New Jersey overtime is straightforward: 1.5x after 40 hours a week, no daily overtime, and a $15.92 minimum wage in 2026. Enter your rate and hours for a New Jersey estimate. State wage collection claims can reach back up to 6 years, far longer than federal law allows.
Rules verified November 2026 · Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
By Mudassir Khan
New Jersey Wage and Hour Law, weekly 40 hour math. Each workweek stands alone.
Unpaid overtime complaints go to the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Wage and Hour. Estimates only. Not tax, legal, or payroll advice. Confirm with your employer or a qualified professional.
The New Jersey Wage and Hour Law requires 1.5 times the regular hourly wage for hours over 40 in a week for nonexempt employees. New Jersey has no daily overtime trigger.
From January 1, 2026 the minimum wage is $15.92 an hour for most employees, indexed to inflation each year. Small and seasonal employers follow a lower schedule at $15.23, and the tipped cash wage is $6.05.
The 2019 Wage Theft Act lets the state pursue wage collection claims up to 6 years back, with liquidated damages up to 200% of lost wages. That long lookback makes old pay stubs worth keeping.
Gross = (40 × rate) + (hours over 40 × rate × 1.5)
| Rule | New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Overtime rule | State law: 1.5 times pay after 40 hours in a workweek; no daily overtime |
| Minimum wage 2026 | $15.92 an hour for most employees; small and seasonal employers $15.23; tipped cash wage $6.05 |
| State income tax | Graduated, 1.4% to 10.75% |
| Claim agency | NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Wage and Hour Compliance |
| Claim deadline | Up to 6 years for state wage collection complaints |
| Worker | Math | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| $20/hr, 45 hours | $800 + 5 × $30 | $950.00 |
| $15.92/hr, 40 hours | 40 × $15.92 | $636.80 |
| $28/hr, 48 hours | $1,120 + 8 × $42 | $1,456.00 |
| $16/hr, four 12 hour days (48 hrs) | $640 + 8 × $24 | $832.00 |
Example 4 shows the weekly only math: four long days earn overtime only because the week passes 40. In a daily overtime state like Nevada, the same schedule would earn far more premium pay at a sub $18 rate.
The 6 year lookback is unusually long. Most states give you 2 or 3 years to claim unpaid overtime. New Jersey wage collection proceedings can reach back 6 years, and the Wage Theft Act added liquidated damages. Old violations stay alive here longer than almost anywhere else.
Tipped math has two numbers. The employer pays at least $6.05 in cash wages and may claim a tip credit up to $9.87, but wages plus tips must reach $15.92 an hour. Compare with New York, which uses a different tipped structure.
Small and seasonal employers phase in separately. Businesses with fewer than 6 employees and seasonal employers pay $15.23 in 2026, catching up to the main rate later. Check which schedule your employer follows.
The federal baseline is explained in the FLSA overtime rules guide. For the neighboring state with its own daily style rules, see Pennsylvania.
No. New Jersey has no daily overtime rule. Only hours over 40 in a workweek earn 1.5 times the regular rate.
$15.92 an hour for most employees, effective January 1, 2026. Small and seasonal employers pay $15.23, and the tipped cash wage is $6.05.
With the Division of Wage and Hour Compliance at the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development. State wage collection complaints carry up to a 6 year statute of limitations.
Yes. New Jersey has a graduated income tax from 1.4% to 10.75%, and overtime wages are taxed like regular wages.
$6.05 an hour in cash wages, with a maximum tip credit of $9.87. Wages plus tips must total at least $15.92 an hour.
Yes, if nonexempt. A salary alone does not remove overtime rights. Only employees who pass the exempt duties and salary tests can be denied overtime pay.
Rates and rules checked against these sources in November 2026.
Want the same math without the New Jersey framing? Use the overtime pay calculator. For the neighboring state across the river, try the New York overtime calculator.