New York Minimum Wage 2027: Rates Stay at $17.00 and $16.00
Short answer: New York is one of the few large states not raising its standard minimum wage on January 1, 2027. It stays at $17.00 in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties and $16.00 in the rest of the state. The state says an "off-ramp" in the indexing law was triggered. Home care aides do get a raise, to $20.00 and $19.00.
What the state says
The New York State Department of Labor's minimum wage page lists the January 1, 2027 table and says the minimum wage "will stay the same." New York's 2020s phase-in schedule ended with the 2026 rates, and the law was written so that starting in 2027 the rate would rise each year with a three-year average of inflation (the CPI-W for the Northeast). But the same law includes conditions that can pause an increase. The Department says one of them was met for 2027, so no inflation increase happens on January 1.
2027 rates at a glance
| Worker type | NYC, Long Island, Westchester | Rest of New York State |
|---|---|---|
| Standard minimum wage | $17.00 | $16.00 |
| Full-time annual pay at the minimum (2,080 hours) | $35,360 | $33,280 |
| Tipped food service worker, cash wage (tip credit) | $11.35 ($5.65) | $10.70 ($5.30) |
| Tipped service employee, cash wage (tip credit) | $14.15 ($2.85) | $13.30 ($2.70) |
| Home care aide minimum | $20.00 | $19.00 |
Source: New York State Department of Labor. The state notes that only hospitality employers are allowed to take a tip credit.
The proposed March 1 increase: what is and isn't settled
The Governor's office published a proposal to amend the off-ramp provisions so workers could receive the inflation-based increase starting March 1, 2027, at $17.60 and $16.55. The state's own pages describe this as a proposal that depends on the Legislature. A law firm's October 2026 alert says no implementing bill had been introduced at that time and that the Legislature isn't expected to take it up until it reconvenes in January 2027. We will update this page if the rates change. Until then, plan around $17.00 and $16.00.
Employers should not pay or advertise the proposed rates until the state announces they are law, and workers should not assume a raise. Check the Department of Labor page for updates.
What a flat minimum wage means for your federal taxes
A New York City worker earning $17.00 an hour who works 5 hours of FLSA overtime a week for 50 weeks collects about $2,125 of "half-time" overtime premium. The federal no-tax-on-overtime deduction would cut taxable income by that amount, which at the 2027 brackets is worth roughly $255 in federal tax for a single filer with about $41,735 of income. See how the overtime deduction works and try the overtime calculator with your own rate.
Tipped restaurant workers in New York are on the other side of the tipped-minimum-wage rules: the $11.35 downstate cash wage is the floor, and the federal tips deduction (up to $25,000) applies to qualified tips on top. Read the servers guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is New York's minimum wage going up on January 1, 2027?
No. The State Department of Labor says the standard minimum wage stays at $17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County and $16.00 per hour in the rest of the state, because an "off-ramp" condition in the law was met and blocked the inflation-based increase.
Why did the scheduled inflation increase not happen?
State law pauses the annual indexing when certain economic conditions occur. The Department of Labor and the Governor's office say one of those off-ramp conditions was met for 2027. A law-firm alert dated October 8, 2026 reports that the condition was that nonfarm employment in July was lower than in both January and April; we could not find that detail on the state's own pages, so treat it as secondary.
What is the proposed March 1, 2027 increase?
Governor Hochul has proposed changing the off-ramp so that rates could rise on March 1, 2027, to $17.60 (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) and $16.55 (rest of state). It is a proposal that requires Legislature approval. It is not law, and the rates on this page are the ones in effect.
Do home care aides get a raise on January 1, 2027?
Yes. The state says the home care aide minimum wage rises to $20.00 per hour in NYC, Long Island and Westchester and $19.00 elsewhere, because it is adjusted for inflation but capped at $3.00 above the standard minimum wage.
What is the tipped wage for restaurant workers in 2027?
In the hospitality industry, tipped food service workers have a cash wage of $11.35 (tip credit $5.65) in NYC, Long Island and Westchester and $10.70 (tip credit $5.30) in the rest of the state. Tipped service employees (non-food-service) have a cash wage of $14.15 and $13.30. Only hospitality employers may take a tip credit.
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.