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The Mandate Monitor

Alaska minimum wage: $14.00 an hour, rising to $15.00 on July 1, 2027

Checked November 8, 2026Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Wage and Hour

Short answer

Alaska’s minimum wage is $14.00 an hour, in effect since July 1, 2026, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Wage and Hour.

Tipped employees must be paid the full minimum wage in cash; Alaska doesn’t let employers count tips toward it.

It rises to $15.00 on July 1, 2027.

Running payroll in Alaska? See the do-it-yourself route and list prices for the 8 payroll systems that say they file payroll taxes.

On your payroll in Alaskaper hour
Minimum wage today
$14.00
From July 1, 2027
$15.00
Full-time year at today’s rate (2,080 hours)
$29,120

We found no city or county in Alaska with its own higher minimum wage.

What the July 1, 2027 raise costs you

The raise is $1.00 an hour for anyone paid less than the new rate on July 1, 2027.

Added wages a year
$1,560
Employer Social Security and Medicare (FICA), 7.65%
$119
Total added cost a year
$1,679

Counts only the raise for workers below the new rate, over 52 weeks. It leaves out raises you give others to keep pay gaps, and state unemployment tax, which usually stops at a wage cap.

Alaska minimum wage by date

EffectiveMinimum wageNote
July 1, 2027Upcoming$15.00Last fixed step under 2024 Ballot Measure 1; inflation indexing starts January 1, 2028.source
July 1, 2026Current$14.00No tip credit: tipped workers get the full minimum wage. Public school bus drivers must be paid at least twice the minimum wage; a contractor with a school transportation contract adjusts only when entering or renewing it (Alaska Statutes 23.10.065).source
July 1, 2025$13.00source

From January 1, 2028, adjusted every year for inflation (Anchorage CPI-U, the Consumer Price Index); the department calculates it each September 30 and rounds up to the nearest 10 cents.

Before July 1, 2027

Other Alaska pay rules

Paydays
Monthly or twice a month, whichever the employee chooses. Monthly pay is allowed if the annual employment contract says so.
Overtime
Daily and weekly overtime: time and a half after 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. Employers with 3 or fewer employees are exempt.
Final paycheck
Fired: Within 3 working days after the termination (weekends and holidays don’t count). Quit: By the next regular payday that is at least 3 days after the employer gets notice that the employee is quitting.

From the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables. All Alaska employer rules.

Questions employers ask

What is the minimum wage in Alaska in 2026?

Alaska’s minimum wage is $14.00 an hour, in effect since July 1, 2026, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Wage and Hour.

What is the tipped minimum wage in Alaska?

Tipped employees must be paid the full minimum wage in cash; Alaska doesn’t let employers count tips toward it.

When does the Alaska minimum wage go up next?

On July 1, 2027, to $15.00 an hour. From January 1, 2028, adjusted every year for inflation (Anchorage CPI-U, the Consumer Price Index); the department calculates it each September 30 and rounds up to the nearest 10 cents.

Do cities in Alaska have a higher minimum wage?

We found no city or county in Alaska with a minimum wage above the state rate.

Does Alaska require overtime pay?

Daily and weekly overtime: time and a half after 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. Employers with 3 or fewer employees are exempt.

Compare every state’s minimum wage · Everything employers in Alaska must do

Sources

  1. Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Wage and Hour
  2. Alaska Minimum Wage will increase July 1, 2025 (Release No. 25-11), Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (read Nov 7, 2026)
  3. AS 23.10.065 Minimum wages, Alaska State Legislature (read Nov 8, 2026)