N.Y. Labor Law § 652: Minimum wage

§ 652. Minimum wage. 1. Statutory. Every employer shall pay to each

of its employees for each hour worked a wage of not less than:

$4.25 on and after April 1, 1991,

$5.15 on and after March 31, 2000,

$6.00 on and after January 1, 2005,

$6.75 on and after January 1, 2006,

$7.15 on and after January 1, 2007,

$8.00 on and after December 31, 2013,

$8.75 on and after December 31, 2014,

$9.00 on and after December 31, 2015, and until December 31, 2016, or,

if greater, such other wage as may be established by federal law

pursuant to 29 U.S.C. section 206 or its successors

or such other wage as may be established in accordance with the

provisions of this article.

(a) New York City. (i) Large employers. Every employer of eleven or

more employees shall pay to each of its employees for each hour worked

in the city of New York a wage of not less than:

$11.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2016,

$13.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2017,

$15.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2018, or, if greater, such

other wage as may be established by federal law pursuant to 29 U.S.C.

section 206 or its successors or such other wage as may be established

in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(ii) Small employers. Every employer of ten or less employees shall

pay to each of its employees for each hour worked in the city of New

York a wage of not less than:

$10.50 per hour on and after December 31, 2016,

$12.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2017,

$13.50 per hour on and after December 31, 2018,

$15.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2019, or, if greater, such

other wage as may be established by federal law pursuant to 29 U.S.C.

section 206 or its successors or such other wage as may be established

in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(b) Remainder of downstate. Every employer shall pay to each of its

employees for each hour worked in the counties of Nassau, Suffolk and

Westchester a wage not less than:

$10.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2016,

$11.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2017,

$12.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2018,

$13.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2019,

$14.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2020,

$15.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2021,

or, if greater, such other wage as may be established by federal law

pursuant to 29 U.S.C. section 206 or its successors or such other wage

as may be established in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(c) Remainder of state. Every employer shall pay to each of its

employees for each hour worked outside of the city of New York and the

counties of Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester, a wage of not less than:

$9.70 on and after December 31, 2016,

$10.40 on and after December 31, 2017,

$11.10 on and after December 31, 2018,

$11.80 on and after December 31, 2019,

$12.50 on and after December 31, 2020,

and on each following December thirty-first up to and until December

31, 2022, a wage published by the commissioner on or before October

first, based on the then current minimum wage increased by a percentage

determined by the director of the budget in consultation with the

commissioner, with the result rounded to the nearest five cents,

totaling no more than fifteen dollars, where the percentage increase

shall be based on indices including, but not limited to, (i) the rate of

inflation for the most recent twelve month period ending June of that

year based on the consumer price index for all urban consumers on a

national and seasonally unadjusted basis (CPI-U), or a successor index

as calculated by the United States department of labor, (ii) the rate of

state personal income growth for the prior calendar year, or a successor

index, published by the bureau of economic analysis of the United States

department of commerce, or (iii) wage growth; or, if greater, such other

wage as may be established by federal law pursuant to 29 U.S.C. section

206 or its successors or such other wage as may be established in

accordance with the provisions of this article.

(d) The rates and schedules established in paragraphs (a) and (b) of

this subdivision shall not be deemed to be the minimum wage under this

subdivision for purposes of the calculations specified in subdivisions

one and two of section five hundred twenty-seven of this chapter.

1-a. Annual minimum wage from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026.

(a) New York city. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this section,

every employer regardless of size shall pay to each of its employees for

each hour worked in the city of New York a wage of not less than:

$16.00 on and after January 1, 2024,

$16.50 on and after January 1, 2025,

$17.00 on and after January 1, 2026, or, if greater, such other wage

as may be established by federal law pursuant to 29 U.S.C. section 206

or its successors or such other wage as may be established in accordance

with the provisions of this article.

(b) Remainder of downstate. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this

section, every employer shall pay to each of its employees for each hour

worked in the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester, a wage of

not less than:

$16.00 on and after January 1, 2024,

$16.50 on and after January 1, 2025,

$17.00 on and after January 1, 2026, or, if greater, such other wage

as may be established by federal law pursuant to 29 U.S.C. section 206

or its successors or such other wage as may be established in accordance

with the provisions of this article.

