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The Mandate Monitor

Arkansas minimum wage: $11.00 an hour

Checked November 7, 2026Source: Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing

Short answer

Arkansas’s minimum wage is $11.00 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2021, according to the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing.

Employers may pay tipped employees $2.63 an hour in cash, as long as tips bring them up to at least $11.00.

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On your payroll in Arkansasper hour
Minimum wage today
$11.00
Tipped employees, cash wage
$2.63
Full-time year at today’s rate (2,080 hours)
$22,880

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

Arkansas minimum wage by date

EffectiveMinimum wageTipped cash wageNote
January 1, 2021Current$11.00$2.63Covers employers with 4 or more employees. Last step of the 2018 ballot measure; no further increases scheduled.source
January 1, 2020$10.00$2.63source

Other Arkansas pay rules

Paydays
Corporations must pay twice a month (semimonthly). Corporations with $500,000 or more in annual gross income may pay exempt management and executive employees earning over $25,000 a year once a month.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. The state law covers employers with 4 or more employees.
Final paycheck
Fired: By the next regular payday. If the pay is not made within 7 days after that payday, the employer owes double the wages due. Quit: No deadline in state law or agency guidance for employees who quit; the final-pay law covers employees who are discharged.

From the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables. All Arkansas employer rules.

Minimum wage in states next to Arkansas

If you hire across a state line, the worker’s state sets the rate.

StateTodayNext change
Arkansas$11.00None scheduled
Missouri$15.00None scheduled
Louisiana$7.25None scheduled
Mississippi$7.25None scheduled
Oklahoma$7.25None scheduled
Tennessee$7.25None scheduled
Texas$7.25None scheduled

Questions employers ask

What is the minimum wage in Arkansas in 2026?

Arkansas’s minimum wage is $11.00 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2021, according to the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing.

What is the tipped minimum wage in Arkansas?

Employers may pay tipped employees $2.63 an hour in cash, as long as tips bring them up to at least $11.00.

When does the Arkansas minimum wage go up next?

No increase is scheduled under current Arkansas law. Any change would need new legislation or a ballot measure.

Do cities in Arkansas have a higher minimum wage?

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

Does Arkansas require overtime pay?

Time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. The state law covers employers with 4 or more employees.

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

Sources

  1. Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing
  2. Fact Sheet on the Increase of the Arkansas Minimum Wage, Arkansas Department of Labor (read Nov 7, 2026)