Minor wage: $14.40 (85% of standard) for first 90 days.
Connecticut allows employers to pay workers under 18 at 85% of the state minimum wage during their first 90 consecutive days of employment. For 2026, that's $14.40/hr. The minor wage is tied directly to the state rate — when the state minimum rises each January 1 via ECI indexing, the minor rate adjusts automatically to maintain the 85% relationship. After 90 days OR the worker's 18th birthday (whichever comes first), the standard $16.94 rate applies. Connecticut does NOT permit indefinite minor subminimums — the 90-day cap is firm for non-farm, non-government work.
Minor 90-Day Wage Configuration
Routes under-18 workers to $14.40 rate during first 90 consecutive days. Auto-uplifts on day 91 or 18th birthday — whichever first. Adjusts each January 1 with state ECI indexing.
What those rules do at hire and on the 90-day anniversary.
The hero card configuration: Flag on uplift trigger, Avoid on displacement.
On the 91st consecutive day of employment OR the worker's 18th birthday — whichever comes first — the minor wage ends and the standard $16.94 rate applies. Teambridge auto-uplifts on the trigger date.
Federal FLSA 29 CFR 519.4 and Connecticut common law prohibit using subminimum-wage workers to displace existing standard-rate workers. Hiring under-18s at $14.40 to replace standard-rate workers triggers displacement violation. Pattern detection flags this for review.
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85% of state minimum, first 90 days, under-18 only — auto-adjusts with state rate.
Connecticut's minor wage is narrow but tied directly to the state minimum — meaning the rate changes annually without separate legislative action.
85% rule tied to state minimum
Connecticut's minor wage is set at exactly 85% of the state minimum wage. When the state rate adjusts annually via ECI indexing, the minor rate adjusts proportionally. For 2026: state minimum $16.94 × 0.85 = $14.40 (rounded). For 2025: $16.35 × 0.85 = $13.90. The proportional relationship means employers don't need to track a separate minor rate cycle — it follows automatically.
Narrow eligibility
The minor wage applies only when both conditions are met: (1) the worker is under age 18, AND (2) the worker is in the first 90 consecutive days of employment with that specific employer. Both conditions are necessary. A 17-year-old in their fourth month at the same employer earns standard rate. An 18-year-old in their first month earns standard rate (regardless of how recently they turned 18). The conditions are stricter than Minnesota's training wage (under 20, 90 days).
Teambridge auto-tracks the 90-day clock and the 18th-birthday trigger.
The dual-trigger rule (90 days OR 18th birthday) plus the 85% relationship to state rate together make minor wage operationally narrow.
Age + first-90-days status validated.
When a new worker is hired, age is validated (must be under 18) and tenure is initialized at day 1. Both conditions logged.
90-day clock triggers rate change.
On the 91st consecutive day from hire date, the worker's rate auto-uplifts to standard $16.94. Surfaces in payroll preview the day before.
Birthday triggers immediate uplift.
If the worker turns 18 before day 91, the minor wage ends on the birthday. The 18th birthday is captured at hire and the trigger is set automatically.
85% relationship maintained.
When the state rate rises each January 1 via ECI indexing, the minor rate adjusts proportionally (state × 0.85). No separate calendar to track.
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