Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2020 that raised the state minimum wage by a dollar a year until it reached $15.00. The last step happens on September 30, 2026. Most employers know the number. What they miss is the timing, the tipped wage math and the handful of documents that reference the old rate.
This is the checklist I walk clients through every September.
The numbers
| Through September 29, 2026 | From September 30, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard minimum wage | $14.00 | $15.00 |
| Tipped minimum cash wage | $10.98 | $11.98 |
| Tip credit | $3.02 | $3.02 |
The federal minimum wage remains $7.25 and is irrelevant for Florida employers, because you must pay whichever is higher.
The employer checklist
1. Identify every employee under $15.00
Run a report of everyone earning less than $15.00 an hour today. Do not forget part-time staff, seasonal hires, interns who are actually employees, and anyone paid a day rate or piece rate whose effective hourly rate could fall below $15.00 in a slow week.
2. Decide what happens above $15.00
Every increase compresses your pay scale. If your newest hire and your three-year employee both end up at $15.00, you have a retention problem within a year. Decide now whether you are adjusting the next tier up, and by how much. It does not have to be a dollar; it has to be deliberate.
3. Get the payroll date right
The new rate applies to hours worked on and after September 30, 2026, not to the first pay period that starts in October. If your pay period runs September 21 through October 4, the hours on September 30 and later are paid at $15.00 and the hours before are paid at $14.00. Tell your payroll provider or bookkeeper now, and check the first affected pay run by hand.
4. Recalculate tipped wages
If you take a tip credit, the cash wage rises to $11.98. The tip credit stays at $3.02. Two things to verify:
- Every tipped employee's tips plus cash wage reach at least $15.00 for every workweek. If they do not, you owe the difference.
- Your tip credit notice to employees is current. Federal law requires you to inform tipped employees of the cash wage, the credit amount and their right to keep tips before you take the credit.
5. Update the poster
Florida requires the state minimum wage notice to be posted in a conspicuous place. The Florida Department of Commerce publishes the updated poster each year. Replace it by September 30, and if you have remote employees, send it electronically as well.
6. Fix the handbook and the offer letter template
Search your handbook, offer letters and any pay policies for a dollar figure. A handbook that states the minimum wage is out of date the day the rate changes; better to reference "the applicable Florida minimum wage" and keep the number in a separate pay schedule. While you are in there, confirm the handbook's overtime, meal break and timekeeping language is current.
7. Check exempt salaries too
The Florida change affects hourly employees, but every September is a good time to confirm your salaried exempt employees still meet the federal salary threshold and the duties tests. Misclassified "salaried" employees who are actually non-exempt are the most expensive wage mistake a small business makes, and it is not fixed by a raise.
8. Communicate the change
A two-line note to affected employees before the first new paycheck prevents a dozen questions and shows you are on top of it. If you adjusted higher tiers as well, say so.
What this does not change
- Overtime rules. Still time and a half over 40 hours in a workweek for non-exempt employees, now calculated on the higher base.
- Youth wage. Florida has no separate lower minimum wage for minors.
- Training wage. Florida does not allow a sub-minimum training wage for adults.
- Local rates. No Florida city or county has a higher minimum wage for private employers; the state rate is the floor everywhere.
Penalties for getting it wrong
Under Florida's minimum wage law, an employee who is underpaid can recover the unpaid wages plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, plus attorney's fees. In Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, employees can also use the county wage theft process. The amounts per employee are small; the amounts across a team over two years are not.
Need a second set of eyes?
If you want someone to review your pay rates, tip credit setup, classifications and posters before September 30, that is a short project inside my HR compliance service. Call, or send a message, and we can have it done before the change lands.
This post is general information for employers, not legal advice. Confirm current rates and requirements with the Florida Department of Commerce and counsel.