Minimum wage changed in January — and next year's number is already public: $17.48 from January 1, 2027. If you run a shop, a restaurant, or a small office and you're not completely sure your numbers are current, this page is the two-minute fix.
Connecticut's minimum wage since 1 January 2026 (up from $16.35). It adjusts automatically every January, tied to the federal Employment Cost Index — and next year's number is already set: announced 5 August, the floor rises 54¢ to $17.48 on 1 January 2027.
The cash wage for tipped wait staff hasn't moved — but tips must now bring each server to $16.94 for every hour worked, every week. If tips fall short, the employer pays the difference. The tip credit you're claiming is $10.56/hour, and it has to be earned in real tips. On 1 January 2027 the weekly target rises to $17.48 — the cash wage stays put, so the credit grows to $11.10 and so does your top-up exposure.
Bartenders have their own cash wage, higher than wait staff — with tips required to close the gap to $16.94. Mixing the two rates up is one of the most common payroll errors in hospitality. The gap widens on 1 January 2027, when the target becomes $17.48.
Sixteen and seventeen year-olds can be paid 85% of minimum wage for their first 90 days of employment. On day 91 — often mid-season for a summer hire — the full $16.94 applies. Put the date on your calendar the day they start. The training rate rises with the floor on 1 January 2027 — 85% of $17.48 works out to $14.86 (watch for CT DOL's official posting).
Enter one employee's week. Pick the week-ending date and the check applies the right floor on its own — $16.94 through 31 December 2026, $17.48 from 1 January 2027. This runs in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.
Public Act 26-12 reaches every Connecticut employer on October 1 — internal and external postings alike, no size threshold. The wage or wage range and a general description of benefits go in the posting itself, not on request and not at offer. The October 1 page has the details, and a free thirty-second check for the ad you're already running.
P.A. 26-12 · effective 1 Oct 2026The size threshold falls away. If you've been under 11 employees and outside the law, this is the year that ends — a written sick leave policy and accrual tracking stop being optional. Getting the policy in place in the fall beats writing it in January.
Enacted · P.A. 24-8The ECI adjustment landed early this year: the Governor's office announced the 2027 figure on 5 August — $17.48, up 54¢ from today's $16.94. That's the longest runway employers have had since indexing began. Use it: reprice the menu, rebuild the schedule, and redo the budget this fall instead of meeting the number in a January payroll report.
Announced 5 Aug 2026 · effective 1 Jan 2027A June 15 start hits full minimum wage in mid-September — while school-year scheduling is already reshuffling your roster. It's the quietest payroll change of the year because no one announces it. Your calendar has to.
Standing ruleThe 2027 figure is already in — $17.48. Leave your email and Erin will send a one-page summary of what changes for small employers on January 1: the new wage math, paid sick leave reaching nearly every employer, and the dates worth calendaring this fall. No newsletter, no drip. A couple of useful emails a year, from a person.
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