Effective January 1, 2015 the Connecticut minimum wage increases from $8.70 to $9.15 per hour, while the minimum wage for service employees (tipped employees) in the restaurant industry remains at $5.69 per hour.
In March, 2014 Connecticut became the first state to pass a minimum wage that will eventually reach $10.10 per hour, in several stages. In 2016 the Connecticut minimum wage increases to $9.60 per hour, and in 2017 it increases to $10.10 per hour. These changes will affect the estimated 70,000+ people who earn the minimum wage across the state.
Connecticut Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees
In Connecticut, employers are permitted to pay tipped employees in restaurants (servers or “waitpersons”) the lower rate of $5.69 per hour. Bartenders can be paid $7.34 per hour. However, if the employee does not earn sufficient tips to equal the minimum wage or more over the workweek, the employer must pay the difference as wages.
Connecticut Minimum Wage for Minors
According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, minors may be paid 85% of the state minimum wage or $7.78 per hour for the first 200 hours of work. (Minors working in Agriculture or Government may be paid this 85% rate until their 18th birthday.)
Connecticut Overtime Law
For all employees, state law requires overtime after 40 hours in the payroll week. Connecticut employers are not required to pay a higher rate on Sundays or holidays, unless there is such a wage agreement in place, usually in the employee handbook. However, restaurant employees are entitled to the overtime rate (1.5 x the minimum wage, not the tipped wage) for time worked on the 7th day in the payroll week.
Connecticut Wage Payment Law & Enforcement
Connecticut also has one of the most stringent wage payment laws in the country. Employees must be paid on a weekly basis, no more than 8 days after the end of the payroll period. Employers can apply to the Wage and Workplace Standards Division of the Connecticut Department of Labor for an exception to the weekly pay law. Employees who have not been paid can file a wage complaint with the Wage and Workplace Standards Division. It’s also important that Connecticut employers display an updated labor law poster with the current minimum wage.
