New Law 'Uncouples' N.H.'s Tipped Workers From Changes To Federal Minimum Wage [View all]

Whether congressional lawmakers ever pass an increase to $7.25 federal minimum wage remains an open question. But if it does happen, New Hampshire tipped employees will not see a proportionate wage hike.

A bill signed by Gov. Chris Sununu Friday eliminates a provision pegging the state’s minimum wage for tipped employees to 45 percent of the federal minimum wage. Instead, the bill ties tipped employee wages to a hard number: $3.27 an hour.

Under current law, any restaurant, hotel, motel, inn, cabin, or ballroom employee who receives more than $30 a month in tips may be paid by their employer at 45 percent of the current $7.25 an hour, which amounts to $3.27.

The new state law means that if Congress were to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, New Hampshire restaurants and hotel owners would not necessarily need to increase their tipped worker minimum wages by 45 percent – or $6.75 an hour.

Read more: https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2021-07-29/new-law-uncouples-n-h-s-tipped-workers-from-changes-to-federal-minimum-wage