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Reminder: New York State Wage Increases As Of December 31, 2019

On Behalf of | Dec 25, 2022 | Employment Law, Firm News

As the end of the year is approaching, it is important to remind New York State employers and employees of the increased minimum wages that affect both hourly and salaried employees.

For hourly, non-exempt workers, please see the below chart for basic hourly minimum wage increases that go into effect as of December 31, 2019:

New York City
Employees in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties
Workers in the Remainder of New York State (“Upstate”)

$15.00
$13.00 (up from $12.00)
$11.80 (up from $11.10)

To the extent you or your workforce are paying basic minimum wage, it is important to make sure that the increased wages are reflected as of December 31, 2019.

For employers and employees in the Hospitality Industry, such as restaurants, the “tip credit” rate is also being increased as of December 31, 2019, as follows:

New York City
Employees in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties
Workers in the Remainder of New York State (“Upstate”)

$10.00 Tip Credit: $5.00
$8.65 Tip Credit: $4.35
$7.85 Tip Credit: $3.95

The “tip credit” rules can be difficult to follow, so it is important to track this information to ensure that tipped employees are receiving at least basic minimum wage, inclusive of tips, when calculating wages.

“Fast food” workers minimum wage, which is as follows:

New York City
New York State Outside New York City

$15.00
$12.75

More information about the Hospitality Industry – including fast foot establishments, can be found here.

Finally, there are increases in the minimum salary threshold that must be met for exempt employees. As of December 31, 2019, the following minimum salaries must be paid for exempt administrative and executive employees:

New York City
Employees in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties
Workers in the Remainder of New York State (“Upstate”)

$1,125.00 per week ($58,500 annually)
$975.00 per week ($50,700 annually)
$885.00 per week ($46,020 annually)

With the upcoming changes, it is important to update policies and pay practices to stay in compliance. For questions as an employer or employee in New York, please contact the Law Offices of Yale Pollack, P.C. at 516-774-1015 or .