New Jersey’s statewide minimum wage will increase by 43 cents to $15.92 per hour for most employees, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
By law, the minimum wage rate for employees of seasonal and small employers will continue to increase gradually until 2028 to lessen the financial impact on those businesses. The minimum hourly wage for these employees will increase to $15.23 on Jan. 1, up from the current $14.53 per hour.
The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) sets the minimum wage for the coming year based on any increase in Consumer Price Index (CPI) data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Agricultural workers are guided by a separate minimum wage timetable, and their minimum wage rate will continue to increase incrementally until 2030. Employees who work on a farm for an hourly or piece-rate wage will see their minimum hourly wage increase to $14.20 in 2026, up from $13.40.
Additionally, long-term care facility direct care staff will see their minimum hourly wage rise by 43 cents to $18.92. A 2020 New Jersey law established a minimum wage floor for direct-care staff that is at least $3 higher than the statewide minimum wage in an effort to address high staff turnover and shortages at long-term care facilities.
Once the annual statutory increases in the minimum wage rate are completed for employees of small and seasonal employers (in 2028) and those who work on a farm for an hourly or piece-rate wage (in 2030), those minimum hourly wage rates will continue to increase annually, along with the minimum hourly wage rate for other employees.
The minimum cash wage rate for tipped workers will rise to $6.05 an hour from $5.62, with the maximum tip credit employers are able to claim remaining at $9.87. If the minimum cash wage plus an employee’s tips do not equal at least the state minimum wage, then the employer must pay the employee the difference.
For more information on the state minimum wage, go here.
