Missouri minimum wage in 2026 (and 2027)

The $500,000 exemption and other coverage rules

Missouri's $15.00 applies to most employers, but the state lists an exemption for retail or service businesses with annual gross income under $500,000. Those businesses can set their own wages under state law, and the department refers them to the U.S. Department of Labor. That last point matters: if the business or the individual worker is covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, for example because the employee regularly takes calls from other states or handles interstate sales records, the federal $7.25 still applies (DOL Fact Sheet #14).

So a small Missouri shop that falls under the exemption is choosing between $15.00 to compete for staff and a legal floor of $7.25, not $0. Confirm your gross income test each year.

Tipped employees must get at least $7.50 an hour, which is 50% of the minimum wage, and you make up any shortfall to reach $15.00. Overtime is due after 40 hours a week; seasonal amusement or recreation businesses pay premium time only after 52 hours.

$15.00 by the week, month and year

Missouri's $15.00 equals $600.00 for a 40-hour week and $31,200.00 over 2,080 hours, or $2,600.00 monthly. On the tipped side, the employer's own share for a full year at $7.50 is $15,600.00, with tips carrying the other half. Hours past 40 cost $22.50 each.

From $9.45 to $15.00 in six years

DOL history tables show Missouri at $9.45 in 2020, $10.30 in 2021, $11.15 in 2022, $12.00 in 2023 and $12.30 in 2024. The 2026 rate is $2.70 an hour above 2024. The state's own wage history table ends at 2026 and it lists no rate for 2027, so no increase is scheduled as of October 2026.

Missouri employer costs above $15.00

The add-ons total $2,642.64, or 8.5% of wages. Location adds more. Kansas City and St. Louis each withhold a 1% earnings tax from employees, and St. Louis also charges employers a 0.5% payroll expense tax; at $31,200 in wages that would be another $156.00 a year if it applies to your business. Rules for both cities are on our Kansas City and St. Louis payroll tax page.

Paying Missouri staff

Missouri employers register for unemployment tax with the Division of Employment Security and for withholding with the Missouri Department of Revenue; Missouri payroll taxes walks through both. Gusto's Simple tier is listed at $49 a month and $6 a head (October 16, 2026), and our payroll software scores rank the alternatives. Model other wages with the employee cost calculator. Across the river, Kansas stays at $7.25 and Illinois pays $15.00 at employers of 4 or more; the state minimum wage table covers the rest.