---
title: "Server Minimum Wage in Arkansas (2026)"
url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/arkansas/server-wage
language: en
publisher: TipMax (Entermaurs Incorporated)
date_published: 2026-09-23
last_verified: 2026-09-23
---

# What’s the minimum wage for servers in Arkansas?

**Short answer:** Arkansas sets its minimum wage at $11.00 an hour for employers with 4 or more employees. Servers can be paid a cash wage of $2.63, with tips expected to cover the remaining $8.37. If your tips come up short in a workweek, the employer owes you enough to reach $11.00 for every hour.

## Arkansas at a glance

| Rule | Arkansas | Federal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum wage | $11.00 | Federal: $7.25 |
| Tipped cash wage (paid before tips) | $2.63 | Federal: $2.13 |
| Can tips count toward minimum wage? | Yes | DOL: Yes |

As of the U.S. Department of Labor table revised July 1, 2026. Your city may set a higher rate.

## What’s different in Arkansas

Arkansas looks a lot like the federal model on the cash side. The tipped cash wage is $2.63, only a little above the federal $2.13, while the full minimum is $11.00 instead of $7.25. That leaves a wide gap your tips are supposed to fill.

One detail trips people up: the DOL cell for Arkansas says the $11.00 rate is “Applicable to employers with 4 or more employees.” At a very small place, the state rate may not cover you, though federal law can still apply if the business is covered by the FLSA.

For context, the BLS median for Arkansas waiters and waitresses was $11.86 an hour in May 2025. Employers supply that estimate and it folds in reported tips, so it isn’t a take-home figure. With most of your pay arriving as tips, a slow week is exactly when you want your own numbers to compare against the stub.

## Example shift

Say you work 6 hours and walk out with $120 in tips (illustrative numbers; use your own).

1. Wages: $2.63 × 6 = **$15.78**.
2. With tips: $15.78 + $120 = **$135.78**, or **$22.63 an hour**.
3. If your tips for the week don’t bring you to $11.00 an hour, federal law says your employer has to make up the difference.

**What servers earn:** BLS estimates the median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses in Arkansas was **$11.86** in May 2025. BLS counts tips in this figure, but the numbers come from employers’ estimates.

Check your own week: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/tools/tipped-wage-check

## Official sources

- [U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum wages for tipped employees (state table)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: State minimum wage laws](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state)
- [BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, waiters and waitresses (35-3031)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353031.htm)
- [Arkansas labor agency](https://www.labor.arkansas.gov/)

## Last verified

September 23, 2026. Checked the U.S. Department of Labor state tables (revised July 1, 2026) and BLS OEWS May 2025.

## About TipMax

In Arkansas your employer can count $8.37 of tips per hour toward the $11.00 minimum, so logging tips against hours is how you spot a week that fell short.

TipMax is an iPhone app for servers and bartenders that tracks tips and tip-outs and turns a restaurant menu into study flashcards.

Download TipMax free: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tipmax-study-track-earn/id6744850146

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TipMax Answers explains public government guidance on pay and workplace rules in plain English for tipped workers. It is **not legal, tax, or accounting advice**. Rules change and local rules can add to them. Confirm with the agency linked on this page or a qualified professional. TipMax the app helps you track tips and pay; it doesn’t enforce wage law or decide disputes.