New York's minimum wage is $17 downstate and $16 upstate in 2026.
Effective January 1, 2026, New York's minimum wage rose to $17.00/hour in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties — and $16.00/hour in the rest of the state. This is the third year of scheduled increases. Starting January 1, 2027, the minimum wage will be indexed to a three-year average of the regional CPI-W.
NY State Minimum Wage
Auto-applies the correct minimum wage based on the shift's geographic location. Routes downstate counties (NYC + LI + Westchester) to $17/hr; rest of state to $16/hr. Updates annually per NYSDOL CPI calculation.
What the rule does at the moment of shift creation.
The hero card configuration: Block on save below regional minimum, Flag on shift assignment. Here's what each does at runtime.
When a manager tries to save a shift at a pay rate below the applicable regional minimum, the save fails. The blocked rate cites whether downstate or upstate rules apply.
When a worker accepts the shift, the timesheet entry tags with the regional rate. Cross-region work (a Westchester-based worker covering an Albany shift) tags per where the work is performed.
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Geographic tier governs. Work location, not employer or worker home.
New York's two-tier minimum wage is among the most fragmented in the U.S. for a single state. Downstate (NYC, LI, Westchester) gets one rate; the rest of the state gets another.
Downstate vs. upstate boundaries
Downstate covers all five NYC boroughs plus Nassau County, Suffolk County (both on Long Island), and Westchester County. Everywhere else — Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, the rest of the state — is upstate. Note that Putnam, Rockland, and Dutchess are downstate geographically but get the upstate rate. The boundary is statutory, not geographic.
CPI-indexing starts in 2027
2026 is the last year of the scheduled $0.50/year increases under the 2023 budget agreement. From 2027 forward, increases follow a three-year moving average of CPI-W for the Northeast Region. Increases are capped — they cannot exceed the CPI rate. There's no minimum increase, so flat or low-inflation years could mean no increase.
Teambridge resolves region by parcel and applies the right rate.
New York's two-tier system is simpler than California's 40+ jurisdictions, but the boundaries still need parcel-level resolution because some counties span tiers conceptually but not legally.
County-level lookup.
When a shift address is entered, Teambridge resolves the county and applies the correct tier. Shifts in NYC, Nassau, Suffolk, or Westchester get $17.00; everywhere else gets $16.00.
Rate updates automatically January 1.
When NYSDOL publishes the next year's rate (or the CPI-derived rate starting in 2027), Teambridge applies the new rate to all New York shifts dated on or after the effective date.
Hours follow the work location.
For workers crossing the downstate/upstate line within a workweek (uncommon but possible), Teambridge tracks hours per region. Each segment pays the rate applicable to that segment's location.
Required pay-stub items generated.
NYLL § 195(3) requires nine specific items on every wage statement, including the applicable hourly rates. Teambridge generates compliant statements automatically with the correct regional rate disclosed.
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