New Jersey State Minimum Wage

The New Jersey state minimum wage increased by $1.13 in January 2023, from $13.00 per hour in 2022 to $14.13 per hour in 2023, representing a percentage increase of 8.69%.

It is important for business owners in the US to understand how the minimum wage works and what the minimum wage is for certain states, this will help with paying employees the correct and legal wage they’re entitled to.

If you are a full-time worker on New Jersey state minimum wage, your earnings could be as follows:

• Weekly Minimum Wage: $565.20 (based on a 40-hour week)
• Yearly Minimum Wage: $29,3904 (based on being paid 52 weeks per year)
• This is, of course, before you deduct the New Jersey income tax.

New Jersey joined the majority of US states in 2014 when its minimum wage increased to a higher hourly rate than the federal minimum wage.

Did the New Jersey Minimum Wage Go Up?

The graphic below displays the New Jersey state minimum wage for 2023 and over the past several years. As you can see, the minimum wage has been gradually increasing on a consistent basis for a while now.

New Jersey Minimum Wage Exemptions 2023

In 2023, the New Jersey state minimum wage increased by $1.13 from $13.00 (2022) to $14.13 per hour.

The way in which minimum wage increases are calculated in the state of NJ is through the Consumer Price Index, which takes into account the cost of living and other important variables in order to decipher the fairest wage to be paying state employees.

It has been confirmed that the minimum wage in New Jersey is expected to reach $15 per hour by 2024. However seasonal workers and small business employees won’t earn $15 per hour until 2026.

Some employees working in specific industries can be paid differently from the minimum wage according to the New Jersey Department of Labor website. Certain employers are not required to pay their employees the New Jersey state minimum wage in 2023.

You can view and download the New Jersey minimum wage labor law poster for 2022-2023 here at no charge. Employers must display an official poster outlining the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), ensuring that accurate employee time and pay records are kept.

New Jersey Student Minimum Wage

The minimum wage for student employees in New Jersey is 85% of the New Jersey minimum wage, making their hourly pay $12.01 per hour in 2023.

This hourly rate is for any hours worked up to 20 hours per week. As a student employee, once you surpass 20 hours per week, you will be eligible to be paid the New Jersey minimum wage rate of $14.13 per hour.

Being a student can be financially challenging, leading many students to pick up part-time jobs to make extra money while studying. Despite a student minimum wage rate, many New Jersey employers will not necessarily follow it and pay you equal to or more than the statewide minimum wage.

Many work-study programs are available at universities, which is a route many students go down. Still, coffee shop, cafe, bar, and restaurant jobs are commonly taken by students as they can work them into their class schedule.

New Jersey Under 20 Minimum Wage

If you are under 20 years old in New Jersey, federal law allows your employer to pay you as little as $4.25 per hour for your first 90 days of employment.

Once the 90-day period is over, you will be eligible to be paid the 2023 New Jersey state minimum wage of $14.13 per hour or potentially even more.

Fortunately for young workers, this is 90 calendar days and not 90 working days; therefore, it can be completed relatively quickly and within about three months.

New Jersey Tipped Minimum Wage

If you are a tipped employee in New Jersey (someone who receives regular tips as a part of their job) then you are eligible to be paid a minimum wage of $5.26 per hour, with a tip credit of $8.87 per hour, ensuring that you reach the statewide minimum wage regardless if you make enough hourly tips.

New Jersey Overtime Minimum Wage

Once you work over 40 hours in a working week you are eligible to be paid an overtime rate of 1.5 times your hourly wage for every hour you work past 40. So, the overtime minimum wage in New Jersey is $21.20 per hour, which is 1.5 times the minimum wage of $14.13 per hour.

Below are the rest of the minimum wage exemptions for New Jersey employees:

• Employees working for nursing homes, boardwalks, and other seasonal amusements, summer camps, libraries, and small businesses. By 2024 the minimum wage for those working in these industries will be $12.50 per hour, and the rest of the state’s employees will be paid a minimum of $15 per hour.
• If you’re an office worker employed by a nursing home in NJ, you can be paid less than the minimum wage, but if you work as a waitress in that same establishment, you must be paid the state minimum wage of $13.00 or more.

New Jersey Minimum Wage History

The table below provides the current rate and history of New Jersey’s minimum wage over the past 40+ years since 1983. You can see when there were increases in the minimum wage, how much they were, and what percentage increase it represents each year.

New Jersey minimum wage history for the past 10+ years – downloadable PDF below

New Jersey Minimum Wage History – Downloadable PDF