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The Mandate Monitor

What employers in Washington must do

Checked November 9, 2026From the agencies that run each program

Short answer

Employers in Washington must pay most workers at least $17.13 an hour, rising to $17.73 on January 1, 2027.

Washington runs a paid leave program, Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave, funded by a premium of 1.13% of wages in 2026.

Washington Saves has been signed into law, but no employer has to register yet.

The next dated change in Washington is January 1, 2027: Premium rises to 1.2% of wages, split 70.7% employee and 29.3% employer.

Does your payroll handle Washington’s programs? See the free state route and the 5 payroll systems with help docs that cover them.

Washington requirements at a glance

RequirementStatusWhat it means for you
Minimum wageIn effect$17.13 an hour for most workers; $17.73 from January 1, 2027
Paid leave: Washington Paid Family and Medical LeaveIn effectEvery employer with one or more employees working in Washington, including the state and local governments. The federal government is not covered. Premiums apply to wages up to the Social Security wage base: $184,500 in 2026 and $192,300 in 2027.
Retirement mandate: Washington SavesSigned into lawEmployers that have been in business in Washington for at least two years, maintain a physical presence in the state, employed workers for a combined 10,400 or more hours in the prior calendar year (the program says this is roughly 5 full-time employees), and do not offer a qualified retirement plan. Under the proposed rules, hours are counted from the employer’s quarterly unemployment tax and wage reports. Federal, state and local government employers are excluded (the proposed rules also exclude tribal entities). Covered employees are 18 or older.

Pay rules Washington employers must follow

Paydays
At least once a month on a regular payday.
Final paycheck, fired
By the next regular payday. Employers can’t hold the check because keys, uniforms or tools weren’t returned.
Final paycheck, quit
By the next regular payday. Employers can’t hold the check because keys, uniforms or tools weren’t returned.
Meal breaks
30-minute meal break for shifts over 5 hours, starting between the 2nd and 5th hour.
Rest breaks
Paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked, and no more than 3 hours without one.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a 7-day workweek. To be exempt from overtime, salaried employees must earn at least 2.25 times the state minimum wage ($1,541.70 a week in 2026). In 2027 the minimum is $1,595.70 a week at employers with 1 to 50 employees and $1,773.00 a week at employers with 51 or more.
New hire reporting
Within 20 days of the start date, to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Child Support

From the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables, checked November 8, 2026.

What changed in Washington

  1. · Rate announced

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave premium rises to 1.2% for 2027

    The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) set the 2027 premium at 1.2% of wages, up from 1.13% and the most state law allows. Employees pay 70.7% of it and employers with 50 or more Washington employees pay 29.3%, on wages up to $192,300.

  2. · Rate announced

    Washington sets 2027 minimum salaries for overtime-exempt workers

    The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced that from January 1, 2027, salaried workers must earn at least $1,595.70 a week at employers with 1 to 50 employees, and at least $1,773.00 a week at employers with 51 or more, to be exempt from overtime. Those are 2.25 and 2.5 times the 2027 state minimum wage of $17.73 an hour.

Every change, newest first

Upcoming Washington deadlines

  1. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Premium rises to 1.2% of wages, split 70.7% employee and 29.3% employer

    Second Substitute House Bill 2345 also changes how the shares are divided between the family and medical premiums without changing the overall split.

  2. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Job restoration after Paid Leave extends to employers with 15 or more employees (employees with at least 180 calendar days of service)

  3. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Maximum weekly Paid Leave benefit rises from $1,647 to $1,727 for claims filed on or after this date; the minimum stays $100

  4. · Minimum wage

    Washington minimum wage rises to $17.73

  5. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Fourth-quarter 2026 Paid Leave and WA Cares report and premium payment due, at the 2026 rate and split

    January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, so the deadline moves to Monday.

  6. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: First-quarter 2027 report and premium payment due (first quarter at the 1.2% rate)

  7. · Retirement mandate

    Washington Saves: Statutory launch date for the program (RCW 19.05.040)

    The board’s October 20, 2026 agenda included approval of draft statutory changes that would move the launch to October 1, 2027; the outcome has not been posted.

  8. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Second-quarter 2027 report and premium payment due

    July 31 is a Saturday, so the deadline moves to Monday.

  9. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: ESD sets each employer’s size for 2028 by averaging the employee counts reported on the last day of each of the last four completed quarters

    Under 50 means no required employer share in 2028.

  10. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Third-quarter 2027 report and premium payment due

    October 31 is a Sunday, so the deadline moves to Monday.

  11. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Job restoration after Paid Leave extends to employers with 8 or more employees (employees with at least 180 calendar days of service)

  12. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: A new rate-setting method takes effect: the ESD commissioner sets the total premium from an annual report by the program’s office of actuarial services, still capped at 1.2%

  13. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Fourth-quarter 2027 report and premium payment due

  14. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: First-quarter 2028 report and premium payment due

    April 30 is a Sunday, so the deadline moves to Monday.

  15. · Paid leave

    Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: Second-quarter 2028 report and premium payment due

Deadline calendar for every state · How to hire your first employee · Employer law changes for 2027 · All states

Sources

  1. Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
  2. Washington Employment Security Department (ESD)
  3. Washington Saves Governing Board (administrative support from the Department of Financial Institutions; enforcement by the Department of Labor & Industries)
  4. State Payday Requirements (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  5. Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  6. Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements Under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  7. State Minimum Wage Laws, including premium (overtime) pay after designated hours (updated November 5, 2026), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  8. Getting Paid, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (read Nov 7, 2026)
  9. Rest Breaks, Meal Periods and Schedules, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (read Nov 7, 2026)
  10. New Hire Reporting, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Child Support (read Nov 7, 2026)
  11. Overtime & Exemptions, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (read Nov 8, 2026)
  12. Changes to Overtime Rules, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (read Nov 8, 2026)
  13. News release 26-17, September 30, 2026: minimum wage and overtime-exempt salary for 2027, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (read Nov 8, 2026)