Montgomery County Minimum Wage Increase - Effective July 1, 2026

The Montgomery County minimum wage will increase on July 1 to reflect the region’s inflation rate, as required by County law. For large employers (with 51 or more employees), the minimum wage will increase by 35 cents to $18.00 per hour. For mid-size employers (with 11-50 employees), the minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $16.50 per hour. For small employers (10 or fewer employees), the rate will increase by 45 cents to $15.95 per hour.

Tipped Employees

Tipped employees (earning more than $30 per month in tips) are guaranteed earnings equaling no less than the Montgomery County Minimum Wage Rate per hour. Employers must pay at least $4.00 per hour. This amount plus tips must equal or greater than the Montgomery County Minimum Wage Rate. Restaurant employers who utilize a tip credit are required to provide employees with a written or electronic wage statement for each pay period showing the employee’s effective hourly rate of pay including employer-paid cash wages plus tips for tip credit hours worked for each workweek of the pay period.

Minimum Wage Reporting

Montgomery County Code, Chapter 27-Human Rights and Civil Liberties, Section 27-69 (d), requires employers of tipped employees to submit a quarterly wage report within 30 days after the end of each quarter to the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights. Please select the button below to file a report.
Minimum Wage Reporting Form

Montgomery County, Maryland Minimum Wage Increase - Effective July 1, 2025.

Minimum Wage Transition Table

Effective Date Large Employer Mid-sized Employer Small Employer
July 1, 2025 $17.65 $16.00 $15.50
July 1, 2026 and     
subsequent years        		 Increase annually by      
CPI-W.  		 Increase annually by
CPI-W  + up to 1%, until
equal to large employer rate.  1 		Increase annually by
CPI-W + up to 1%, until
equal to other employers. 2

 

A “ large employer” is an employer who employs 51 or more employees. The minimum wage for large employers required under County Code Section 27-68 is adjusted annually on July 1 according to the average increase, if any, in the previous year’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for Washington-Arlington, rounded to the nearest five cents;

A “ mid-sized employer” is:

  • an employer who employs between 11 and 50 employees; or
  • an employer who employs eleven or more employees and:
    • has tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; or
    • provides “home health services” as defined by 42 C.F.R. § 440.70 or “home or community-based services” as defined by 42 C.F.R. § 440.180, and receives at least 75% of gross revenues through state and federal Medicaid programs.

A “ small employer” is an employer who employs 10 or fewer employees.

1  The minimum wage for mid-sized employers will be adjusted annually by the average increase, if any, in the previous year’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the Washington region, rounded to the nearest five cents. If the rate increase is less than $0.50 and the mid-sized employer minimum wage rate does not equal the minimum wage rate for large employers, an additional adjustment equal to one percent of the minimum wage required for the prior year will be added to the annual adjustment, up to a combined total increase of $0.50.

2  The minimum wage for small employers will be adjusted annually by the average increase, if any, in the previous year’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the Washington region, rounded to the nearest five cents. If the rate increase is less than $0.50 and the small employer minimum wage rate does not equal the minimum wage rate for other employers, an additional adjustment equal to one percent of the minimum wage required for the prior year will be added to the annual adjustment, up to a combined total increase of $0.50.