Alaska
Alaska Minimum Wage 2026: $14.00 an Hour, $15.00 in July 2027
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited September 29, 2026). · 8 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Alaska's minimum wage is $14.00 per hour, in effect since July 1, 2026 under AS 23.10.065(a)(2). A further step to $15.00 per hour is scheduled by statute for July 1, 2027, and annual inflation adjustments begin January 1, 2028. Alaska does not allow a tip credit, so tipped workers are owed the full rate.
Information last verified on September 28, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Jurisdiction scope: This page covers the Alaska Wage and Hour Act (AS 23.10.050 through 23.10.150) and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) minimum wage overlay. It does not cover overtime detail, paid sick leave or any other state.
What is the minimum wage in Alaska in 2026?
The Alaska minimum wage is $14.00 per hour as of July 1, 2026. AS 23.10.065(a)(2) states that "effective July 1, 2026, the minimum wage shall be $14.00 per hour." The Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) Wage and Hour page says the same.
The step came from 2024 Ballot Measure 1, which set a fixed schedule: $13.00 on July 1, 2025, $14.00 on July 1, 2026 and $15.00 on July 1, 2027, followed by annual inflation indexing. Some DOLWD reference pages still show $13.00 as the latest rate. The statute controls, and DOLWD's Wage and Hour home page also lists $14.00.
Alaska minimum wage increases: 2027 and 2028
| Effective date | Rate | Status |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2026 | $14.00 | In force (AS 23.10.065(a)(2)) |
| July 1, 2027 | $15.00 | Scheduled by statute (AS 23.10.065(a)(3)) |
| January 1, 2028 | Adjusted for inflation | Not yet calculable; the state calculates it each September 30 |
There is no January 1, 2027 change. The wage stays at $14.00 until July 1, 2027. The inflation formula, in AS 23.10.065(a)(4), has the department calculate the adjustment each September 30, and the adjusted wage applies to work performed from January 1 through December 31 of the year for which it is effective. The calculation uses 100 percent of the rate of inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers for the Anchorage metropolitan area, and the department rounds the adjusted wage up to the nearest 10 cents. DOLWD's press release 25-11 places the first adjustment on January 1, 2028. The first September 30 calculation that matters is therefore September 30, 2027.
Alaska also has a floor tied to federal law. Under AS 23.10.065(d), if the state rate is ever less than two dollars over the federal minimum wage, the Alaska rate is set at the federal rate plus $2.00, and that $2.00 is adjusted for inflation the same way.
Tipped workers in Alaska
Alaska does not have a tip credit. AS 23.10.065(a) says an employer may not apply tips or gratuities bestowed upon employees as a credit toward payment of the minimum hourly wage, and that a tip credit as defined by the FLSA does not apply to the Alaska minimum wage. A tipped employee's cash wage is therefore the full $14.00 since July 1, 2026.
A DOLWD restaurant industry notice adds that employers, managers and supervisors may not retain any portion of an employee's tips. When a tip is charged to a credit card and the employer can show it pays a percentage-based transaction fee, the employer may reduce the tip by that percentage. Employers may also handle tips to redistribute them under a tip pool.
Exceptions, youth rules and special rates
Alaska's minimum wage act contains several carve-outs and special rules.
- Young workers. The act does not apply to an individual under 18 who is employed part-time, not more than 30 hours in a week (AS 23.10.055(a)(11)). This applies to both minimum wage and overtime.
- Apprentices and learners. To the extent necessary to prevent curtailment of employment opportunities, the commissioner may allow lower wages by regulation or order for apprentices at approved wages and for learners at wages and for periods the commissioner fixes (AS 23.10.070). Nonprofit residential summer camp staff (up to 12 weeks a year) may be paid room and board plus a weekly wage set by the same section.
- Treatment programs. Work therapy in a residential drug or alcohol treatment program lasting more than 120 days may be paid less if the commissioner approves it (AS 23.10.071).
- Public school bus drivers. They must be paid not less than two times the minimum wage in AS 23.10.065(a), with no fringe benefit credit. Subsection (c) limits the required adjustment for contract carriers to the time they enter into or renew a contract with the Department of Education and Early Development, a school district or a regional educational attendance area.
- Exempt salary floor. DOLWD's Ballot Measure 1 FAQ lists a salary threshold for executive, administrative and professional exemptions of twice the state minimum wage for the first 40 hours: $1,120.00 a week from July 1, 2026 and $1,200.00 a week from July 1, 2027.
- Excluded work. AS 23.10.055(a) lists work the act does not cover, among them agriculture; catching, farming or taking fish, shellfish and aquatic life; domestic service, including babysitters, in a private home; employees of the United States, the state and political subdivisions (subject to the school bus rule); qualifying voluntary nonprofit activity; newspaper carriers; bona fide executive, administrative and professional employees; outside salespersons; and certain taxicab drivers and motor vehicle dealer employees. The statute lists more, and this page does not reproduce it in full.
The minimum wage act states no employer-size threshold for minimum wage coverage. DOLWD's Wage and Hour Act summary page says the standards are generally applicable to all employees, however there are exemptions.
