Washington Minimum Wage 2027

Seattle and the other places that pay more

Washington allows cities and counties to set a higher minimum. The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) lists eight that do. Several cover only larger employers or certain industries, so the rate in the table is the one for the largest employers; the notes say who else is covered.

• Seattle: All employers; tips and health benefit payments do not count.
• SeaTac: Hospitality and transportation employers only; other SeaTac employers pay the state rate.
• Tukwila: Employers with 15 or more employees or over $2 million revenue in Tukwila; also covers workers under 18.
• Renton: Large employers (500+); mid-size employers $20.57 to June 30, 2026, $21.57 from July 1, 2026, $22.28 in 2027. Smaller employers pay the state rate.
• Everett: Employers with 500+ employees; employers with 15 to 499 pay $20.52 from January 1, 2027 and $21.52 from July 1, 2027.
• Burien: Large and medium employers in 2027; employers with 15 or fewer employees $20.49.
• Unincorporated King County: Only outside city limits. Employers with 15 or fewer employees and under $2 million revenue: $19.57 in 2027.
• Bellingham: State minimum wage plus $2.00, all employers in city limits. 2027 rate not posted yet (city rule: state rate plus $2).

Tacoma, Spokane, Bellevue, Vancouver, Kent, Federal Way and Lynnwood are not on L&I's list, so a job there pays at least the state's $17.73 in 2027, unless the city adopts an ordinance of its own.

How the state rate is set

Initiative 1433, which Washington voters approved in 2016, raised the minimum wage in four steps to $13.50 in 2020. Since then RCW 49.46.020 has L&I recalculate the rate every September 30 from the change in the CPI-W, the consumer price index for urban wage earners, over the previous twelve months to August. The new rate starts the following January 1. For 2027 the increase is 3.5%, or $0.60 an hour.

Overtime-exempt salary: tied to the minimum wage

A salaried employee in Washington is exempt from overtime only if paid at least a multiple of the minimum wage for a 40-hour week, and the multiple has been rising (WAC 296-128-545). In 2026 it is 2.25 for every employer, $1,541.70 a week ($80,168.40 a year). In 2027 it splits by size, counting only employees based in Washington:

From 2028 the multiple is 2.5 for all employers. Computer professionals can be exempt on an hourly basis instead if they earn at least 3.5 times the minimum wage: $59.96 an hour in 2026 and $62.06 in 2027.

Teenagers, tips and sick leave

Employers may pay workers aged 14 and 15 no less than 85% of the minimum: $14.56 an hour in 2026 and $15.07 in 2027. At 16 and 17 the full adult rate applies. Some local laws go further; Tukwila's minimum, for example, also covers workers under 18.

Washington allows no tip credit. Tips and service charges cannot count toward the hourly minimum, so a server, a barista or a hotel housekeeper gets at least $17.73 in wages, with tips on top. The same law gives every employee at least one hour of paid sick leave for each 40 hours worked.

Looking for Washington, D.C.?

The District of Columbia has its own minimum wage, separate from Washington state: $18.40 an hour since July 1, 2026. It changes each July 1, and the July 2027 figure has not been announced. Every state and D.C. are on the minimum wage by state page.

What $17.73 comes to

Washington has no state income tax. Paychecks lose federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, plus two small state deductions: 0.807% for paid family and medical leave and 0.58% for the WA Cares long-term care fund. The Washington paycheck calculator works per pay period.

In Seattle the same 40-hour week at $22.14 comes to $46,051 a year before taxes.

Complaints to L&I

Unpaid minimum wage, overtime or sick leave can be reported to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries within three years of the violation (180 days for retaliation). Some cities enforce their own ordinances; Bellingham does not, and refers workers to L&I, unions or attorneys.

How this is calculated

The calculator uses the statewide rate. Washington has one state rate for all employer sizes, so the only choice is the date: today ($17.13) or January 1, 2027 ($17.73). For a city rate, multiply your hours by the amount in the local table, or use the hourly to salary calculator.

A year is 52 weeks at your weekly hours and a month is a twelfth of the year. After-tax amounts use 2026 federal income tax for a single filer without children, Social Security, Medicare and the two Washington payroll deductions.