Virginia minimum wage: $12.77 an hour, rising to $13.75 on January 1, 2027
Checked November 8, 2026Source: Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI)
Short answer
Virginia’s minimum wage is $12.77 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2026, according to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI).
Employers may pay tipped employees $2.13 an hour in cash, as long as tips bring them up to at least $12.77.
It rises to $13.75 on January 1, 2027, with a tipped cash wage of $2.13.
Get Virginia rate alerts
One email when a rate, a law or a deadline changes. Free. Privacy.
- Minimum wage today
- $12.77
- Tipped employees, cash wage
- $2.13
- From January 1, 2027
- $13.75
- Full-time year at today’s rate (2,080 hours)
- $26,562
We found no city or county in Virginia with its own higher minimum wage.
What the January 1, 2027 raise costs you
The raise is $0.98 an hour for anyone paid less than the new rate on January 1, 2027.
- Added wages a year
- $1,529
- Employer Social Security and Medicare (FICA), 7.65%
- $117
- Total added cost a year
- $1,646
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.
Virginia minimum wage by date
| Effective | Minimum wage | Tipped cash wage | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2028Upcoming | $15.00 | $2.13 | Set by House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 (2026). Annual inflation indexing resumes January 1, 2029.source |
| January 1, 2027Upcoming | $13.75 | $2.13 | Set by House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 (2026 Acts, chapters 350 and 351). Farm laborers are covered by the state minimum from this date (House Bill 20 and Senate Bill 121).source |
| January 1, 2026Current | $12.77 | $2.13 | Raised 2.9% from $12.41, matching the 2024 rise in the consumer price index.source |
| January 1, 2025 | $12.41 | $2.13 | Inflation adjustment. Employers may pay tipped employees $2.13 cash if tips make up the rest.source |
Fixed by statute for 2027 and 2028; from January 1, 2029, raised each year by the prior calendar year’s increase in the consumer price index, with the rate set by the Commissioner by October 1.
Other Virginia rates
On-the-job training programs
Employees enrolled in an established employer on-the-job or other training program of up to 90 days that meets the Commissioner’s standards (Va. Code 40.1-28.10(A)(2)).
The federal minimum wage or 75% of the Virginia minimum wage, whichever is greater.
Before January 1, 2027
- Update every hourly rate below $13.75 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 Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI).
Other Virginia pay rules
- Paydays
- Hourly employees: at least every two weeks or twice a month. Salaried employees: at least monthly. High earners (over 150% of the state’s average weekly wage) may agree to monthly pay.
- Overtime
- State law adopts the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. Since July 1, 2026, the state Department of Labor and Industry can also enforce it.
- Final paycheck
- Fired: By the next regular payday. Quit: By the next regular payday.
From the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables. All Virginia employer rules.
Minimum wage in states next to Virginia
If you hire across a state line, the worker’s state sets the rate.
| State | Today | Next change |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $12.77 | $13.75 on January 1, 2027 |
| District of Columbia | $18.40 | Not yet announced |
| Maryland | $15.00 | None scheduled |
| West Virginia | $8.75 | None scheduled |
| Kentucky | $7.25 | None scheduled |
| North Carolina | $7.25 | None scheduled |
| Tennessee | $7.25 | None scheduled |
Questions employers ask
What is the minimum wage in Virginia in 2026?
Virginia’s minimum wage is $12.77 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2026, according to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI).
What is the tipped minimum wage in Virginia?
Employers may pay tipped employees $2.13 an hour in cash, as long as tips bring them up to at least $12.77.
When does the Virginia minimum wage go up next?
On January 1, 2027, to $13.75 an hour. Fixed by statute for 2027 and 2028; from January 1, 2029, raised each year by the prior calendar year’s increase in the consumer price index, with the rate set by the Commissioner by October 1.
Do cities in Virginia have a higher minimum wage?
We found no city or county in Virginia with a minimum wage above the state rate.
Does Virginia require overtime pay?
State law adopts the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. Since July 1, 2026, the state Department of Labor and Industry can also enforce it.
Compare every state’s minimum wage · Everything employers in Virginia must do
Sources
- Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI)
- Va. Code 40.1-28.10, Minimum wages, Commonwealth of Virginia (read Nov 9, 2026)
- Virginia minimum wage rate increasing effective January 1, 2026, Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (read Nov 7, 2026)
- Governor Spanberger signs bills to raise state minimum wage (April 9, 2026), Office of the Governor of Virginia (read Nov 7, 2026)
- House Bill 1 (2026), approved as Chapter 350, Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (read Nov 8, 2026)
- Senate Bill 1 (2026), approved as Chapter 351, Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System (read Nov 8, 2026)