Do Alaska cities or boroughs set their own minimum wage?
No local minimum wage appeared on the official Alaska sources reviewed for this page. This page does not say whether Alaska law permits or blocks a city or borough from setting one, because no official source on that question was located. If you work in a municipality, ask DOLWD whether any local rate applies.
How Alaska and federal minimum wage law fit together
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)(C)). Under 29 U.S.C. 218(a) the FLSA does not excuse noncompliance with a state minimum wage law that sets a higher rate, and DOL states that the employee is entitled to the higher rate when both apply. Alaska's $14.00 is above $7.25. For federal coverage, subminimum certificates and pending federal bills, see the federal minimum wage page.
How to file an Alaska minimum wage complaint
DOLWD's Labor Standards and Safety Division, Wage and Hour Section, has sole enforcement of the state's minimum wage and overtime laws, according to its own page. The statewide phone number is (907) 269-4900 and the email is statewide.wagehour@alaska.gov. The Wage and Hour Section home page has the complaint information.
An employee can also sue. AS 23.10.110(b) allows an action by an employee personally and for similarly situated employees. An employer that pays less than the minimum wage owes the unpaid wages plus an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees (AS 23.10.110). AS 23.10.130 bars such an action unless it is brought within two years after the cause of action accrued. It is unlawful to discharge or discriminate against an employee for filing a complaint, instituting a proceeding or testifying (AS 23.10.135(6)). A violation is punishable by a fine of $100 to $2,000, imprisonment for 10 to 90 days, or both, with each day a separate offense (AS 23.10.140).
For federal remedies, 29 U.S.C. 216(b) provides unpaid minimum wages plus an equal amount as liquidated damages and a reasonable attorney's fee. For related topics, see Alaska final paycheck laws, Alaska at-will employment laws and unpaid wages. To estimate overtime, use the overtime calculator.
Disclaimer: This page is general legal information, not legal advice. It covers the Alaska Wage and Hour Act and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act as verified on September 28, 2026. For a specific pay situation, consult a lawyer licensed in Alaska or the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Related pages
- Federal minimum wage rules
- Alaska final paycheck laws
- Alaska at-will employment laws
- Unpaid wages and how to claim them
- Overtime calculator
Last updated: September 28, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in Alaska?
$14.00 per hour since July 1, 2026, under AS 23.10.065(a)(2).
Will Alaska's minimum wage go up in 2027?
Yes, on July 1, 2027, to $15.00 per hour, as scheduled by AS 23.10.065(a)(3). It does not change on January 1, 2027.
When does Alaska's minimum wage start adjusting for inflation?
January 1, 2028. The state calculates the adjustment each September 30 using the Anchorage Consumer Price Index.
Does Alaska have a tip credit?
No. AS 23.10.065(a) bars applying tips as a credit toward the minimum wage, so tipped workers must be paid the full $14.00 in cash wages.
Can Alaska employers pay minors less than the minimum wage?
The act does not apply to an individual under 18 employed part-time, not more than 30 hours in a week (AS 23.10.055(a)(11)).
Why does a state website still say $13.00?
Some DOLWD reference pages lag the July 1, 2026 step. The statute and the Wage and Hour home page state $14.00.
How long do I have to sue for unpaid minimum wages in Alaska?
AS 23.10.130 sets a two-year limit after the cause of action accrues. Federal law allows two years, or three for a willful violation (29 U.S.C. 255(a)).
Where do I report a minimum wage violation in Alaska?
Contact the DOLWD Wage and Hour Section at (907) 269-4900 or statewide.wagehour@alaska.gov.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Alaska Statutes, Title 23. Labor and Workers' Compensation, Chapter 10. Employment Practices and Working Conditions
§ 23.10.065Minimum wagesIn force
(a) Except as otherwise provided for in law, an employer shall pay to each employee a minimum wage, as established herein, for hours worked in a pay period, whether the work is measured by time, piece, commission or otherwise. An employer may not apply tips or gratuities bestowed upon employees as a credit toward payment of the minimum hourly wage required by this section. Tip credit as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 as amended does not apply to the minimum wage established by this section: (1) beginning July 1, 2025, the minimum wage shall be $13.00 per hour; (2) effective July 1, 2026, the minimum wage shall be $14.00 per hour; (3) effective July 1, 2027, the minimum wage shall be $15.00 per hour; and (4) thereafter the minimum wage shall be adjusted annually for inflation; the adjustment shall be calculated each September 30, for the proceeding January-December calendar year by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, using 100 percent of the rate of inflation based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers for the Anchorage metropolitan area, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor; the…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
§ 23.10.055Exemptions; compensation of executives, administrators, and professionalsIn force
