What the Law Says

New York State MinimumWage Laws

The New York State minimum wage is $7.15 per hour as of January 1, 2007. This rate will increase to $7.25 per hour on July 24, 2009 when the federal minimum wage rises.

Minimum Wage Act (General Employment)

The General Industry Minimum Wage Act requires that all employees in New York State, including most domestic workers, must be paid at least $7.15 per hour beginning January 1, 2007. This rate will increase to $7.25 per hour on July 24, 2009 when the federal minimum wage rises.

The basic rate may be modified by certain requirements set under regulations known as “wage orders.” These provisions of the minimum wage law cover jobs in the restaurant, hotel, and building service industry, and miscellaneous industries and occupations. They set an hourly rate that includes overtime and allowances in four General Industry Wage Orders, based on meals and lodging supplied by an employer.

Some industries make allowances for tips, thus they set a lower hourly rate. For example, food service workers may earn $4.60 per hour because their total compensation includes expected tips. When required uniforms are maintained by the worker, certain allowances also apply. Other service workers have a minimum rate of $5.40 per hour. There are also allowances for meals and lodging supplied by an employer.

Wage Supplements or Fringe Benefits

Wage supplements include vacation or holiday pay, paid sick leave, reimbursement of expenses, and other similar items.
For more information on Fringe Benefits:

You may submit a completed Claim for Unpaid Wage Supplements to the nearest Division of Labor Standards Office.

The Minimum Wage Orders and Summaries reflecting the January 1, 2007 changes are available below.

To print the following Wage Order Rates and Allowances, you will need an installed copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader ® which is available for no charge from Adobe.