Washington

Basic minimum rate: $17.13. Source: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, state minimum wage table, page updated July 1, 2026.

Minimum wage (US DOL)

Basic minimum rate

$17.13

Premium pay after designated hours

Weekly - 40

Source: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, state minimum wage table; page updated July 1, 2026. Record: wa.

DOL notes for Washington

• Premium pay not applicable to employees who request compensating time off in lieu of premium pay.
• The minimum wage is adjusted annually based on a set formula.

Verbatim from US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, state minimum wage table; page updated July 1, 2026. Record: wa.

Rest periods (US DOL)

Basic standard

Paid 10-minute rest period for each 4-hour work period, scheduled as near as possible to midpoint of each work period. Employee may not be required to work more than 3 hours without a rest period.

Prescribed by

Administrative regulation

Coverage

Excludes newspaper vendor or carrier, domestic or casual labor around private residence, sheltered workshop, and agricultural labor. 4 Rules for construction trade employees may be superseded by a collective bargaining agreement covering such employees if the terms of the agreement specifically require rest periods and prescribe requirements concerning them.

Comments

Scheduled rest periods not required where nature of work allows employee to take intermittent rest periods equivalent to required standard. Director of Labor and Industries may grant variance from basic standard for good cause, upon employer application.

Source: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Minimum Length of Rest Periods; table revised January 1, 2023. Record: washington.

Meal periods (US DOL)

Basic standard

½ hour, if work period is more than 5 consecutive hours, to be given not less than 2 hours nor more than 5 hours from beginning of shift. Counted as worktime if employee is required to remain on duty on premises or at a prescribed worksite. Additional ½ hour, before or during overtime, for employees working 3 or more hours beyond regular workday.

Prescribed by

Administrative regulation

Coverage

Excludes newspaper vendor or carrier, domestic or casual labor around private residence, sheltered workshop, and agricultural labor. 2 Rules for construction trade employees may be superseded by a collective bargaining agreement covering such employees if the terms of the agreement specifically require meal periods and prescribe requirements concerning them.

Comments

Director of Labor and Industries may grant variance for good cause, upon employer application.

Source: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Minimum Paid/Unpaid Meal Period; table revised January 1, 2023. Record: washington.

Hours, counted

This page states the DOL rows and nothing beyond them. It does not say how they apply to any particular job, schedule or agreement. For hours, the calculators do arithmetic on the numbers you type: shift hours, hour totals split at 40, long shifts.