Server Tip OutFlorida Tipped Minimum Wage 2026: What $11.98 an Hour Means for Servers
This guide is general information written by a server, for servers. It isn't legal advice. If you think you've been underpaid, the resources at the end can help.
- Since September 30, 2026, Florida's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour.
- Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage as low as $11.98 an hour, plus tips.
- The $3.02 gap is the "tip credit." Your tips have to cover it. If they don't, your employer has to make up the difference.
- Overtime for tipped workers is at least $19.48 an hour in cash wages.
- The next change is expected January 1, 2028.
Searches for "Florida minimum wage 2026" shot up this fall as the last scheduled raise kicked in. If you work for tips, the number on your paycheck changed too. Here's what the new rate means, how to check that you're getting it, and the rules that protect you on slow weeks.
Florida minimum wage 2026 at a glance
| Rate | Since Sept. 30, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Florida minimum wage | $15.00/hr |
| Tipped employee cash wage (minimum) | $11.98/hr + tips |
| Maximum tip credit | $3.02/hr |
| Overtime minimum, non-tipped | $22.50/hr |
| Overtime cash wage, tipped | $19.48/hr + tips |
| Federal minimum wage (Florida's higher rate applies) | $7.25/hr |
How the $11.98 is calculated
Florida lets employers count up to $3.02 an hour of your tips toward the minimum wage. That's the tip credit. The $3.02 is locked to the federal tip credit from 2003, so it doesn't move. The math is simple:
$15.00 minimum wage − $3.02 tip credit = $11.98 tipped cash wage
Each time the regular minimum wage goes up, the tipped wage goes up by the same amount.
How we got here
In November 2020, Florida voters approved Amendment 2, which raised the minimum wage $1 every September 30 until it reached $15. This fall's raise was the last step.
| Effective date | Minimum wage | Tipped cash wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 30, 2021 | $10.00 | $6.98 |
| Sept. 30, 2022 | $11.00 | $7.98 |
| Sept. 30, 2023 | $12.00 | $8.98 |
| Sept. 30, 2024 | $13.00 | $9.98 |
| Sept. 30, 2025 | $14.00 | $10.98 |
| Sept. 30, 2026 | $15.00 | $11.98 |
That's a $5.00 raise to the tipped base wage in five years.
The rule every server should know: tips have to make up the difference
Your employer can pay you $11.98 only if your tips bring you up to at least $15.00 for every hour you work. It's checked by the workweek. On a slow week, your tips might not get you there, and then your employer owes you the rest.
Here's an example of a slow week:
| Hours worked | 30 |
| Base pay (30 × $11.98) | $359.40 |
| Tips you kept | $60.00 |
| Total | $419.40 |
| Florida minimum for 30 hours (30 × $15.00) | $450.00 |
| Your employer owes you | $30.60 |
Quick check: run your shifts through the tip-out calculator. If your true hourly tip rate for the week comes out under $3.02, look closely at your paycheck.
Overtime for tipped employees
Florida follows federal overtime rules: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. For tipped workers, time and a half is based on the full $15.00 minimum wage, not on $11.98:
1.5 × $15.00 = $22.50, minus the $3.02 tip credit = $19.48 an hour in cash wages for overtime hours.
If your pay stub shows $17.97 an hour for overtime (that's 1.5 × $11.98), that's a mistake worth asking about.
Your tips are yours
Federal law adds a few protections when your employer takes the tip credit:
- You have to be told about it first. Your employer must tell you how much cash wage you'll get, how much tip credit they're taking, and that your tips belong to you (other than a valid tip pool).
- Managers and supervisors can't keep your tips, including through a tip pool.
- It only applies to "tipped employees." Under federal law, that means someone who regularly gets more than $30 a month in tips.
How to check your pay stub
- Hourly rate: for hours worked on or after September 30, 2026, your tipped rate should be at least $11.98.
- Overtime rate: at least $19.48 an hour for tipped overtime hours.
- Reported tips: the card tips on your stub should match your own records. Keeping a quick log of each shift's tips and tip-out makes this easy.
When does Florida's minimum wage go up next?
The $1-a-year steps are done. From here, Florida's minimum wage goes back to yearly inflation adjustments. Employment law firms expect the first one to be calculated in fall 2027 and take effect January 1, 2028. That means $15.00 and $11.98 should hold through December 31, 2027.
What if you think you're being underpaid?
Start with your manager or payroll. Rate changes sometimes don't get updated in the payroll system right away. If it doesn't get fixed:
- The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division takes minimum wage and tip complaints. Call 1-866-487-9243 or visit dol.gov/agencies/whd.
- Florida's constitution also lets workers bring their own claims for unpaid minimum wage. An employment lawyer can tell you whether that makes sense for you.
One more Florida perk: there's no state income tax, so the only tax deduction for tips that matters here is the federal one. Our No Tax on Tips guide explains it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the tipped minimum wage in Florida in 2026?
$11.98 an hour plus tips, starting September 30, 2026. From September 30, 2025 through September 29, 2026, it was $10.98.
Can my employer pay me less than $11.98 if my tips are great?
No. $11.98 is the lowest cash wage a Florida employer can pay a tipped employee, no matter how much you make in tips.
What happens if my tips don't get me to $15 an hour?
Your employer has to make up the difference for that workweek, so your cash wage plus tips equals at least $15.00 for every hour you worked.
What's the overtime rate for tipped employees in Florida?
At least $19.48 an hour in cash wages. That's time and a half of the full $15.00 minimum ($22.50) minus the $3.02 tip credit.
Is Florida's minimum wage going up in 2027?
It isn't expected to. The $15.00 rate should hold through December 31, 2027, with the first inflation adjustment expected on January 1, 2028.