Servers in Missouri or those looking to become one should know what the minimum wage is to ensure they are being paid the correct amount. The server minimum wage in Missouri in 2024 is $6.15 per hour.
The laws surrounding the Missouri minimum wage for servers act as a safety net for those who may not earn enough in tips to meet the minimum wage threshold in the state.
Servers are those who provide and serve their customers with food and beverages in a restaurant or similar type of food establishment where food and drinks are brought to the table. As part of this service, a server will typically receive tips (gratuities) for doing so.
Missouri servers usually rely less on their low hourly wage and more on the generosity of the guests they serve for their paycheck each week.
Missouri Server Minimum Wage 2024
So, what is the minimum wage for waiters in Missouri? The minimum cash wage for waiters in Missouri is $6.15 per hour, which is the same as the tipped minimum wage in Missouri.
This is the minimum per hour a Missouri server must pay and a Missouri employer must pay its servers.
As you can see from the following graphic, the minimum wage for servers in Missouri has increased steadily over the past several years.
Server Minimum Wage in Missouri (Minimum Cash Wage and Tip Credits)
$6.15 per hour certainly does sound like a small amount to be paid an hour, but if tips are not sufficient enough, Missouri servers are required to be supplemented by their employers via “tipped credit,” which in Missouri is $6.15 per hour, making the server minimum wage in Missouri total of $12.30 per hour – the same as the official minimum wage in Missouri.
Based on the tipped minimum wage laws that apply to all states, Missouri employers are required to pay their employees an hourly minimum cash wage with the addition of tip credits. Tipped credits allow employers to pay tipped employees less than the minimum wage so long as they can make up the difference via tips per hour during each pay period.
Tip credit not only allows server employees to be paid less than the minimum hourly wage, but it is also the same concept with bartenders, hotel workers, some airport workers at baggage drops, and pretty much any job role where tips are the primary income for the employee.
In Missouri, servers must be paid a base minimum cash wage of $6.15 per hour. The expectation is that Missouri servers will make at least an additional $6.15 per hour in tips on average across their pay period, so they earn a cumulative $12.30 per hour, and if they do, then the employer is only obligated to pay a Missouri server $6.15 per hour.
Let’s assume that a server does not make at least $6.15 per hour in tips as an average throughout their pay period (usually two weeks), then the employer must step in and pay the Missouri server a tip credit of $6.15 per hour, so the server makes a minimum of $12.30 per hour for the duration of the pay period they worked when you combine the tip credits with the server minimum wage of $6.15 per hour.
Average Server Salary in Missouri (2024)
If you are a server or are looking to work in a restaurant or similar service-related business in Missouri, knowing the hourly wage for servers is essential, but knowing what you can expect to earn is perhaps even more important.
Some Missouri servers are probably not going to take a position at a restaurant with the view that they can only earn $12.30 per hour because, based on working 35-40 hours a week, they would earn $430.50-$492 per week.
What Do Servers Get Paid in Missouri
The average server hourly wage in Missouri (according to the job website Indeed.com) is a healthy $16.77 per hour. So, if you were to work an 8-hour shift or a total of 8 hours in a day across a couple of shifts, you could earn (on average) about $134.16 (8 hours x $16.77). If you worked five days per week with daily pay of $134.16 then you could earn about $670 per week.
If you took just three weeks off a year and worked for 49 weeks, then you could earn 49 x $670 = $32,869.20 for the year. This, of course, is before Missouri income tax has been deducted.
The above calculations are just averages to give you an idea of what you can earn as a Missouri server. The most important aspects of how much you can earn will depend on how good you are at your job, what type of food/beverage establishment you work at, and how busy the restaurant/cafe or bar is.
Also, many people who work at restaurants or similar establishments are willing to work more than 40 hours per week which may make them qualify for overtime pay.
If the average food item on the menu is $16-$22 and the restaurant mainly serves wings, burgers, subs, nachos, fries, and similar snack-style food, then the average check for each guest or table will not be that high, and therefore, the percentage tip against the total check will result in you earning a lower amount of tips per table you serve, and you’ll have to serve many tables during your shift.
On the other hand, if you work at a finer dining restaurant or one that is busy and serves steak, seafood, and other higher-priced menu and beverage items, then you stand to earn more money as the total check for each table you serve will be that much higher and the percentage tip you receive on a higher check will be that much more.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps the most important takeaway from this is that, as a Missouri employer, it is your responsibility to pay your servers a minimum hourly rate + tip credit that equals or surpasses the Missouri minimum wage if your servers do not earn enough to meet the $12.30 per hour threshold in a given workweek.
Failing to do so will be breaking federal and state laws. Equally, it is important that as a server working in Missouri, you know your rights and how much you should be paid with your hourly wage and tip credits.
If you have specific questions about the laws surrounding the minimum wage for servers in Missouri (tipped employees) from both an employer and employee perspective, you can contact the Missouri Department of Labor. Additionally, if you are an employee who isn’t being paid what you legally should be, you can file a complaint with them too.
Missouri Department of Labor
1410 Genessee St,
Kansas City, MO 64102
Telephone: (816) 889-2481
