Virginia tipped minimum wage 2026
The Virginia tipped cash wage is $2.13 per hour. Employers may take a tip credit of up to $10.28 per hour, provided the worker's cash wage plus tips reaches the state minimum of $12.41 per hour for every workweek. [DOL Tipped][VA labor dept.]
Cash wage and tip credit
When tips fall short
If a worker's cash wage plus reported tips do not average to the Virginia minimum of $12.41 per hour over a workweek, the employer must pay the shortfall. The Tip Credit Checker tool runs the math at /tools/tip-credit. Under the 2021 DOL final rule, time spent on non-tip-producing work above 20 percent of the shift (or 30 continuous minutes) must be paid at the full minimum, not the tip-credited rate. [DOL FS-15]
Background
House Bill 395 (2020) phased the rate to $12.00 on 2023-01-01. The 2024 General Assembly re-enacted the suspended $13.50 and $15.00 steps via SB 1, taking effect 2027-01-01 and 2028-01-01. Tipped cash wage of $2.13 under Va. Code section 40.1-28.9.