Minimum wage - Massachusetts

Summary of differences between federal and state regulations

The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Many states also have minimum wage laws. In cases where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages.

Effective January 1, 2023, the minimum wage for Massachusetts employees is $15.00 per hour ($6.75 for tipped employees).

Effective January 1, 2022, the minimum wage for Massachusetts employees is $14.25 per hour ($6.15 for tipped employees).

In July 2020, the governor signed a bill declaring each June 19 as “Juneteenth Independence Day,” commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, as well as a reminder to work toward racial justice. This change impacts many retail employers.

Massachusetts Blue Laws control hours of operation for certain businesses and require some employers to pay extra compensation (known as “premium pay”) on Sundays and some holidays.

Juneteenth falls under the category of “partially restricted holidays,” meaning employers may be open for business, but some retailers must pay employees premium pay. Since June 2021, that rate has been 1.2 times an employee’s regular rate of pay.

State

Contact

Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development Division of Occupational Safety

Regulations

General Laws of Massachusetts, Part I. - Administration of the Government, Title XXI. - Labor and Industries

Chapter 151. Minimum Fair Wages: Section 1 Oppressive and unreasonable wages; validity of contracts

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXI/Chapter151/Section1

Federal

Contact

The Department of Labor is the federal agency that monitors hours worked.

Regulations

U.S. labor regulations for minimum wage can be found in CFR 29 Part 531 and FLSA.