Minnesota minimum wage and tip laws (2026)

The minimum wage in Minnesota is $11.41 an hour.

Minimum wage

$11.41

For a 40-hour week

$456.40

Source: Minn. Stat. 177.24 subd. 1 ($11.41 effective January 1, 2026 for all employers; adjusted each January 1 by inflation) Read the rule

Minnesota does not let employers count your tips toward the minimum wage. You are owed the full $11.41 an hour before tips, and every tip you receive is on top of that.

Tips can count toward the wage

No

Tipped cash wage

$11.41

Source: Minn. Stat. 177.24 subd. 2 (no employer may directly or indirectly credit, apply or utilize gratuities toward payment of the minimum wage) Read the rule

• Hours past 40 in a workweek are paid at 1.5 times your regular rate.

Overtime rate at minimum wage

$17.115

Source: 29 U.S.C. 207(a)(1); 29 CFR 778.107; Fact Sheet #15 (overtime for tipped employees is computed on the full minimum wage, not the cash wage) Read the rule

Meal break

30 minutes when you work more than 6 hours

Rest break

15 paid minutes for every 4 hours

Extra pay for a missed break

Yes

When a required break is not provided, Minnesota owes you extra pay at your regular rate: 1 hour for a missed meal break and half an hour for a missed rest break.

Source: Minn. Stat. 177.253 and 177.254 as amended by 2025 1st Spec. Sess. ch. 6 art. 5, effective January 1, 2026 (rest break of at least 15 minutes within each 4 consecutive hours of work; meal break of at least 30 minutes for 6 or more consecutive hours; an employer that does not allow a required break is liable for the break time that should have been allowed at the regular rate plus an equal amount as liquidated damages) Read the rule

Taxes and deductions you agreed to, like health insurance, are normal. These are the ones that cause trouble in restaurants and bars, and what Minnesota allows:

Required uniforms

Only if pay stays above minimum

Register or cash shortages

Not allowed

Broken dishes or equipment

Not allowed

Card processing fee on card tips

Not allowed

Customers who walk out

Not allowed

"Only if pay stays above minimum" means the deduction cannot take your pay for the week below minimum wage. For a worker paid a tipped cash wage, that usually leaves no room for a uniform, shortage, breakage or walkout deduction. A card fee works differently: only the fee on the card tip itself, taken from that tip.

Source: Minn. Stat. 181.79 subd. 1 (no deduction for lost or stolen property, damage to property, or other claimed indebtedness unless the employee voluntarily authorizes it in writing after the loss arises or is held liable by a court); Minn. Stat. 177.24 subd. 3a(b) (the full amount of a card or electronic gratuity must be distributed to the employee); Minn. Stat. 177.24 subd. 4-5 (uniform deductions capped at $50, may not reduce wages below minimum wage, and must be reimbursed at termination) Read the rule

Managers and owners can share in the pool

No

Kitchen staff can share when a tip credit is taken

Not applicable

Kitchen staff can share when no tip credit is taken

Yes

In most states, an employer can require tipped staff to pool tips with others who serve customers, like bussers, runners and bartenders. Managers, supervisors and owners can never take a share. Under federal law, cooks and dishwashers can share only when the employer takes no tip credit, and some states do not allow it at all. The answers above show the rule in Minnesota.

Source: Minn. Stat. 177.24 subd. 3; Minn. R. 5200.0080 subp. 4 (gratuities are the sole property of the employee; no employer may require an employee to contribute or share a gratuity; pooling may not be a condition of employment; employees may share voluntarily without employer coercion or participation) Read the rule

Under federal law, a mandatory service charge, like an automatic 20% on large parties, is not a tip. It belongs to the business unless it is paid out, and when it is paid to you it counts as wages. It cannot be used to cover the tip credit, and it should not be reported as tips on your stub. Some states give the charge to the staff when customers were not clearly told it is not a tip, so if a charge was presented as a gratuity, it is worth asking where it went.

Source: Minn. Stat. 177.23 subd. 9; Minn. R. 5200.0080 subp. 4a-4b (an obligatory service charge, tip, gratuity or surcharge that a customer could reasonably take as a payment to the employee for personal service is a gratuity belonging to the employee unless the employer gives clear and conspicuous written notice that it is not) Read the rule

Minnesota requires employers to give paid sick leave.

You earn

1 hour for every 30 hours worked

Yearly use can be capped at

48 hours

Source: Minn. Stat. 181.9445 - 181.9448 (earned sick and safe time since January 1, 2024: 1 hour per 30 hours worked, accrual may be capped at 48 hours per year and 80 hours total) Read the rule

Some parts of Minnesota law depend on things a pay stub does not show. A TruWage result for Minnesota can be off if any of these apply to you:

• If you work in Minneapolis or St. Paul, the city minimum wage is higher than the state rate this check used, so the result may understate what you are owed.
• If your employer required you to share or pool tips with anyone, including other servers or bartenders, that is unlawful in Minnesota and the amount is recoverable. This check only flags sharing with managers or kitchen staff.
• If a mandatory service charge or surcharge was added to your checks and customers were not clearly told in writing that it is not a tip, the charge belongs to you. This check cannot tell whether that notice was given.
• If you voluntarily authorized a deduction in writing after the loss happened, a cash shortage or breakage deduction may be lawful. This check flags every one; a form signed at hire does not count.

Start with your manager or payroll and show them the numbers. Many mistakes get fixed that way. If it is not fixed, you can file a wage claim. It is free and you do not need a lawyer.

Agency

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Labor Standards

Phone

651-284-5075

Call or email Labor Standards (dli.laborstandards@state.mn.us); an investigator completes an intake by phone within two business days. Handles minimum wage, overtime, tips, deductions, breaks and earned sick and safe time.

How to file a wage claim

You can also file with the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, which enforces federal wage law, at 1-866-487-9243. They take complaints in many languages and keep the name of the person complaining confidential.