West Virginia minimum wage in 2026 (and 2027)

The 6-employee line and what falls under it

The state's $8.75 covers employers with 6 or more employees at a single location. Count by location, not company: a business with three shops of four people each is under the line at every one of them. Those smaller workplaces fall back to the federal $7.25 when the Fair Labor Standards Act covers the job.

Tipped workers can be paid as little as $2.62 in cash, because West Virginia lets employers credit 70% of the minimum, $6.13, from tips. If a server's tips do not close that gap in a week, you owe it. Past 40 hours, a minimum wage worker earns $13.125 an hour.

Neighbors that pay more, and two that do not

Virginia pays $12.77 and moves to $13.75 on January 1, 2027, and Maryland pays $15.00. Ohio pays $11.00 at employers with gross receipts of $405,000 or more and has posted $11.40 for 2027. Pennsylvania and Kentucky stay at $7.25. Employers in the Eastern Panhandle and along the Ohio River feel those differences most. Compare every state in the state minimum wage list.

$8.75 by the week, month and year

A standard 40-hour week at $8.75 earns $350.00. Run that across 2,080 hours and the annual figure is $18,200.00; one-twelfth of it, $1,516.67, is the monthly equivalent. A semimonthly check would be $758.33 ($18,200 / 24).

West Virginia requires paydays at least twice a month with no more than 19 days between them.

What you owe on top of $18,200

The sources disagree on the new-employer rate. The state handbook says 2.7%; the U.S. Department of Labor's July 2026 summary shows 2.50%, which would make the unemployment line $237.50 (2.5% x $9,500) and the total $19,871.80. Use the rate on your WorkForce West Virginia notice. Workers' compensation is required once you regularly employ one person, with a few exemptions, and is bought on the private market. The SUTA rate table compares states.

Paying West Virginia staff

Final wages are due on or before the next regular payday whether the worker quits or is fired. The West Virginia payroll tax page lists registration with WorkForce West Virginia and the State Tax Department, and new hires go to the WV New Hire Reporting Center.

Software is small next to these taxes: Gusto lists Simple at $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid (checked October 16, 2026). See what else is available in our ranked payroll services, or estimate your total with the cost calculator.