JD HR SolutionsHR for Central Florida employers Buy HR help

Guide · Checked October 23, 2026 · Practical HR guidance, not legal advice

Florida minimum wage 2026: what small employers must pay and post

Florida's minimum wage went to $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026. Here's what that means for a Central Florida business with 10–75 people, including tipped staff, what changes next, and the posters that belong on your break-room wall.

The numbers

  • $15.00/hour is the Florida minimum wage from September 30, 2026 through December 31, 2027.
  • $11.98/hour is the minimum direct cash wage for eligible tipped employees, plus tips. FloridaCommerce calculates it as $15.00 minus the 2003 federal tip credit of $3.02. The tip credit only applies to employees who meet the federal FLSA tip-credit rules.
  • What's next: starting in September 2027, the rate is adjusted each year for inflation, and each new rate takes effect the following January 1. Your next change is January 1, 2028.
  • Federal minimum wage: still $7.25. Employers must comply with both federal and state law, so in Florida the $15.00 state rate is the floor you actually pay.

Florida uses the federal FLSA definitions of "employer," "employee" and "wage." If someone counts as a covered employee under federal wage law, the Florida rate applies to their hours worked in Florida.

What I'd check this month

  1. Run a pay-rate report

    Pull every hourly rate from payroll and sort from lowest to highest. Anyone under $15.00 (or under $11.98 cash for tipped staff) needed a raise effective September 30. Fix it and pay any back wages for the gap.

  2. Check your tipped employees

    If you take a tip credit, make sure each tipped employee's cash wage plus tips actually reaches $15.00 for every workweek, and that they meet the FLSA tip-credit conditions. If tips fall short, you make up the difference.

  3. Look at pay compression

    This one isn't a legal requirement. When new hires start at $15.00, your $15.50 shift leads with three years in will notice. Decide now whether you're adjusting anyone above the floor.

  4. Check your salaried staff

    The $15.00 rate doesn't change the federal overtime exemption test. To be exempt, salaried executive, administrative and professional employees must generally earn at least $684 a week ($35,568 a year) and pass the duties test.

  5. Replace your posters

    Put up the 2026–2027 Florida minimum wage poster. The checklist is below.

What happens if you underpay

Under Florida's constitutional minimum wage, an employee who wasn't paid the minimum wage can notify you and give you 15 days to resolve it. After that, they can sue for back wages plus damages and attorney's fees. An employer found to have intentionally violated the minimum wage faces a $1,000 fine per violation, payable to the state. You also can't retaliate against an employee for asserting their minimum wage rights.

Posters Florida small employers need

Post these where employees can easily see them, such as the break room or near the time clock. The federal and state rules tie posting to coverage, so not every poster applies to every business.

Florida

  • ☐ Florida Minimum Wage notice (2026–2027 version). Every employer that must pay the Florida minimum wage has to display it in a conspicuous, accessible place in each establishment (s. 448.109, Fla. Stat.). FloridaCommerce publishes it in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
  • ☐ RT-83 "To Employees" (Reemployment Assistance). This is required if you're registered and liable for Florida reemployment tax. It must be posted under s. 443.151(1), Fla. Stat.
  • ☐ Workers' comp "Broken Arm" notice. Once you have workers' compensation coverage, the Florida Department of Financial Services says you're responsible for displaying it in a conspicuous location. It shows your carrier's name and phone number, and your carrier or agent can supply it.
  • ☐ "Florida Law Prohibits Discrimination." FloridaCommerce lists this among the State of Florida posters.

Federal

  • ☐ FLSA "Employee Rights" (minimum wage) poster. Every employer with employees covered by the FLSA must post it.
  • ☐ OSHA "Job Safety and Health: It's the Law." Private employers engaged in a business affecting commerce must post it. You can be cited and penalized for not posting it.
  • ☐ Employee Polygraph Protection Act notice. Most private employers must post it.
  • ☐ USERRA notice. You must provide the full text of this notice to employees. Posting it where you normally put notices is one way to do that.
  • ☐ EEOC "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal." Covered employers must post it. For most private businesses, coverage of the main federal anti-discrimination laws starts at 15 employees. If you have remote employees who don't come in regularly, EEOC says an electronic posting may be the only posting for them.
  • ☐ FMLA poster, once you have 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or previous year.

Not sure which federal posters apply to you? The U.S. Department of Labor's free FirstStep Poster Advisor walks you through it. Every official poster listed here is free from the agency that issues it, so you don't need to buy a laminated "all-in-one" poster to comply.

Quick answers

Is Florida's minimum wage $15 for 2026?

Yes, as of September 30, 2026. Before that, from September 30, 2025, it was $14.00. The $15.00 rate runs through December 31, 2027.

Do part-time and seasonal employees get $15?

The Florida rate applies to employees as the FLSA defines them, for all hours worked in Florida. Part-time status alone doesn't change the rate. Some FLSA exemptions exist, so if you think one applies, check it before relying on it.

Can I pay tipped staff $11.98?

Only for employees who qualify for the federal tip credit, and only if their cash wage plus tips reaches at least $15.00 an hour.

Want this checked against your business?

Buy a fixed-price answer online. You won't need a call or a meeting. Everything comes back to you in writing.

  • HR Quick Answer, $79: one question answered in writing within 2 business days, with the Florida or federal rule linked.
  • Florida HR Checkup, $395: a written review of your hiring, pay, posters and policies, with your top 5 fixes in priority order.
Buy an HR Quick Answer · $79Buy the Florida HR Checkup · $395

Not ready to buy? Get the free Florida Employer HR Checklist, a one-page list of the basics with official sources. Prices are proposed.

Sources

General HR information for Florida employers, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the linked sources. If you're dealing with a wage claim or lawsuit, talk to an employment attorney.