Minimum wage in Virginia, 2000–2027
- Minimum wage in 2026
$12.77 an hour1
- On January 1, 2027
$13.75 an hour2
Up $0.98 from today.
- Tipped employees
$2.13 an hour in cash3
The cash wage federal law requires; up to $10.64 of tips counted toward the minimum wage. Tipped: more than $30 a month in tips.
- Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours a week (federal FLSA)4
For covered employees who are not exempt.
The Virginia minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $12.77 in 2026; $13.75 from Jan 1, 2027
Line chart of the Virginia minimum wage against the federal minimum: $5.15 in 2000, $7.25 in 2010, $7.25 in 2020, $12.77 in 2026, and $13.75 in 2027. The federal minimum was $5.15 in 2000 and $7.25 in 2026.
What a full-time minimum-wage employee costs in Virginia
At $12.77 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $26,562 in wages and $2,468 on top (9.3%) in payroll taxes and workers' comp. At the 2027 rate of $13.75 with 2026 payroll tax rates: $31,239 a year.
- Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
- $26,562
- Social Security (employer share)6.2%6 of $26,562
- $1,647
- Medicare (employer share)1.45%7 of $26,562
- $385
- Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate)$0.73 per $100 of payroll10
- $194
- Total a year
- $29,029
If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $6,916 more a year: a $8,970 average premium11 less $2,054 paid by the employee11.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Virginia in 2026?
$12.77 an hour: $26,562 a year at full time.
What will the minimum wage be in Virginia in 2027?
$13.75 an hour from Jan 1, 2027, after $12.77 an hour in 2026: $28,600 for a full-time year.
What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in Virginia?
$2.13 an hour in cash, with up to $10.64 of tips counted toward Virginia's $12.77.
How much does a minimum-wage employee cost an employer in Virginia?
About $29,029 a year full time at $12.77: $26,562 of pay plus $2,468 on top, $2,274 in payroll taxes and $194 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.
How has the Virginia minimum wage changed since 2000?
The Virginia minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $12.77 in 2026; $13.75 from Jan 1, 2027. On the way: $7.25 in 2010 and $7.25 in 2020, per the U.S. DOL.
More minimum wage and employer cost pages
Employer costs in Virginia
States with a similar minimum wage
Data and rules for every state
Sources
The 11 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“Virginia … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $12.77”
- Office of the Governor of Virginia governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/april-releases/name-1116004-en.html“The legislation will then increase the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour on January 1, 2027”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped“Definition of Tipped Employee by Minimum Tips received (monthly unless otherwise specified) … State minimum cash wage payment is the same as that required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ($2.13/hr.) … Virginia $12.77 $10.64 $2.13 More than $30”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Overtime Pay - US Department of Labor“Unless exempt, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay.”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2024“Virginia ... ... ... 2.00 2.35 2.35 2.65 … Virginia 2.65 2.65 3.65 4.25 4.25[c] 4.75[c] 5.15[c] … Virginia 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] … Virginia 5.15[c] 5.85[c] 6.55[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] … Virginia 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] … Virginia 7.25[c] 9.50 11.00 12.00 12.00” “Federal (FLSA) $1.15 & $1.60 $1.30 & $1.60 $1.60 $2.20 & $2.30 $2.90 $3.10 $3.35 … Federal (FLSA) $3.35 $3.80 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.75 $5.15 … Federal (FLSA) $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 5.15 … Federal (FLSA) 5.15 5.85 6.55 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25” “Rates applicable to employers of four or more.”
- Internal Revenue Service IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide“For 2026, the social security tax rate is 6.2% (amount withheld) each for the employer and employee (12.4% total).”
- Social Security Administration ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html“Tax rates under the HI program are 1.45 percent for employees and employers, each, and 2.90 percent for self-employed persons.”
- Internal Revenue Service Topic no. 759, Form 940 – FUTA tax (IRS)“If you're entitled to the maximum 5.4% credit, the FUTA tax rate after credit is 0.6%.” “FUTA tax rate: The FUTA tax rate is 6.0%. The tax applies to the first $7,000 you paid to each employee as wages during the year.”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/January2026.pdf“New employer rate shown is the base rate. … VA … 2.50%” “VA … $8,000”
- Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/premium-index-rates.aspx“Premium index rate: Less than $0.75 … State Index rate Percent of study median … 44 36 Virginia 0.73 67%”
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (MEPS-IC) meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/summ_tables/insr/state/series_2/2025/ic25_iia_f.pdf“Table II.C.1 Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee … Division and State Total … Virginia 8,970 -- 9,005 7,595 9,502 9,045 8,141 9,157” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … Virginia 2,054 -- 1,787 2,525 1,756 2,279 1,763 2,120”