Hawaii Minimum Wage 2027: $16.00, With $18.00 Coming January 1, 2028
Short answer: Hawaii's minimum wage stays at $16.00 through 2027. State law steps it to $18.00 on January 1, 2028. The state Wage Standards Division lists the whole schedule on its minimum wage page, and the U.S. Department of Labor's table shows $16.00 as the current basic rate.
The statutory schedule
| Effective date | Hawaii minimum wage |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2018 | $10.10 |
| October 1, 2022 | $12.00 |
| January 1, 2024 | $14.00 |
| January 1, 2026 | $16.00 (in effect all of 2027) |
| January 1, 2028 | $18.00 |
Source: Hawaii DLIR Wage Standards Division, "Minimum Wage and Overtime."
Hawaii writes the dollar amounts into statute rather than indexing to inflation, which is why there is no announcement for 2027. For a full-time worker the January 2028 step to $18.00 is worth $4,160 a year before taxes.
Tip credit, overtime and exemptions
Tip credit. The division says that "under certain conditions" employers may pay tipped employees below the minimum wage by using a tip credit, and publishes a Tip Credit Notice and an easy reference guide. We have not copied the credit amounts here because they depend on conditions in that notice. Anyone relying on the credit (employer or employee) should read the state's notice directly.
Overtime. The weekly rule governs most work: overtime after 40 hours in a workweek. The 8-hour daily rule appears only on public construction projects under Chapter 104 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, and that chapter also requires premium pay for Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays on those jobs. For tax purposes only overtime that the federal FLSA requires is "qualified," so a Hawaii worker's qualified overtime is the half-time premium on hours above 40 a week. Read what counts as qualified overtime.
Exemption. The U.S. Department of Labor's table says an employee earning a guaranteed monthly compensation of $4,000 or more is exempt from the state minimum wage and overtime law. Being exempt from state law does not by itself decide federal overtime status.
Planning pay in 2027
At $16.00 an hour, a worker averaging 5 hours of overtime a week would see overtime pay of $120 a week at time-and-a-half ($16 × 1.5 × 5), of which $40 a week is the half-time premium the federal deduction can cover. Plug in your own hours in the overtime calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hawaii's minimum wage in 2027?
Hawaii's minimum wage is $16.00 per hour in 2027. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations lists the statutory steps as $14.00 from January 1, 2024, $16.00 from January 1, 2026 and $18.00 from January 1, 2028. There is no scheduled change on January 1, 2027.
When does Hawaii's minimum wage reach $18.00?
On January 1, 2028, according to the Wage Standards Division. That is a $2.00 increase, worth $4,160 a year for a full-time worker at 2,080 hours.
Can Hawaii employers pay tipped workers less than the minimum wage?
Under certain conditions, yes. The Wage Standards Division says employers may use a tip credit, and it points to a Tip Credit Notice and an Easy Reference Guide for the conditions. We do not restate the credit amounts here; use the state's notice for the current figures.
Is overtime daily or weekly in Hawaii?
Generally overtime is required after 40 hours in a workweek (section 387-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes). On state or county public construction projects covered by Chapter 104, overtime is required after 8 hours a day and for all hours on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays.
Who is exempt from Hawaii's minimum wage and overtime law?
The U.S. Department of Labor's table says an employee earning a guaranteed monthly compensation of $4,000 or more is exempt from the state minimum wage and overtime law.
Sources and citations
Every dollar figure on this page was checked against the official pages below on November 14, 2026. If an agency updates its guidance, the agency page controls.