West Virginia tipped minimum wage (2026)
West Virginia sets a tipped cash wage of $2.62/hr — above the federal $2.13 — with employers allowed to count up to $6.13/hr of your tips toward the $8.75/hr minimum.
Note: Maximum tip credit is 70% of the applicable minimum wage. The state minimum wage law applies only to employers with six or more employees and to state agencies.
How West Virginia compares
At $2.62/hr, West Virginia ranks 29th of the 47 states with a single published tipped cash wage. No other state pays tipped workers exactly $2.62/hr.
Tips have to cover 70% of your $8.75/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 $78.60 before tips, $14.70 more than the same week would guarantee under the federal $2.13 floor.
Nearest rates on either side: Arkansas at $2.63 and Wisconsin at $2.33.
Cross a border and the base wage changes: Ohio ($5.50), Maryland ($3.63), Pennsylvania ($2.83) pay more than West Virginia. The widest gap is Ohio, $2.88/hr higher — $86.40 a week on a 30-hour schedule, for the same job.
What's different about tipped work in West Virginia
West Virginia allows a tip credit of up to 70% of the minimum wage — one of the highest percentage caps in the country — leaving a $2.62 cash wage against an $8.75 floor.
The state wage law only reaches employers with six or more employees at one location. Below that, the federal $7.25 and its $2.13 cash wage apply instead.
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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia?＋
Employers in West Virginia must pay tipped workers a cash wage of at least $2.62/hr, and tips must bring total pay to at least $8.75/hr. Figures as of July 1, 2026 (US DOL).
Can my West Virginia employer take a tip credit?＋
Yes, up to $6.13/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.
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 West Virginia's wage rules built in. Free, no ads.
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