Texas · Wages · Updated April 2026

Texas adopts the federal floor: $7.25/hr. Unchanged since 2009.

Texas Labor Code § 62.051 adopts the federal minimum wage by reference rather than setting a state-specific rate. The practical implication: when Congress raises the federal floor, Texas moves with it. When Congress doesn't, Texas doesn't either. The floor has held at $7.25 for 17 years.

State Minimum
$7.25
Tipped Cash
$2.13
Authority
TX Lab. § 62.051
Active

State Minimum Wage Floor

Enforces $7.25/hr as the floor for non-tipped Texas workers and $2.13/hr cash + tip-credit reconciliation for tipped workers. Tracks federal FLSA floor changes for automatic uplift.

Block save below $7.25 cash rate
Tag federal-rate increases for automatic uplift
Always running

What those rules do as a Texas shift is created.

The hero card configuration: Block on save below floor, Flag for FLSA-tied uplifts. Here's what each does at runtime.

Block · on save below $7.25

When a manager attempts to save a non-tipped Texas shift at a rate below $7.25, the save fails. "Cannot save: rate is below the federal/Texas minimum wage." Tipped workers route through the tip-credit reconciliation policy instead.

Flag · on federal floor change

If Congress raises the federal minimum wage, Teambridge surfaces every active Texas worker whose rate sits at the old floor. The uplift is one-click — no per-worker editing required.

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The rule, plainly stated

Federal floor in, Texas floor out.

Texas doesn't legislate its own minimum wage rate. Section 62.051 of the Labor Code adopts whatever the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets. So the Texas rate is the federal rate, by definition.

Texas Labor Code § 62.051: Except as provided by Section 62.057, an employer shall pay to each employee the federal minimum wage under Section 6, Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. Section 206).

Adoption-by-reference, not a fixed dollar

The statute references the FLSA rate rather than naming a number. So the Texas floor is whatever the FLSA floor is at any given moment. Last federal increase was July 24, 2009 — making the current $7.25 floor 17 years old as of 2026.

No state-level CPI indexing

Unlike Colorado (state CPI), New York (formula-based), or California (statutorily scheduled), Texas has no automatic adjustment. The rate stays at $7.25 until federal law changes.

On autopilot

Teambridge tracks the floor — federal or state, whichever is higher.

Wage-floor enforcement is the simplest of all wage rules: a single number that all Texas non-tipped workers must clear. The complexity is around who's exempt and what counts as wages, not the math.

01 · Shift creation

Floor enforced at save.

Every Texas non-tipped shift saves with $7.25 as the minimum allowed cash rate. Below this, save fails — same logic as Denver/CA local minimums but with no override available.

02 · Federal-rate watchdog

Uplift surfaced if FLSA changes.

When the federal Department of Labor announces a minimum wage adjustment, Teambridge surfaces all Texas workers below the new floor — and the operator can lift them in one batch.

03 · FLSA-coverage tagging

Distinguishes covered from exempt.

Workers tagged as FLSA-exempt (agricultural, family-owned, small operation under coverage threshold) follow different floors — Teambridge surfaces these as separate categories rather than enforcing a single rule.

04 · Audit trail

Rate history per worker preserved.

Every rate change for every worker logs with date, prior rate, new rate, and the trigger (federal uplift, internal raise, role change). Defensible against TWC wage-claim audits.

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FAQ

People also ask.

What is the minimum wage in Texas in 2026?
$7.25 per hour for non-tipped workers. $2.13 cash plus tips that reach the full $7.25 for tipped workers. The rate has been unchanged since July 24, 2009 — Texas adopts the federal floor by reference under Labor Code § 62.051.
Can a Texas city set a higher minimum wage?
No. Texas Labor Code § 62.0515 explicitly preempts cities and counties from establishing minimum wages above the state/federal rate for private employers. Austin, Dallas, and other cities have tried — all attempts have been struck down or rendered unenforceable.
Does Texas have automatic CPI indexing?
No. Unlike Colorado, New York, and a growing number of states, Texas does not index its minimum wage to inflation. The rate stays at $7.25 until federal law changes.
Are there exempt categories that earn less than $7.25?
A few. Section 62.057 of the Texas Labor Code exempts certain agricultural piece-rate work, immediate family employees of the business owner, and similar narrow categories. FLSA exemptions also apply for tipped workers, learners, and youth (90-day youth minimum of $4.25/hr for under-20).
What happens if the federal minimum wage changes?
Texas's rate moves automatically with it under § 62.051. No state legislative action is required. Teambridge surfaces affected workers when the federal rate changes and offers a batch uplift workflow.
How does Teambridge enforce this?
When a manager creates a non-tipped Texas shift, Teambridge enforces $7.25 as the minimum cash rate. Saves below this fail. The federal-rate watchdog also surfaces every worker whose rate would fall below a new federal floor when one is announced.