Maryland Minimum Wage 2026: $15.00 Statewide, Up to $18.00 in Montgomery County

Maryland’s minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, the rate since January 1, 2024 [2]. State law doesn’t schedule another increase, so $15.00 is also the state rate going into 2027 [2]. Three counties set higher minimums of their own [1].

Higher county rates

If you work in one of these counties, the higher local rate applies. These are the rates as of July 1, 2026 [1]:

Montgomery County also sets a higher cash wage for tipped workers: at least $4.00 an hour [1].

Tipped workers

Statewide, employers must pay tipped workers at least $3.63 an hour in cash. Cash wages plus tips have to reach the $15.00 minimum, and the employer makes up any shortfall [1]. That means employers can count up to $11.37 an hour in tips [3]. A tipped employee is someone who gets more than $30 a month in tips [3].

Restaurants that rely on tips must give each tipped worker a Tip Credit Wage Statement every pay period, showing their effective hourly rate [1].

Workers under 18

Employers can pay workers under 18 a wage equal to 85% of the state minimum [1][2]. At $15.00, that works out to $12.75 an hour.

Who isn’t covered

Maryland’s Department of Labor lists workers exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime rules. Among them [1]:

• immediate family members of the employer,
• certain farm workers,
• certain administrative, executive and professional employees,
• volunteers, and outside salespeople or workers paid only on commission,
• workers under 16 who work fewer than 20 hours a week,
• non-administrative staff at organized camps,
• workers at certain small food and drink businesses with less than $400,000 in yearly gross sales,
• drive-in theater workers and certain minor league baseball players.

Some other workers, like taxi drivers, are exempt only from overtime and still must get the minimum wage [1].

If you’re paid less than you’re owed

You can choose one of three routes [5]:

1. File a wage claim with the state. First, ask your employer for the wages; you must have asked and been turned down before filing. A written demand by certified mail helps [4][5]. Then mail a completed Wage Claim Form, signed under oath, to the Department of Labor’s Employment Standards Service in Hunt Valley, or call 410-767-2357 to have one mailed to you [4][5].

The state must receive your claim within two years of when the wages were due [4]. After investigating, the Commissioner of Labor and Industry can try mediation, issue an order for claims up to $5,000, or ask the Attorney General to sue for you [4]. None of these guarantee you’ll be paid [4].

2. Sue your employer. You can go to court without filing with the state first. The deadline is generally three years [4]. If the court finds wages were withheld without a real dispute over them, it can award up to three times the unpaid wages plus attorney fees [5].

3. Press criminal charges. In some cases, Maryland law punishes employers who deliberately don’t pay wages they owe [5].

Other states

Maryland is among the states at $15.00 or more. See the minimum wage in every state on BestAmerica.