---
title: "Server Minimum Wage in Michigan (2026)"
url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/michigan/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 Michigan?

**Short answer:** Michigan’s minimum wage is $13.73 an hour for employers of 2 or more, and the tipped cash wage is $5.49. Through the tip credit, your tips can fill the gap between $5.49 and $13.73. When they don’t, your employer pays the shortfall. Both figures are on a schedule to go up over the next few years.

## Michigan at a glance

| Rule | Michigan | Federal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum wage | $13.73 | Federal: $7.25 |
| Tipped cash wage (paid before tips) | $5.49 | 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. **Next change:** DOL: the Michigan minimum wage is scheduled to increase on January 1, 2027 to $15.00 per hour, and the tipped cash wage is scheduled to rise annually until it reaches 50% of the state minimum wage in 2031. Your city may set a higher rate.

## What’s different in Michigan

Michigan is partway through a planned phase-up. The DOL says the state minimum is scheduled to reach $15.00 on January 1, 2027, and to adjust each year by formula after that. On a separate track, the tipped cash wage is set to rise annually until it equals 50% of the state minimum in 2031.

What that does to your check: the guaranteed hourly part keeps growing, and the share an employer may cover with your tips keeps shrinking. If you’re paid $5.49 now, don’t assume that rate is still right after the next scheduled step. Look at the rate on each new pay stub.

Measured against the federal pair of $2.13 cash and $7.25 overall, Michigan already pays more on both lines. The May 2025 BLS median for waiters and waitresses here was $18.16 an hour. Employers estimate it and it counts reported tips, so treat it as a rough reference point only.

## Example shift

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

1. Wages: $5.49 × 6 = **$32.94**.
2. With tips: $32.94 + $120 = **$152.94**, or **$25.49 an hour**.
3. If your tips for the week don’t bring you to $13.73 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 Michigan was **$18.16** 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)
- [Michigan labor agency](http://www.michigan.gov/leo)

## 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

Michigan’s tipped cash wage is scheduled to rise every year until it reaches 50% of the state minimum in 2031, so keeping your hourly base next to your tips shows exactly when each raise should land.

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.