Minimum Wage in New Jersey – weekly, monthly, annually

In New Jersey, the statewide minimum wage is $13.00 per hour, which is $5.75 higher than the federal minimum wage, which stands at $7.25 an hour.

The New Jersey minimum wage counts for most employees in the state, but there are limited exceptions, including tipped employees, farm workers, some student workers, and a few more exempt occupations (read more below).

Some New Jersey farm workers can be paid $11.05 an hour, and small businesses (up to six employees) are also exempt and can pay their workers $11.90 per hour.

Tipped employees may earn a minimum cash wage of $5.13 an hour as employers can claim $7.87 in tip credit. If, however, an employee’s total hourly wage, including tips, doesn’t equal at least New Jersey’s minimum wage ($13), the employer is required to compensate for the difference.

College students can receive 85% of New Jersey’s minimum wage (so $11.05) from their university or college if they engage in a work-study program, and some jobs for minors younger than 18 are entirely exempt.

Individuals working voluntarily for nonprofit, religious, and educational organizations or sheltered workshops and seasonal camps are exempt from New Jersey’s minimum wage and overtime regulations.

New Jersey Paycheck Calculator

Our New Jersey Paycheck Calculator converts your hourly wage to weekly, monthly, or annual earnings.

How to use this New Jersey paycheck calculator

  1. First, put in your hourly wage.
  2. Second, put in the number of hours you work every week.
  3. Then, our paycheck calculator displays your hourly wage converted to annual, monthly, or weekly earnings.

How does the New Jersey paycheck calculator work?

Hourly workers may find it difficult to calculate how their hourly wage translates to periodical earnings per year, week, or month.

Workers with periodical income can relatively easily see what their paychecks mean and what their salaries are. By the end of a labor period, they will get a paycheck, and by the end of the year, they will get tax forms.

For hourly workers, things are different. To help these workers determine how their hourly wage translates to annual, weekly, or monthly earnings, we have designed this useful paycheck calculator.

Let’s take a look at how it works: you only have to put in your hourly wage and how many hours your work week consists of. Our paycheck calculator will instantly show you how your hourly way translates to annual, weekly, or monthly earnings.

Time period Equation
Annual wages = hourly earnings times
40 hours times 52 weeks
Monthly wages = annual earnings divided by 12 months
Weekly wages = hourly earnings times 40 hours

These results are generated by multiplying your base hourly pay by the number of hours, weeks, or months you work annually, assuming you work 40 hours a week.

Minimum Wage in New Jersey

So the New Jersey minimum hourly wage is $13.00. This relates to $104.00 per day, $520.00 per week (at 40 work hours), $2253.33 per month, and $27,040.00 per year.

As said before, not every New Jersey worker is entitled to the state’s hourly minimum wage. There are groups, such as tipped workers, some high school and college students, and some non-profit employees, that hold exempt status.

New Jersey minimum wage exemptions

The following overview does not list all New Jersey workers that may receive less than the state’s minimum wage rate of $13.00 per hour, but it includes the most common categories.

  • Nonprofit employees and workers at religious retreats or summer camps are also exempt from New Jersey’s minimum wage regulations, but only during the summer months. Unlike many other states, agricultural and seasonal workers are not exempt from New Jersey’s minimum wage regulations.
  • Tipped workers can be paid $5.13 per hour, but if an employee’s hourly total pay (including tips) doesn’t reach the minimum pay level of $13, the employee must be compensated by the employer for the difference.
  • New employees younger than 20 may receive $4.25 as a sort of training wage, but for no longer than the first 90 days of the job.
  • Full-time college students may get 85% ($11.05) of New Jersey’s minimum wage if their job is part of a university work-study program for up to 20 hours a week.
  • Small employers (5 workers max) can pay workers $11.90 an hour, and farm workers on a piece rate may receive $11.05.
  • Sheltered workshops, educational institutions, certified rehabilitation programs, and some more employers may pay employees with disabilities under the minimum wage rate if they hold permission to do so.
  • In New Jersey, trainees may be paid 90% of the minimum wage (so $11.70) for maximally 120 work hours if the employee has no experience in a previous similar job.

All New Jersey employers have to display state-designated posters with information about the state’s minimum wage regulations in highly visible places. This way, they must inform their workers about New Jersey’s minimum wage laws and other labor rights.

New Jersey overtime wage

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) orders New Jersey employers to pay most workers 1.5 times their usual hourly wage if they put in more than 40 hours per work week (so at least $19.50 per hour). There are, however, exceptions:

  • Persons working for nonprofit organizations, sheltered workshops, seasonal camps, and religious retreats are exempt from New Jersey’s overtime pay regulations.
  • Farm and agricultural workers, hotel workers, motorbus and limousine drivers, outside salespersons, and livestock industry workers may be exempt.
  • White collar workers are exempt from New Jersey’s overtime laws as well.

In general, hourly workers making less than $455 a week, so less than $23,660 a year, and who are working in a non-exempt professional field qualify for receiving overtime pay.

What is considered work time?

Generally, a workday includes all the time a worker is required to be present on an employer’s premises, including locations designated by an employer. Working time consists of the time an employee is or may be expected to be. on duty to perform tasks and assignments on an employer’s behalf.

If a position requires the employee to travel to customers or suppliers, that travel time is considered to be work time. However, commute time between home and work is not regarded as work time.

Please note that this post doesn’t contain legal advice. If you have any questions about New Jersey’s minimum wage policies or minimum wage compliance, consult a tax professional or a tax attorney.