Nevada Minimum Wage 2026: $12 an Hour for Everyone, No Tip Credit, and Daily Overtime Under $18

Nevada’s minimum wage is $12.00 an hour, and it has been since July 1, 2024 [1][2]. It’s one rate for everyone it covers. Voters approved Ballot Question 2 in November 2022, which ended the old two-tier system that let employers pay less if they offered qualifying health benefits [2]. Today the $12.00 rate applies whether or not your employer offers health insurance [3].

Where the $12 comes from

Nevada’s minimum wage is written into the state Constitution, in Article 15, Section 16 [1]. Since July 1, 2024, it requires employers to pay each employee at least $12 per hour worked [1]. If the federal minimum wage is ever raised above $12, Nevada employers must pay the federal rate instead [1].

The Labor Commissioner’s current guidance, revised in April 2026, still lists $12.00 [3].

Tips don’t count toward the minimum

Many states let employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage and count tips toward the rest. Nevada doesn’t. The Constitution says tips or gratuities received by employees shall not be credited toward the minimum wage [1]. State law also bars an employer from taking all or part of a worker’s tips [3].

Employers can set up a mandatory tip pool that includes employees of different ranks, as long as all the tips go to employees and the employer keeps none of them [3].

Daily overtime for workers under $18

Nevada has a daily overtime rule that most states don’t. If you earn less than $18 an hour, you’re owed overtime at one and a half times your regular rate for time worked over 8 hours in a 24-hour period, as well as over 40 hours in a workweek [3]. If you earn $18 an hour or more, overtime is based on the 40-hour week only [3].

The one exception is an agreed schedule of four 10-hour shifts. Even then, changes to that schedule can cause overtime to build up [3].

Being paid a salary doesn’t automatically make you exempt from overtime. You have to fit a specific exemption under Nevada law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act [3].

Breaks, paydays and your last check

• Breaks: a paid 10-minute rest break for each 4 hours worked, and an unpaid 30-minute meal period for each 8 hours [3].
• Paydays: at least twice a month [3].
• If you’re fired: your wages are due immediately, though they aren’t considered late until three days after your last day [3].
• If you quit: your final pay is due within seven days or on the next regular payday, whichever comes first [3].
• Deductions: apart from those required by law and benefit contributions, an employer needs your specific signed authorization before taking money out of your check [3].
• Uniforms: uniforms distinctive in style, color or material must be provided free [3].

Private employers with 50 or more employees in Nevada must also provide 0.01923 hours of paid leave for each hour worked [3].

If you’re paid less than you’re owed

1. Ask your employer first. The Labor Commissioner doesn’t take a wage claim if you haven’t asked your employer for the wages yet [4].

2. File with the Labor Commissioner. Wage claims and complaints are filed through the Labor Commissioner’s online portal [4]. The office won’t accept a claim based on acts or omissions more than 24 months before you file [4]. An incomplete claim may be sent back to you, so include everything [4].

3. Or go to court. The Constitution lets employees sue their employer in Nevada courts for back pay, damages and other relief, and a worker who wins is awarded attorney’s fees and costs [1]. A lawsuit for less than the minimum wage generally must be brought within two years [5]. The Constitution also bars employers from firing or retaliating against workers who use these rights [1].

Other states

Comparing Nevada with its neighbors? See the minimum wage in every state on BestAmerica.