Nebraska Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in Nebraska is $15.00 per hour in 2026, effective January 1, 2026. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $2.13 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in Nebraska in 2026?
The Nebraska minimum wage is $15.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026. This completes the schedule voters approved in Initiative 433 (2022), which raised the rate in four steps from $9.00 to $15.00.
Nebraska's climb has been one of the fastest in the country: the rate rose 67 percent in four years. The state minimum applies to employers with 4 or more employees; 2025 legislation also added a lower youth wage for 14- and 15-year-olds.
Tipped minimum wage in Nebraska
The tipped minimum wage in Nebraska is $2.13 per hour, matching the federal tipped cash wage. Nebraska did not raise the tipped rate when Initiative 433 passed, so the gap between the cash wage and the $15.00 full minimum is now one of the largest anywhere.
That gap makes shortfall top-ups a real, recurring cost: tips must bring every tipped employee to $15.00 per hour each pay period, and at $2.13 in cash wages, slow shifts will regularly require employer make-up pay. Track tips closely.
Nebraska minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.00 | $2.13 |
| 2021 | $9.00 | $2.13 |
| 2022 | $9.00 | $2.13 |
| 2023 | $10.50 | $2.13 |
| 2024 | $12.00 | $2.13 |
| 2025 | $13.50 | $2.13 |
| 2026 | $15.00 | $2.13 |
Upcoming minimum wage increases in Nebraska
Initiative 433 originally called for annual cost-of-living adjustments after 2026. However, 2025 legislation (LB 258) replaced open-ended CPI indexing with fixed annual increases of 1.75 percent starting January 1, 2027.
LB 258 also created a youth minimum wage for 14- and 15-year-olds ($13.50 in 2026) and a training wage option for new hires under 20. Expect the full rate to tick up modestly each January from 2027 onward.
Minimum wage by city in Nebraska
Nebraska has no local minimum wages; Omaha, Lincoln, and every other city follow the $15.00 state rate.
With the state rate now at $15.00, Nebraska's wage floor is higher than in most neighboring states, which affects cross-border hiring in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro where Iowa's minimum remains at the federal $7.25.
State rate applies
State rate applies
State rate applies
State rate applies
What Nebraska employers need to know
Coverage
Nebraska's minimum wage applies to employers with 4 or more employees. Smaller employers generally fall under the federal $7.25 minimum via the FLSA.
Youth and training wages
From 2026, 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid a youth minimum of $13.50 per hour, and a training wage is available for new hires under 20 for a limited period, under LB 258.
Tipped employees
The cash wage is $2.13. With a $15.00 full minimum, verify tips cover the gap every pay period and pay the shortfall when they do not.
Posting and records
Post current federal and Nebraska wage notices and keep payroll records documenting hours, cash wages, and reported tips.
How other states compare
See how Nebraska's $15.00 rate stacks up against other state minimum wages in 2026, or browse the full minimum wage index for all 50 states.
Last verified:
Sources: the US Department of Labor's state minimum wage table and official announcements from the Nebraska labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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