Connecticut Minimum Wage (2026)

Current minimum wage in Connecticut

Connecticut's minimum wage is $16.94 an hour in 2026 and is tied to the federal employment cost index. It rises to $17.48 on January 1, 2027, while the tipped cash wages for servers and bartenders have stayed at $6.38 and $8.23.

The rate rose from $16.35 (effective January 1, 2025) to $16.94 on January 1, 2026, an increase of $0.59 an hour or $1,227 a year for a full-time worker.

Next scheduled change

Rises to $17.48 on January 1, 2027 based on the federal employment cost index.

Tipped minimum wage

Employers may pay tipped employees a cash wage of $6.38 an hour and count tips toward the rest, as long as total pay reaches $16.94 an hour. The federal tipped cash wage is $2.13. Hotel and restaurant servers can be paid $6.38 an hour and bartenders $8.23 in cash wages, with tips required to bring total pay to at least $16.94.

What minimum wage pays in Connecticut

After federal and Connecticut taxes, a full-time minimum wage worker who files single keeps about $29,478 a year, or $1,134 per biweekly check. Run your own numbers with the Connecticut paycheck calculator or see the full breakdown for $17 an hour.

Overtime rules

Follows the federal 40-hour weekly overtime rule.

City and county minimum wages

No local minimum wages.

Exceptions and special rates

Employers may pay workers under 18 who are not emancipated 85 percent of the minimum wage for their first 90 days on the job.

How Connecticut compares

Connecticut ranks #4 of 51 for its minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.