New Hampshire Minimum Wage 2026: $7.25, Set by the Federal Rate
New Hampshire's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. RSA 279:21 sets it at the federal rate, so it moves only if the federal minimum does; nothing is scheduled for 2027. Tipped restaurant and hotel employees get a base rate of 45% of the minimum, $3.27 an hour, with tips making up the rest. Workers 16 and under, and new workers with less than six months' experience (after the employer files an application with the labor commissioner), can be paid 75% of the minimum. No city sets its own rate.
New Hampshire at a glance
| Current rate | $7.25 / hour |
|---|---|
| Effective | Federal rate, in effect since July 24, 2009 |
| Tipped cash wage | $3.27 / hour (45% of the minimum; $3.98 tip credit) |
| Next scheduled change | None; follows any federal increase |
| Local rates | None |
| Youth and training rates | 75% of the minimum for workers 16 and under, and for new workers with under 6 months' experience (application required) |
How New Hampshire sets its minimum wage
New Hampshire doesn't set a dollar figure of its own. RSA 279:21 says no employer may pay an hourly rate lower than the one in the federal minimum wage law, as amended. So the state rate is whatever the federal rate is, today $7.25, and it moves only when Congress changes the federal minimum or the Legislature amends the statute. There's no inflation adjustment and no increase scheduled for 2027.
Tipped employees
The tipped rule is narrower than the federal one. It covers tipped employees of a restaurant, hotel, motel, inn, cabin or ballroom who customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips directly from customers. Those employees must get a base rate of at least 45% of the applicable minimum wage, which the U.S. Department of Labor's tipped wage table lists as $3.27 an hour, with a maximum tip credit of $3.98. If tips don't bring the employee to the full minimum for a pay period, the employer pays the difference.
The statute already contains the next version of this rule. Once the federal minimum rises above the level in effect on July 23, 2021, New Hampshire's tipped base rate becomes the federal minimum cash wage, but never less than $3.27 an hour, and cigar bars are added to the covered businesses.
Exceptions: youth, training and exempt jobs
- Workers 16 or under may be paid no less than 75% of the minimum wage, if evidence of their age is kept on file.
- New workers with less than six months' experience in an occupation may be paid no less than 75% of the minimum, but only after the employer files an application with the labor commissioner within 10 days of hire.
- Not covered at all: household, domestic and farm labor, outside salespeople, employees of summer camps for minors, newspaper carriers, non-professional ski patrollers, golf caddies, and ski-area staff who only greet and assist guests.
Federal law may still require $7.25 for a job the state excludes, so check both before relying on an exception.
Other pay rules that affect hourly budgets
Two New Hampshire rules add cost around the minimum. An employee who reports to work at your request must be paid at least two hours at their regular rate (RSA 275:43-a), unless you made a good-faith effort to tell them not to come in. And a noncompete agreement with an employee earning an hourly rate of 200% of the federal minimum or less (2 x $7.25 = $14.50) is void (RSA 275:70-a). Breaks, overtime and final pay are covered in our New Hampshire labor laws guide.
What this means for hiring
$7.25 is the legal floor, not the going rate. Frontline employers in southern New Hampshire compete with Massachusetts employers a short drive away, and candidates compare hourly numbers. New Hampshire doesn't make you publish a pay range, but a rate in the first line of the ad is what gets a working candidate to apply. To see what a hire costs at the wage you actually pay, including payroll taxes, use the employee cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in New Hampshire in 2026?
$7.25 an hour, the federal rate. RSA 279:21 ties New Hampshire's minimum to the federal minimum wage law, so the state figure has matched the federal $7.25 since that rate took effect in 2009. Tipped restaurant and hotel employees can be paid a base rate of $3.27 an hour if tips bring them to the full minimum. The same rate applies in every city and town.
Is New Hampshire raising its minimum wage?
Not on any schedule. New Hampshire's law has no inflation adjustment and no increase scheduled for 2027. The rate will change only if Congress raises the federal minimum wage, which New Hampshire follows automatically, or if the Legislature amends RSA 279:21. Plan around $7.25, and $3.27 plus tips for tipped employees.
What is the tipped minimum wage in New Hampshire?
$3.27 an hour, which is 45% of the $7.25 minimum wage, with a tip credit of up to $3.98, as the U.S. Department of Labor's tipped wage table lists it. It applies to tipped employees of restaurants, hotels, motels, inns, cabins and ballrooms who receive more than $30 a month in tips directly from customers. If tips fall short, the employer makes up the difference.
Can New Hampshire employers pay teenagers less than minimum wage?
Yes, within limits. Employees aged 16 or under can be paid no less than 75% of the minimum wage if the employer keeps evidence of their age on file. Separately, a new employee with less than six months' experience in an occupation can be paid 75% of the minimum, but only after the employer files an application with the labor commissioner within 10 days of hire.
Does New Hampshire have a higher minimum wage in any city?
No. New Hampshire has one statewide minimum wage, $7.25, tied to the federal rate, and no city or town sets its own. Manchester, Nashua, Concord and Portsmouth employers all use the state floor, although most frontline roles pay well above it because of competition, including from Massachusetts employers nearby.
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