Nebraska Minimum Wage 2027: $15.26 an Hour
Short answer: Nebraska's minimum wage rises from $15.00 to $15.26 an hour in 2027 (effective January 1, 2027). A full-time worker earns about $31,741 a year before taxes.
Partly verified: the $15.26 figure and January 1, 2027 date are on the NDOL page; the four-employee coverage rule comes from the department's wage notice as summarized by a search engine and a third-party site, which we could not open directly.
What changes on January 1, 2027
Nebraska's minimum wage is $15.00 in 2026. The Nebraska Department of Labor's Labor Standards page is headlined "$15.26 Minimum Wage Effective January 1, 2027."
What to know in Nebraska
- At $0.26, Nebraska's increase is the smallest of the fourteen states on this list.
- The Nebraska minimum wage law applies to employers with four or more employees, according to the department's wage notice.
What $15.26 an hour pays
| Schedule | At $15.00 (2026) | At $15.26 (2027) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per hour | $15.00 | $15.26 | +$0.26 |
| Per 40-hour week | $600.00 | $610.40 | +$10.40 |
| Per two-week paycheck (80 hours) | $1,200.00 | $1,220.80 | +$20.80 |
| Per month (full-time ÷ 12) | $2,600.00 | $2,645.07 | +$45.07 |
| Per year, full-time | $31,200 | $31,741 | +$541 |
| Per year, part-time (20 h/week) | $15,600 | $15,870 | +$270 |
Use the minimum wage pay calculator to change the hours or weeks.
Overtime at the Nebraska minimum wage and the federal tax deduction
Suppose a nonexempt worker earning $15.26 an hour works 6 hours of overtime a week for 45 weeks, paid at time-and-a-half. That overtime pay is $15.26 × 1.5 × 6 × 45 = $6,180. Only the premium over the regular rate, $15.26 × 0.5 × 6 × 45 = $2,060, can be deducted under the federal no-tax-on-overtime rules (up to $12,500, or $25,000 on a joint return). Try your own numbers in the overtime calculator.
Remember that some states add their own overtime rules beyond the federal 40-hour week, but only overtime required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act counts toward the federal deduction. Read the details in Qualified Overtime and the FLSA.
How Nebraska compares
Closest 2027 rates on this site:
See every state in 2027 minimum wage by state or the ranking of states raising wages on January 1.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Nebraska in 2027?
Nebraska's minimum wage for most adult workers is $15.26 per hour in 2027, up from $15.00 in 2026. Please note: Partly verified: the $15.26 figure and January 1, 2027 date are on the NDOL page; the four-employee coverage rule comes from the department's wage notice as summarized by a search engine and a third-party site, which we could not open directly.
How much more will a full-time Nebraska worker earn at $15.26?
The raise is $0.26 an hour (1.7%). For a full-time worker at 2,080 hours a year, that is $541 more per year before taxes, from $31,200 to $31,741.
How does Nebraska rank among 2027 minimum wages?
Among the 15 state rates with a 2027 rate on this site, Nebraska ranks number 9 (1 is highest). The highest is Washington at $17.73.
Where can I confirm Nebraska's rate?
Use the official source: Nebraska Department of Labor: Labor Standards (https://dol.nebraska.gov/laborstandards/). For payroll or a wage dispute, contact the state labor department directly.
Does the federal minimum wage still apply in Nebraska?
Yes. The federal minimum is $7.25 an hour under the Fair Labor Standards Act, but where state law is higher, workers covered by both get the higher state rate.
Sources and citations
Every dollar figure on this page was checked against the official pages below on November 14, 2026. If an agency updates its guidance, the agency page controls.
- Nebraska Department of Labor: Labor Standards — page headline confirms $15.26 and the Jan. 1, 2027 date
- U.S. Department of Labor: State Minimum Wage Laws (updated Nov. 5, 2026)