(a) The provisions of AS 23.10.050 23.10.150 do not apply to (1) an individual employed in agriculture, which includes farming in all its branches and, among other things, includes the cultivation and tillage of the soil, dairying, the production, cultivation, growing, and harvesting of any agricultural or horticultural commodities, the raising of livestock, bees, fur-bearing animals, or poultry, and any practices, including forestry and lumbering operations, performed by a farmer or on a farm as an incident to or in conjunction with the farming operations, including preparation for market, or delivery to storage or to market or to carriers for transportation to market; (2) an individual employed in the catching, trapping, cultivating, farming, netting, or taking of any kind of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic forms of animal and vegetable life; (3) an individual employed in the handpicking of shrimp; (4) an individual employed in domestic service, including a babysitter, in or about a private home; (5) an individual employed by the United States or by the state or a political subdivision of the state, except as provided in AS 23.10.065(b), including prisoners not on furlough…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
§ 23.10.110Remedies of employee; attorney fees; offers of judgment; settlement; waiverIn force
(a) An employer who violates a provision of AS 23.10.060 or 23.10.065 is liable to an employee affected in the amount of unpaid minimum wages, or unpaid overtime compensation, as the case may be, and, except as provided in (d) of this section, in an additional equal amount as liquidated damages. (b) An action to recover from the employer the wages and damages for which the employer is liable may be maintained in a competent court by an employee personally and for other employees similarly situated, or an employee may individually designate in writing an agent or representative to maintain an action for the employee. The consent shall be filed in the court in which the action is brought. At the request of a person paid less than the amount to which the person is entitled under AS 23.10.050 23.10.150, the commissioner may take an assignment in trust for the employee of the full amount to which the employee is entitled under this section and may bring any legal action necessary to collect the claim.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
§ 23.10.070Exemptions from minimum wageIn force
To the extent necessary to prevent curtailment of opportunities of employment, the commissioner may by regulations or orders provide for the employment at wages lower than the minimum wage prescribed in AS 23.10.050 23.10.150 of (1) an apprentice at the wages that are approved by the commissioner; (2) a learner at the wages and subject to the restrictions and for the periods of time that are fixed by the commissioner; or (3) an individual employed by a nonprofit organization for not more than 12 weeks in a calendar year at a residential summer camp who receives room and board in addition to a weekly wage that is equal to or greater than (A) 80 percent of the minimum hourly wage established under AS 23.10.065(a), multiplied by 40 hours; or (B) 50 percent of the minimum wage established under AS 23.10.065(a) multiplied by the total hours worked in the week by the individual.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
§ 23.10.140PenaltyIn force
An employer who violates a provision of AS 23.10.050 23.10.150, or of any regulation or order of the commissioner issued under it, upon conviction is punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $2,000, or by imprisonment for not less than 10 nor more than 90 days, or by both. Each day a violation occurs constitutes a separate offense.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
§ 23.10.130Statute of limitationsIn force
An action for unpaid minimum wages, unpaid overtime compensation, or liquidated damages under AS 23.10.050 23.10.150 is forever barred unless it is started within two years after the cause of action accrues. For the purposes of this section an action is considered to be started on the date when the complaint is filed.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
§ 23.10.135ViolationsIn force
An employer violates AS 23.10.050 23.10.150 if the employer (1) hinders or delays the commissioner or an authorized representative of the commissioner in the performance of their duties in the enforcement of AS 23.10.050 23.10.150; (2) refuses to admit the commissioner or an authorized representative to any place of employment; (3) fails to keep or falsifies a record required under the provisions of AS 23.10.050 23.10.150; (4) refuses to make a record accessible, or to furnish a sworn statement of the record, or to give information required for the enforcement of AS 23.10.050 23.10.150, upon demand, to the commissioner or an authorized representative; (5) fails to post an abstract of AS 23.10.050 23.10.150 as required by AS 23.10.105; (6) discharges or in any other manner discriminates against an employee because the employee has filed a complaint, or has instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to AS 23.10.050 23.10.150, or has testified or is about to testify in such a proceeding.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
§ 23.10.145DefinitionsIn force
If not defined in this title or in regulations adopted under this title, terms used in AS 23.10.050 23.10.150 shall be defined as they are defined in 29 U.S.C. 201 219 (Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938), as amended, or the regulations adopted under those sections.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at akleg.gov
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Sources and References
- AS 23.10.065 (Alaska minimum wage)(www.akleg.gov).gov
- AS 23.10.050 to 23.10.150 (Alaska Wage and Hour Act)(www.akleg.gov).gov
- DOLWD press release 25-11 (Ballot Measure 1 wage schedule)(labor.alaska.gov).gov
- DOLWD Ballot Measure 1 FAQ(labor.alaska.gov).gov
- DOLWD Wage and Hour Section(labor.alaska.gov).gov
- DOLWD restaurant industry notice(labor.alaska.gov).gov
- 29 U.S.C. 206 (federal minimum wage)(www.law.cornell.edu)
- 29 U.S.C. 218 (relation to state law)(www.law.cornell.edu)
- DOL Wage and Hour Division minimum wage FAQ(www.dol.gov).gov
- 29 U.S.C. 216 (penalties and remedies)(www.law.cornell.edu)
- 29 U.S.C. 255 (statute of limitations)(www.law.cornell.edu)
- DOLWD Wage and Hour Act summary(labor.alaska.gov).gov