# Connecticut tipped minimum wage 2026

In Connecticut the minimum wage is $16.94 an hour, and an employer can pay a tipped employee a cash wage as low as $6.38, counting up to $10.56 an hour of tips toward the rest. If tips fall short in a workweek, the employer pays the difference.

Check your own week with the free [calculator on this page](https://rulecost.com/paycheck/tipped-minimum-wage/connecticut/), prefilled with Connecticut's rates.

- Minimum wage: $16.94 / hour
- Lowest cash wage for tipped employees: $6.38 / hour
- Maximum tip credit: $10.56 / hour

The $6.38 cash wage is for hotel and restaurant wait staff. Bartenders who customarily receive tips have a higher cash wage of $8.23.

## 2027

On January 1, 2027, Connecticut's minimum wage rises to $17.48 an hour, while the tipped cash wage stays at $6.38 (so the tip credit grows to $11.10). Tipped cash wages are fixed in law; bartenders who customarily receive tips stay at $8.23. Source: https://portal.ct.gov/governor/news/press-releases/2026/08-2026/governor-lamont-announces-minimum-wage-will-increase

## Not paid the minimum wage?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists the [Connecticut Department of Labor](https://portal.ct.gov/dol) as Connecticut's labor office. Federal complaints: Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243.

## Sources

- [Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- [State Minimum Wage Laws](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- [Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the FLSA](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/15-tipped-employees-flsa), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division