New Jersey tipped minimum wage 2026
The New Jersey tipped cash wage is $6.05 per hour. Employers may take a tip credit of up to $9.87 per hour, provided the worker's cash wage plus tips reaches the state minimum of $15.92 per hour for every workweek. [DOL Tipped][NJ labor dept.]
Cash wage and tip credit
When tips fall short
If a worker's cash wage plus reported tips do not average to the New Jersey minimum of $15.92 per hour over a workweek, the employer must pay the shortfall. The Tip Credit Checker tool runs the math at /tools/tip-credit. Under the 2021 DOL final rule, time spent on non-tip-producing work above 20 percent of the shift (or 30 continuous minutes) must be paid at the full minimum, not the tip-credited rate. [DOL FS-15]
Background
DOL: Adjusted annually; $15.23 for seasonal and small employers New Jersey: Smaller and seasonal employers pay $15.23, agricultural workers $14.20 and long-term care direct-care staff $18.92 in 2026. The tipped cash wage is $6.05 with a $9.87 credit. Not published. New Jersey publishes the following year's rate by 30 September each year under P.L. 2019 c.32; the 2027 notice had not appeared as at 6 September 2026.