What’s the minimum wage for servers in Pennsylvania?
The short answer
Pennsylvania at a glance
| Minimum wage | $7.25 | Federal: $7.25 |
|---|---|---|
| Tipped cash wage (paid before tips) | $2.83 | Federal: $2.13 |
| Can tips count toward minimum wage? | Yes | DOL: Yes |
| Who counts as tipped | $135 per month in tips a month | |
| State tax on the federal tips deduction | Pennsylvania’s personal income tax has no provision to exempt tip income. | |
As of the U.S. Department of Labor table revised July 1, 2026. Your city may set a higher rate.
What’s different in Pennsylvania
The headline minimum isn’t what sets Pennsylvania apart; the cash wage is. Employers here have to pay at least $2.83 in cash, a bit above the federal $2.13, so the fixed line on your stub is slightly bigger than in states that follow federal law.
Pennsylvania also uses its own test for who is tipped. The DOL table lists $135 per month in tips, a much higher monthly threshold than the federal one. If your tips don’t reach that level, ask the state labor office how the tipped rate applies to you.
State tax is the other real difference. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue says its personal income tax has no provision to exempt tip income. So even if you claim the federal deduction for qualified tips, the state still taxes those tips. The May 2025 BLS median for the state’s waiters and waitresses, $16.68, is an employer estimate with reported tips folded in.
Example shift
Say you work 6 hours and walk out with $120 in tips (illustrative numbers; use your own).
- Wages: $2.83 Ă— 6 = $16.98.
- With tips: $16.98 + $120 = $136.98, or $22.83 an hour.
- If your tips for the week don’t bring you to $7.25 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 Pennsylvania was $16.68 in May 2025. BLS counts tips in this figure, but the numbers come from employers’ estimates, so they may not reflect all the tips servers receive.
Check your own week: Am I being paid at least minimum wage?
Official sources
Last verified
. Checked the U.S. Department of Labor state tables (revised July 1, 2026) and BLS OEWS May 2025, and Pennsylvania Department of Revenue: federal tax law changes.
Related
- Server minimum wage in every state
- More in Pennsylvania: Tip pooling · Benefits you can get
- Same rule in: Arizona · Arkansas · Colorado
- Why is my server paycheck so small?
- Tip-outs and tip pools