Labour costs
Florida Server and Tipped Minimum Wage: Restaurant Labor Costs
Florida’s minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, with a minimum cash wage of $11.98 for tipped employees and a tip credit of $3.02. The $15 rate took effect on 30 September 2026, completing the step-up path voters approved in 2020. From here the rate is adjusted for inflation once a year, with the first adjustment taking effect on 1 January 2028.
Figures verified October 2026
Statutory rates
State minimum wage1
$15.00/hr
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division · Revised 1 July 2026
Minimum cash wage (tipped employees)2
$11.98/hr
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division · Revised 1 July 2026
Maximum tip credit
$3.02/hr
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division · Revised 1 July 2026
| Rate | Per hour | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State minimum wage1 | $15.00/hr | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour DivisionRevised 1 July 2026 |
| Minimum cash wage (tipped employees)2 | $11.98/hr | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour DivisionRevised 1 July 2026 |
| Maximum tip credit | $3.02/hr | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour DivisionRevised 1 July 2026 |
1 In force from 30 September 2026, the last step of the scheduled path. Adjusted for inflation from 1 January 2028.
2 The $15.00 state minimum less the fixed $3.02 tip credit.
Next scheduled change: 1 January 2028. Florida’s first inflation adjustment, calculated on 30 September 2027, takes effect 1 January 2028.
On role-level pay data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes Florida medians by role, linked below. Seasonal markets distort them in both directions, so check the metro-level estimates for your area rather than the state figure alone.
From an hourly rate to a labor cost percentage
The rates above are what you may not pay below. What an hour costs you is larger, once the on-costs below are added, and the labor cost percentage calculator will turn the two halves into a figure you can compare. The prime cost calculator then tells you whether that number and your food cost together leave room for rent and profit.
Tips and tip handling
Florida allows a tip credit of $3.02, giving a minimum cash wage of $11.98 for tipped employees, well above the federal $2.13. Tips have to bring each employee to at least the full state minimum, and you make up the difference where they don’t. The tip credit stays fixed at $3.02, so every inflation adjustment to the state minimum raises the tipped cash wage by the same amount.
If you need to write this down for your team, the tip-out policy generator produces a plain-language policy document, and the tip-out calculator handles the nightly split.
What else drives your labor cost here
The increase date is moving
For six years Florida's rise landed on 30 September, mid-way through most budget years. The $15 step on 30 September 2026 was the last of those. Inflation adjustments now take effect on 1 January, starting in 2028, so there is no rise in autumn 2027 and the next one lines up with the calendar year.
Season is the whole story
Tourist-market sites carry a demand swing steep enough that an annual labor percentage means very little. Measure the season and the off-season separately, and staff each on its own terms.
Payroll taxes and benefits
Employer payroll taxes, unemployment insurance and workers' compensation all sit on top of gross wages and rise with each scheduled increase. Model the on-costs alongside the headline rate.
For what your percentage should be measured against, see the cost benchmarks by type of food business.
One labor cost that rarely shows up on the rota is the time staff spend walking the floor calling names. A restaurant pager app buzzes guests on their own phone when their table or order is ready, so nobody is tied to the door.
Run your own numbers
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Florida in 2026?
$15.00 an hour from 30 September 2026, with a minimum cash wage of $11.98 for tipped employees and a tip credit of $3.02. Before that date it was $14.00, or $10.98 for tipped employees.
When does Florida’s minimum wage increase next?
On 1 January 2028. Florida calculates an inflation adjustment each 30 September, starting in 2027, and it takes effect the following 1 January. The 30 September increases ended with the $15 step in 2026.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Florida?
$11.98 an hour in cash, with a $3.02 tip credit. Tips must bring the employee to at least the full $15.00 state minimum.
What is the minimum wage for servers in Florida?
Servers are tipped employees, so the minimum cash wage is $11.98 an hour plus tips, with employers required to top up to the full $15.00 minimum if tips fall short.
Labor costs elsewhere
- Restaurant Labor Costs in the United StatesFederal floor, the tip credit, BLS median pay by role, and the national benchmarks.
- Restaurant Labor Costs in TexasFederal floor, full tip credit, and a market rate well above both.
- Restaurant Labor Costs in ArizonaA flat $3.00 tip credit differential, which is unusually simple to model.
Rates on this page are reproduced from the government sources listed below and were last checked on 1 October 2026. They are published for orientation and are not legal advice — before you set pay, confirm the current figure against the primary source for your jurisdiction, including any local ordinance that may exceed it. The headline rate at time of writing was $15.00 per hour.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division — Minimum Wages for Tipped EmployeesRevised 1 July 2026 · Government / statistical