---
title: "Server Minimum Wage in West Virginia (2026)"
url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/west-virginia/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 West Virginia?

**Short answer:** West Virginia’s minimum wage is $8.75 an hour at employers with 6 or more employees at one location, and servers there can be paid $2.62 in cash. The tip credit lets your employer cover the rest of the $8.75 with your tips. Should tips come up short, the employer pays the difference.

## West Virginia at a glance

| Rule | West Virginia | Federal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum wage | $8.75 | Federal: $7.25 |
| Tipped cash wage (paid before tips) | $2.62 | 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 West Virginia

The state minimum sits above the federal $7.25, and the $2.62 cash wage is a little higher than the federal $2.13. The tip credit is written as a share: up to 70% of the applicable minimum can come from tips, which is why the cash wage looks so low next to the minimum.

Coverage is the catch. According to the DOL, the state minimum wage law applies only to employers with six or more employees and to state agencies. If your restaurant is smaller than that, ask which rate your employer uses and why.

The DOL table doesn’t specify a monthly tip amount for the tipped-employee definition here. The May 2025 BLS median for waiters and waitresses in West Virginia was $17.01, an estimate from employers that already includes reported tips.

## Example shift

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

1. Wages: $2.62 × 6 = **$15.72**.
2. With tips: $15.72 + $120 = **$135.72**, or **$22.62 an hour**.
3. If your tips for the week don’t bring you to $8.75 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 West Virginia was **$17.01** 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)
- [West Virginia labor agency](https://labor.wv.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

West Virginia’s $8.75 minimum covers employers with 6 or more employees at one location, so knowing your employer’s size and logging your hours and tips tells you which rate to check your pay against.

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.