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Florida’s Minimum Wage Increasing to $15 – Is Your Business Ready

On September 30, 2026, Florida’s minimum wage rises to $15.00 per hour, up from $14.00, with the tipped minimum wage increasing to $11.98 per hour (a $3.02 tip credit still applies). This is the final scheduled step of the $1-per-year increases Florida voters approved via constitutional amendment in 2020 — and it’s a milestone worth pausing on. Starting in 2027, Florida’s minimum wage will no longer rise by a flat dollar amount each September. Instead, it will adjust annually based on inflation (CPI-W), with the new rate published and taking effect each January 1. In other words, the rhythm employers have gotten used to for six years will change.

What This Means for Florida Employers

Every employee earning below $15/hour must be raised to at least that rate by September 30. Tipped employees must receive a direct cash wage of at least $11.98/hour, assuming your business properly satisfies tip-credit requirements (notice, recordkeeping, and ensuring tips plus cash wage meet or exceed $15/hour).
Required workplace posting must be updated to reflect the new minimum wage. Visit the FloridaJobs website to download the latest Florida Minimum Wage poster.
Pay compression deserves a look: if your $15/hour rate now matches what you’re paying more senior or skilled hourly staff, you may need to adjust other employees upward to preserve pay differentials and morale.

Recommended Actions

Audit your pay rates now. Identify every employee — hourly, tipped, or otherwise — currently earning below $15.00 (or below $11.98 direct wage for tipped roles).
Update payroll and timekeeping systems to reflect the new rates effective September 30.
Refresh required notices and posters in break rooms or online employee portals. Check the FloridaJob website for the latest poster.
Reissue the tip credit notice to tipped employees, as required whenever the tip credit changes.
Review your full pay structure, not just the wage floor — check for compression against supervisors and longer term staff.
Budget for the shift to inflation-based adjustments starting in 2027. Rates will happen every January 1 based on CPI-W, which means smaller increases.

Bottom line: This is the last “big,” predictable jump in Florida’s minimum wage schedule, then moving to inflation-indexed adjustments.

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