West Virginia Minimum Wage Calculator

💡 West Virginia Wage Law Essentials

• Standard Minimum Rate: Under W. Va. Code § 21-5C-2, the state baseline minimum wage is $8.75/hour for employers with six (6) or more non-exempt employees at a single permanent work location.
• Small Employer Exemption (<6 Staff): Employers with fewer than six employees at a distinct permanent location are exempt from state wage laws and default to the federal FLSA rate ($7.25/hr baseline, $2.13/hr tipped cash wage).
• 70% Tip Credit Formula: Under W. Va. Code § 21-5C-4, employers may claim a tip credit up to 70% of the applicable minimum wage ($6.13/hour), requiring an employer direct cash wage of at least 30% ($2.62/hour) for workers regularly receiving tips.
• Tip Shortfall Make-Up: If direct cash pay ($2.62/hr) plus tips average less than $8.75/hr across all weekly hours worked, the employer must cover the entire shortfall in direct cash wages.
• Youth Training Wage: Employers may pay an opportunity training wage of $6.40/hour to new employees under age 20 for their first 90 consecutive calendar days.
• Overtime Pay: Non-exempt hours exceeding 40 per workweek must be compensated at 1.5× the base minimum wage. For tipped workers, the direct cash overtime rate is $(1.5 \times \text{Base Wage}) - \text{Tip Credit} = (1.5 \times \$8.75) - \$6.13 = \$13.125 - \$6.13 = \$6.995 \approx \$7.00/\text{hour}$.