Nebraska minimum wage: $15.00 an hour, rising to $15.26 on January 1, 2027
Checked November 8, 2026Source: Nebraska Department of Labor
Nebraska has local minimum wage ordinances. See city rates
Short answer
Nebraska’s minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2026, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor.
Employers may pay tipped employees $2.13 an hour in cash, as long as tips bring them up to at least $15.00.
It rises to $15.26 on January 1, 2027, with a tipped cash wage of $2.13.
Omaha’s ordinance, challenged in court, sets $15.00 an hour today, the same as Nebraska’s, and $15.55 on January 1, 2027; a court order blocks Lincoln’s ordinance.
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- Minimum wage today
- $15.00
- Tipped employees, cash wage
- $2.13
- From January 1, 2027
- $15.26
- Full-time year at today’s rate (2,080 hours)
- $31,200
Cities and counties can require more. Omaha has its own minimum wage ordinance, which the Nebraska Attorney General is challenging in court, and a court order blocks Lincoln’s.
City rates in Nebraska
Read from each government source on November 8, 2026.
| Place | Rate now | Next rate and date | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| OmahaChallenged in court | $15.00 | $15.55on January 1, 2027 | Each hour worked within Omaha by covered employees, including private employers (Omaha Municipal Code Chapter 39, Ordinance 44716). 'Employer' excludes the United States, the state and its political subdivisions, and seasonal employment of not more than 20 weeks a year. 'Employee' excludes agricultural workers, babysitters in private homes, bona fide executive, administrative and professional employees, and government employees, among others.The Nebraska Attorney General sued on August 18, 2026, to block this ordinance. The city says it took effect on October 1, 2026.sourceSources: City of Omaha, Municipal Code, City of Omaha, Human Rights and Relations Department |
Lincoln’s ordinance is blocked by a court order. The Lancaster County District Court enjoined the city from enforcing it on July 17, 2026, "until further order of the Court," according to the Nebraska Attorney General. Nebraska Attorney General
What the January 1, 2027 raise costs you
The raise is $0.26 an hour for anyone paid less than the new rate on January 1, 2027.
- Added wages a year
- $406
- Employer Social Security and Medicare (FICA), 7.65%
- $31
- Total added cost a year
- $437
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.
Nebraska minimum wage by date
| Effective | Minimum wage | Tipped cash wage | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2028Upcoming | $15.53 | $2.13 | 1.75% increase per statute, as listed on the Nebraska Department of Labor’s schedule. The department formally publishes each rate by October 15 of the prior year.source |
| January 1, 2027Upcoming | $15.26 | $2.13 | 1.75% increase under Legislative Bill 258 (2026), which replaced inflation indexing with a fixed 1.75% annual raise.source |
| January 1, 2026Current | $15.00 | $2.13 | Final Initiative 433 step. Applies to employers of 4 or more.source |
| January 1, 2025 | $13.50 | $2.13 | Initiative 433 (2022) step. Applies to employers of 4 or more.source |
From 2027, rises a fixed 1.75% each January 1 (Legislative Bill 258, 2026); the Nebraska Department of Labor calculates and publishes the next rate by October 15.
Other Nebraska rates
Youth minimum wage (ages 14-15)
Non-emancipated employees aged 14 or 15. Created by Legislative Bill 258, effective July 18, 2026. Stays $13.50 through 2029, rises to $13.70 on January 1, 2030, then 1.5% every fifth year.
Today: $13.50
Training wage (ages 16-19, first 90 days)
New employees aged 16-19 who are not seasonal or migrant workers or emancipated minors, for 90 days from hire (Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203.01), plus a further 90 days during on-the-job training approved by the Commissioner of Labor. No more than one-fourth of the total hours the employer pays may be at the training rate.
Today: $13.50 · from January 1, 2027: $13.70
Before January 1, 2027
- Update every hourly rate below $15.26 in payroll so the first paycheck on or after that date is right.
- Replace the minimum wage poster with the new year’s version from the Nebraska Department of Labor.
Other Nebraska pay rules
- Paydays
- No set frequency. Paydays must be regularly scheduled, with 30 days’ written notice before changing them.
- Overtime
- Follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. No separate state overtime rule.
- Final paycheck
- Fired: By the next regular payday or within 2 weeks, whichever is sooner. Quit: By the next regular payday or within 2 weeks, whichever is sooner.
From the Nebraska Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables. All Nebraska employer rules.
Minimum wage in states next to Nebraska
If you hire across a state line, the worker’s state sets the rate.
Questions employers ask
What is the minimum wage in Nebraska in 2026?
Nebraska’s minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2026, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Nebraska?
Employers may pay tipped employees $2.13 an hour in cash, as long as tips bring them up to at least $15.00.
When does the Nebraska minimum wage go up next?
On January 1, 2027, to $15.26 an hour. From 2027, rises a fixed 1.75% each January 1 (Legislative Bill 258, 2026); the Nebraska Department of Labor calculates and publishes the next rate by October 15.
Do cities in Nebraska have a higher minimum wage?
Not today. Omaha has its own minimum wage ordinance, which the Nebraska Attorney General is challenging in court, and a court order blocks Lincoln’s. Omaha’s ordinance sets $15.00 an hour today, the same as Nebraska’s, and $15.55 on January 1, 2027.
Does Nebraska require overtime pay?
Follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. No separate state overtime rule.
Compare every state’s minimum wage · Everything employers in Nebraska must do
Sources
- Nebraska Department of Labor
- State of Nebraska Minimum Wage schedule (updated 7/31/2026), Nebraska Department of Labor (read Nov 7, 2026)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203 (as amended by LB 258, 2026), Nebraska Legislature (read Nov 7, 2026)
- Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (revised November 5, 2026), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 8, 2026)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203.01, Training wage rate, Nebraska Legislature (read Nov 8, 2026)
- Minimum Wage Ordinance, City of Omaha, Human Rights and Relations Department (read Nov 8, 2026)
- Chapter 39, Minimum Wage (Ordinance 44716), City of Omaha, Municipal Code (read Nov 8, 2026)
- Complaint, State ex rel. Hilgers v. City of Omaha (filed August 18, 2026), Nebraska Attorney General (read Nov 8, 2026)
- News release on the Lancaster County District Court order against Lincoln’s minimum wage, Nebraska Attorney General (read Nov 8, 2026)