Version (PDF)
• Hmong Version (PDF)
• Vietnamese Version (PDF)
• Korean Version (PDF)
• Polish Version (PDF)
• Haitian Creole Version (PDF)

Interpretive Guidance

• Administrator Interpretations, Opinion and Ruling Letters
• Administrator Interpretations
• Administrator Opinion Letters
• Non-Administrator Opinion Letters
• Field Operation Handbook Chapters
• Chapter 10 — FLSA Coverage - Employment Relationship, Statutory Exclusions, Geographical Limits (PDF)
• Chapter 11 — Individual Coverage - FLSA (PDF)
• Chapter 12 — Enterprise Coverage - FLSA (PDF)
• Chapter 21 — Retail or Service Establishment Exemptions (PDF)
• Chapter 23 — Newspaper and Other Communication Exemptions (PDF)
• Chapter 25 — Other Exemptions (PDF)
• Chapter 30 — Records, Minimum Wage, and Payment of Wages (PDF)
• Chapter 31 — Hours Worked (PDF)

Applicable Laws and Regulations

• Law
• The FLSA (PDF)
• Regulations
  • 29 C.F.R. Part 531