Arizona tipped minimum wage (2026)
Arizona sets a tipped cash wage of $12.15/hr — above the federal $2.13 — with employers allowed to count up to $3.00/hr of your tips toward the $15.15/hr minimum.
How Arizona compares
At $12.15/hr, Arizona ranks 5th of the 47 states with a single published tipped cash wage. No other state pays tipped workers exactly $12.15/hr.
Tips have to cover 20% of your $15.15/hr minimum here. On a shift where they don't, the shortfall is your employer's to pay — but only if you can show what you actually made.
Thirty hours on the schedule guarantees $364.50 before tips, $300.60 more than the same week would guarantee under the federal $2.13 floor.
Nearest rates on either side: Alaska at $14.00 and Colorado at $12.14.
Cross a border and the base wage changes: California ($16.90) pays more than Arizona. The widest gap is California, $4.75/hr higher — $142.50 a week on a 30-hour schedule, for the same job.
What's different about tipped work in Arizona
Arizona's $3.00 tip credit is a flat dollar amount rather than a percentage, so each year the state minimum rises the credit stays put and the whole increase lands in the tipped worker's cash wage.
Some Arizona cities require more than the state floor. Where a local ordinance is higher, it wins:
| City | Minimum wage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff | $18.35 | No tip credit — tipped workers get the full city minimum. |
| Tucson | $15.45 | $3.00 tip credit allowed, so a $12.45 cash wage. |
Where it's heading: Flagstaff finished phasing out its tipped sub-wage in 2025 under Proposition 414, so tipped workers there now earn the same $18.35 as everyone else.
The number that actually matters
Official wage tables lean on reported pay and miss most cash tips, so your real hourly — cash plus card, minus tip-out — lives only in your own records. That's the number that tells you whether a shift was worth it, and the one you'll need at tax time.
Simulate a Arizona shift
Legal minimums are the floor. Enter a real shift — your actual hourly is what decides whether the night was worth it.
Federal tipped minimum cash wage is $2.13/hr — but many states require more, and if tips don't bring you to the full minimum wage ($7.25 federal), your employer must make up the difference. Enter your state's tipped minimum as the base wage for an accurate number.
Quick answers
What is the tipped minimum wage in Arizona?＋
Employers in Arizona must pay tipped workers a cash wage of at least $12.15/hr, and tips must bring total pay to at least $15.15/hr. Figures as of July 1, 2026 (US DOL).
Can my Arizona employer take a tip credit?＋
Yes, up to $3.00/hr — but only if your tips actually cover the gap. If they don't, the employer must make up the difference.
What if my tips don't reach the full minimum wage?＋
Federal law (FLSA) requires your employer to make up the difference whenever cash wage + tips falls below the applicable minimum wage for the pay period. Track every shift so you can prove a shortfall.
Do any Arizona cities require a higher wage?＋
Yes. Several Arizona cities set local minimums above the state floor: Flagstaff ($18.35/hr), Tucson ($15.45/hr). City ordinances override the state rate when they're higher, so check your specific location.
Source: U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division (July 1, 2026). Federal floor: $2.13 cash / $7.25 total. Not legal advice — local ordinances (city minimum wages) may set higher rates.
Compare with other states
Working out what a shift actually paid you? Run it through the tips-to-hourly calculator — base pay plus tips, minus tip-out, divided by the hours you really worked.
TipScan reads your checkout slip and computes your real hourly every shift — with Arizona's wage rules built in. Free, no ads.
Start free — works in your browser →