(c) Remainder of state. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this

section, every employer shall pay to each of its employees for each hour

worked outside the city of New York and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk,

and Westchester, a wage of not less than:

$15.00 on and after January 1, 2024,

$15.50 on and after January 1, 2025,

$16.00 on and after January 1, 2026, or, if greater, such other wage

as may be established by federal law pursuant to 29 U.S.C. section 206

or its successors or such other wage as may be established in accordance

with the provisions of this article.

1-b. Annual minimum wage increase beginning on January first, two

thousand twenty-seven. (a) New York city. On and after January first,

two thousand twenty-seven, every employer regardless of size shall pay

to each of its employees for each hour worked in the city of New York, a

wage of not less than the adjusted minimum wage rate established

annually by the commissioner. Such adjusted minimum wage rate shall be

determined by increasing the then current year's minimum wage rate by

the rate of change in the average of the three most recent consecutive

twelve-month periods between the first of August and the thirty-first of

July, each over their preceding twelve-month periods published by the

United States department of labor non-seasonally adjusted consumer price

index for northeast region urban wage earners and clerical workers

(CPI-W) or any successor index as calculated by the United States

department of labor, with the result rounded to the nearest five cents.

(b) Remainder of downstate. On and after January first, two thousand

twenty-seven, every employer shall pay to each of its employees for each

hour worked in the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester, a wage

of not less than the adjusted minimum wage rate established annually by

the commissioner. Such adjusted minimum wage rate shall be determined by

increasing the then current year's minimum wage rate by the rate of

change in the average of the three most recent consecutive twelve-month

periods between the first of August and the thirty-first of July, each

over their preceding twelve-month periods published by the United States

department of labor non-seasonally adjusted consumer price index for the

northeast region urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) or any

successor index as calculated by the United States department of labor,

with the result rounded to the nearest five cents.

(c) Remainder of state. On and after January first, two thousand

twenty-seven, every employer shall pay to each of its employees for each

hour worked outside of the city of New York and the counties of Nassau,

Suffolk, and Westchester a wage of not less than the adjusted minimum

wage rate established annually by the commissioner. Such adjusted

minimum wage rate shall be determined by increasing the then current

year's minimum wage rate by the rate of change in the average of the

three most recent consecutive twelve-month periods between the first of

August and the thirty-first of July, each over their preceding

twelve-month periods published by the United States department of labor

non-seasonally adjusted consumer price index for northeast region urban

wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) or any successor index as

calculated by the United States department of labor, with the result

rounded to the nearest five cents.

(d) Exceptions. Effective January first, two thousand twenty-seven and

thereafter, notwithstanding paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this

subdivision, there shall be no increase in the minimum wage in the state

for the following year if any of the following conditions are met,

provided, however, that such exception shall be limited to no more than

two consecutive years:

(i) the rate of change in the average of the most recent period of the

first of August to the thirty-first of July over the preceding period of

the first of August to the thirty-first of July published by the United

States department of labor non-seasonally adjusted consumer price index

for the northeast region urban wage earners and clerical workers

(CPI-W), or any successor index as calculated by the United States

department of labor, is negative;

(ii) the three-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted New

York state unemployment rate as determined by the U-3 measure of labor

underutilization for the most recent period ending the thirty-first of

July as calculated by the United States department of labor rises by

one-half percentage point or more relative to its low during the

previous twelve months; or

(iii) seasonally adjusted, total non-farm employment for New York

state in July, calculated by the United States department of labor,

decreased from the seasonally adjusted, total non-farm employment for

New York state in April, and seasonally adjusted, total non-farm

employment for New York state in July, calculated by the United States

department of labor, decreased from the seasonally adjusted, total

non-farm employment for New York state in January.

(e) The commissioner shall publish the adjusted minimum wage rates no

later than the first of October of each year to take effect on the

following first day of January.

2. Existing wage orders. The minimum wage orders in effect on the

effective date of this act shall remain in full force and effect, except

as modified in accordance with the provisions of this article; provided,

however, that the minimum wage order for farm workers codified at part

one hundred ninety of title twelve of the New York code of rules and

regulations in effect on January first, two thousand twenty shall be

deemed to be a wage order established and adopted under this article and

shall remain in full force and effect except as modified in accordance

with the provisions of this article or article nineteen-A of this

chapter.

