Washington has no daily overtime law, so the federal 40 hour rule decides your pay. Enter your rate and hours for a Washington paycheck estimate: 1.5x after 40 hours a week, a $17.13 state minimum wage in 2026, and a higher Seattle floor of $21.30.
Rules verified November 2026 · Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
By Mudassir Khan
Washington mirrors federal FLSA math, enforced by the state. Each workweek stands alone.
Unpaid overtime complaints go to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Estimates only. Not tax, legal, or payroll advice. Confirm with your employer or a qualified professional.
Washington overtime law mirrors the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: nonexempt employees earn at least 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. There is no Washington state daily overtime trigger.
Washington adjusts its minimum wage for inflation every January 1. For 2026 the rate is $17.13 an hour for workers 16 and older. The state bans tip credits, so tipped workers earn the full rate before tips.
Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Everett, Bellingham, Burien and unincorporated King County all set higher local minimums. Seattle pays $21.30 an hour in 2026 for all employers. You are owed the highest rate that applies to you.
Gross = (40 × rate) + (hours over 40 × rate × 1.5)
| Rule | Washington |
|---|---|
| Overtime rule | State enforced, FLSA style: 1.5 times pay after 40 hours in a workweek; no daily overtime |
| Minimum wage 2026 | $17.13 an hour statewide, no tip credit; Seattle $21.30, SeaTac $20.17, Tukwila $21.65 |
| State income tax | None |
| Claim agency | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) |
| Claim deadline | 3 years from when the violation occurred |
| Worker | Math | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| $20/hr, 45 hours | $800 + 5 × $30 | $950.00 |
| $17.13/hr, 40 hours | 40 × $17.13 | $685.20 |
| $25/hr, 50 hours | $1,000 + 10 × $37.50 | $1,375.00 |
| $21.30/hr Seattle, four 10 hour days (40 hrs) | 40 × $21.30, no overtime | $852.00 |
Example 4 is the Washington trap to avoid: four 10 hour days feel like overtime days, but with no daily overtime rule they earn nothing extra. The same schedule in California would earn 8 overtime hours.
No Washington state income tax. Like Florida and Texas, Washington has no income tax at all, so your overtime premium is reduced only by federal income tax and Social Security and Medicare taxes. A dollar of overtime premium stretches further here than in Oregon or Minnesota.
The exempt salary floor is high. Washington sets its own overtime exempt salary threshold at 2.25 times the minimum wage: $80,168.40 a year in 2026, far above the federal $35,568. A salaried worker under that line is generally nonexempt and owed overtime.
No tip credit, ever. Washington employers must pay tipped workers the full minimum wage before tips. A Seattle server earns at least $21.30 an hour in base pay, plus tips on top. Compare that with our New York overtime calculator, where tip credits still apply.
The federal baseline is explained in the FLSA overtime rules guide. For a state with daily overtime instead, see the California overtime calculator.
No. Washington has no daily overtime rule. Only the weekly line matters: hours over 40 in a workweek earn 1.5 times the regular rate, no matter how long any single day was.
$17.13 an hour statewide, effective January 1, 2026, up from $16.66 in 2025. There is no tip credit, so tipped workers earn the full rate before tips.
$21.30 an hour for all employers, with no size tiers. Tukwila pays $21.65 and SeaTac $20.17. These local rates sit on top of the state $17.13 floor.
With the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), which investigates worker rights complaints. File within 3 years of when the violation occurred.
No. Washington has no state income tax, so no state tax comes out of overtime pay. Federal income tax plus Social Security and Medicare taxes still apply in full.
Yes, if nonexempt. Washington requires exempt employees to earn at least $80,168.40 a year in 2026 and pass the duties test. Salary alone never removes overtime rights.
Rates and rules checked against these sources in November 2026.
Want the same math without the Washington framing? Use the overtime pay calculator. For the federal 40 hour rule in another no income tax state, try the Texas overtime calculator.