Bellingham minimum wage: $19.13/hr. State + $2 formula.
Bellingham's minimum wage is $19.13/hr effective January 1, 2026 — calculated as exactly $2 above the Washington state minimum wage ($17.13). The simple formula means Bellingham's annual increase tracks the state's, plus the $2 fixed premium. Bellingham applies to all employers regardless of size and to all workers performing work in Bellingham — no tier structure, no employer carve-outs. The simplicity makes operational implementation cleaner than the Seattle/Tukwila/Renton/Burien tier-based ordinances.
Bellingham Minimum Wage Floor
Applies $19.13/hr to all Bellingham workers. Annual uplift tracks state CPI-W increase + $2 fixed premium. No size-tier logic needed.
What those rules do for Bellingham workers.
The hero card configuration: Block on below-floor, Flag on annual formula tracking.
When a Bellingham worker is paid below $19.13/hr, save fails. The shift card identifies the worker and the rate.
In late September, when L&I publishes the new state minimum wage, Teambridge automatically calculates Bellingham's rate as state +$2 and surfaces the new figure to operators for the upcoming January 1 transition.
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Bellingham Municipal Code 19.10 — fixed premium over state.
Bellingham's minimum wage is unique among WA cities for using a fixed-premium formula rather than a separately-indexed rate. The $2 differential stays constant, so Bellingham's increases mirror state increases dollar-for-dollar.
Fixed-premium formula
Bellingham's minimum wage is the Washington state minimum + $2.00. State rate $17.13 + $2.00 = Bellingham $19.13. The differential stays constant, so when state goes up by $0.50 next year, Bellingham goes up by $0.50 too. No separate Bellingham CPI calculation needed.
Single rate, all employers
Bellingham applies to all employers regardless of size, all workers regardless of role. There's no tier structure, no franchise-network carve-out, no small-employer exception. This is operationally simpler than Seattle (post-2025 unified), Tukwila (size-tiered), Renton (size-tiered + mid-year), or Burien (two competing laws).
Teambridge applies the formula automatically — operators don't need to think about it.
Bellingham's simplicity makes it operationally the easiest WA city to support. The formula does the work; operators just configure 'Bellingham worker' and the rate follows.
Single rate applied.
Every Bellingham shift validates against $19.13/hr. No employer-size logic needed.
State + $2 calculated automatically.
When L&I publishes the new state rate in late September, Teambridge auto-calculates Bellingham's January 1 rate as state +$2.
Workers crossing into Bellingham covered.
Workers who perform work in Bellingham (even occasionally) get the Bellingham rate for those hours. Tracked at shift level.
Operator simplicity.
Unlike Seattle's 2-hr threshold, Tukwila's tier logic, or Renton's mid-year transition, Bellingham is a single-flat-rate ordinance. The simplest WA city to configure.
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