Such minimum wage orders shall be modified by the commissioner to

increase all monetary amounts specified therein in the same proportion

as the increase in the hourly minimum wage as provided in subdivisions

one, one-a, and one-b of this section, including the amounts specified

in such minimum wage orders as allowances for gratuities, and when

furnished by the employer to its employees, for meals, lodging, apparel

and other such items, services and facilities. All amounts so modified

shall be rounded off to the nearest five cents. The modified orders

shall be promulgated by the commissioner without a public hearing, and

without reference to a wage board, and shall become effective on the

effective date of such increases in the minimum wage except as otherwise

provided in this subdivision, notwithstanding any other provision of

this article.

3. Non-profitmaking institutions. (a) Application of article. This

article shall apply to non-profitmaking institutions.

(b) Option available to non-profitmaking institutions. The provisions

of any wage order issued under this article shall not apply, however, to

any non-profitmaking institution which pays and continues to pay to each

of its employees in every occupation a wage, exclusive of allowances, of

not less than the minimum wage provided in subdivision one of this

section provided that such institution had certified under oath to the

commissioner, on or before September first, nineteen hundred sixty, that

on or before October first, nineteen hundred sixty it would pay and

thereafter intended to pay such wage to each of its employees in every

occupation and provided further that all the provisions of this article

have not become applicable to such institution by operation of paragraph

(c) of this subdivision. If such institution was not organized or did

not hire any employees as defined in subdivision five of section six

hundred fifty-one of this chapter before September first, nineteen

hundred sixty, such provisions shall not apply so long as, commencing

six months after it was organized, or first employed such employees it

paid and continues to pay such wage to each of its employees in every

occupation, provided that such institution certified under oath within

six months after it was organized or first employed such employees that

it would pay and thereafter intended to pay such wage to each of its

employees in every occupation and provided further that all the

provisions of this article have not become applicable to such

institution by operation of paragraph (c) of this subdivision.

(c) Termination of option. All the provisions of this article,

including all of the provisions of any wage order issued thereunder

which, but for the operation of paragraph (b) of this subdivision, would

apply to any non-profitmaking institution, shall become fully applicable

to such institution sixty days after such institution files a notice

with the commissioner requesting that the provisions of such wage order

apply to it, or immediately upon the issuance of an order by the

commissioner finding that such institution has failed to pay the wages

provided in paragraph (b) of this subdivision, but in no event shall any

such order discharge the obligation of such institution to pay the wages

provided by paragraph (b) of this subdivision for any period prior to

the issuance of such order.

4. Notwithstanding subdivisions one, one-a, one-b, and two of this

section, the wage for an employee who is a food service worker receiving

tips shall be a cash wage of at least two-thirds of the minimum wage

rates set forth in subdivision one of this section, rounded to the

nearest five cents or seven dollars and fifty cents, whichever is

higher, provided that the tips of such an employee, when added to such

cash wage, are equal to or exceed the minimum wage in effect pursuant to

subdivisions one, one-a, and one-b of this section and provided further

that no other cash wage is established pursuant to section six hundred

fifty-three of this article.

5. Notwithstanding subdivisions one, one-a, one-b, and two of this

section, meal and lodging allowances for a food service worker receiving

a cash wage pursuant to subdivision four of this section shall not

increase more than two-thirds of the increase required by subdivision

two of this section as applied to state wage orders in effect pursuant

to subdivisions one, one-a, and one-b of this section.

6. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this section, and sections six

hundred fifty-three and six hundred fifty-five of this article, on or

after January first, two thousand nineteen, and each January first

thereafter until such time as the minimum wage is fifteen dollars in all

areas of the state, the division of budget shall conduct an analysis of

the state of the economy in each region, and the effect of the minimum

wage increases listed in this section, to determine whether there should

be a temporary suspension or delay in any scheduled increases. In

conducting its analysis, the division of budget shall consult the

department, the department's division of research and statistics, the

United States department of labor, the federal reserve bank of New York

and other economic experts. The division of budget will reference

well-established economic indexes and accepted economic factors,

including those set forth in section six hundred fifty-four of this

article, to justify and explain its decision. After reviewing such

indexes and factors, the division shall determine whether scheduled

increases in the minimum wage shall continue up to and including fifteen

dollars. The division of budget will issue a report and recommendation

to the commissioner, who shall take action on that report and

recommendation pursuant to section six hundred fifty-six of this

article.