---
title: 'Florida''s $15 Minimum Wage: September 30, 2026'
description: The final scheduled increase under Amendment 2 takes the base wage to
  $15 and the tipped cash wage to $11.98. After that, rates adjust automatically by
  CPI.
source: Duty Room
source_url: https://dutyroom.com
published_on: '2026-04-11'
updated_on: '2026-04-11'
market: us
submarket: fl
sectors:
- all
category: deadline
canonical_url: https://dutyroom.com/us/fl/briefings/florida-15-minimum-wage
---

# Florida's $15 Minimum Wage: September 30, 2026

The final scheduled increase under Amendment 2 takes the base wage to $15 and the tipped cash wage to $11.98. After that, rates adjust automatically by CPI.

Florida's minimum wage rises to $15 per hour on September 30, 2026. The tipped cash wage rises to $11.98. These are the final scheduled increases under [Amendment 2](https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Amendment_2,_$15_Minimum_Wage_Initiative_(2020)), the constitutional amendment voters approved in November 2020 with 60.82% of the vote.

After $15, the rate adjusts automatically every year based on inflation. There is no further legislative step.

## The schedule

| Effective date | Base wage | Tipped cash wage |
|---|---|---|
| September 30, 2024 | $13.00/hr | $9.98/hr |
| September 30, 2025 | $14.00/hr | $10.98/hr |
| **September 30, 2026** | **$15.00/hr** | **$11.98/hr** |
| January 1, 2028 | CPI-adjusted | CPI-adjusted |

The jump from $14 to $15 is the last of six annual $1 steps that started at $10 in 2021.

## The tip credit stays at $3.02

[Article X, Section 24](https://codes.findlaw.com/fl/florida-constitution1968-revision/fl-const-art-10-sect-24/) of the Florida Constitution caps the tip credit at "the allowable FLSA tip credit in 2003," which was $3.02. That number is in the state constitution. It can't change without another amendment.

Every dollar the base wage rises, the tipped cash wage rises by the same dollar. At $15, the cash wage is $11.98, which exceeds the federal tipped minimum ($2.13) by nearly $10.

If tips plus the $11.98 cash wage don't reach $15 in any workweek, the employer owes the difference. That guarantee applies per employee, per workweek.

| | Rate | Cash wage | Tip credit | Employer top-up if tips = $0 (40-hr week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current (Sept 30, 2025) | $14.00 | $10.98 | $3.02 | $439.20 |
| Final step (Sept 30, 2026) | $15.00 | $11.98 | $3.02 | $479.20 |

The tip credit stays fixed; the entire $1 increase each year goes to the cash wage. A server working 40 hours in a week with no tips would need the employer to cover $479.20 at the $15 rate — the tip credit does not reduce that obligation.

## Annual inflation adjustments start in 2027

After the $15 step, [F.S. 448.110](https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2025/448.110) sets the annual adjustment process. The state uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the South Region:

1. **September 1:** the 12-month measurement period ends.
2. **By October 15:** the state publishes the new rate on the Department of Commerce website.
3. **January 1:** the adjusted rate takes effect.

The first CPI-adjusted rate takes effect January 1, 2028. After that, it's annual: rate published by October 15, in effect January 1, with no legislative vote and no rulemaking. The annual cycle doesn't end — F.S. 448.110 indexes the rate to CPI in perpetuity.

The compliance rhythm is now fixed: CPI-adjusted rate publishes each October, takes effect each January 1. Single-site Florida operators who avoided underpayment disputes through the 2020–2026 step-up period tracked both dates on a single calendar — an October rate check against the January effective date, repeated each year.

## No state wage-and-hour agency

Florida does not have a state labor department or wage-and-hour division. When an employee has a wage complaint, they can file a federal complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (which maintains seven field offices in Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa, and West Palm Beach) or a private civil action under F.S. 448.110, which requires 15 days' written notice to the employer before filing.

Federal enforcement in Florida hospitality is not theoretical. The WHD has recovered $51.2 million in back wages from 6,818 Florida hospitality investigations, based on Duty Room's analysis of WHD enforcement data. Bars carry the highest median investigation cost at $4,912 per case. Overtime violations account for 57% of all back wages recovered.

Tip credit violations are a recurring pattern in Florida WHD cases. When an employer adds managers to the tip pool, diverts tips, or fails to track tipped hours accurately, the DOL can pursue back-pay liability for the full minimum wage for all affected hours under the FLSA tip credit provisions (29 U.S.C. § 203(m)). One Florida restaurant chain paid [$314,553 in back wages](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20200624-2) after the DOL found it was redirecting all gratuities to the business. A Tampa brewery paid [$70,575](https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20201208) after managers were included in the tip pool.

## Where the rate change lands in payroll systems

As of September 30, the Florida rate for covered hours becomes $15.00 base and $11.98 tipped cash wage. [F.S. 448.110](https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2025/448.110) applies only to hours worked in Florida; payroll configurations that allocate hours by state are the standard mechanism operators use to isolate the Florida rate from rates in other jurisdictions.

On tip pools: under FLSA 29 U.S.C. § 203(m), an employer taking a tip credit may not include managers or non-tipped staff in the tip pool. Federal tip pooling rules differ when no tip credit is taken. [F.S. 448.110](https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2025/448.110) requires the employer to cover any shortfall in a workweek where tips plus cash wage fall below $15 per hour. Recurring exposure patterns in Florida WHD cases include tipped servers with back-of-house cross-coverage shifts logged under the wrong classification, and manager-included tip pools — the Tampa brewery case ($70,575 in back wages) turned on the latter.

[F.S. 448.109](https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2025/448.109) requires the minimum wage poster to be displayed in both English and Spanish. The DEO publishes updated poster files each year.

The annual compliance sequence: rate publishes by October 15 → payroll configuration updated before January 1 → first pay run of the new year validates the new base and tipped cash wage → cycle repeats. The first CPI-adjusted rate will be published by October 15, 2027 and takes effect January 1, 2028.

---

Published by [Duty Room](https://dutyroom.com/us/fl/), software for organizing, tracking, and evidencing operational compliance.