The New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) and the New York Division of Human Rights (NYDHR) have released two required posters that all New York employers must display in their workplace. Specifically, the NYDOL released a new 2026 Minimum Wage notice while the NYDHR updated the state’s Discrimination poster.
What Is New York’s New Minimum Wage?
As of January 1st, 2026, the New York State minimum wage increased from $15.50 per hour to $16.00 per hour. New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County employers (no matter the number of employees) must pay a minimum wage of $17.00 per hour (up from $16.50 per hour). Affected employers must update their New York state and federal labor law posters to include the revised 2026 notice.
Why Did the New York Minimum Wage Increase?
Minimum wages across New York State increase every year. As part of the 2016-2017 state budget, legislators enacted an agreement to increase the state’s minimum wage through 2026 and then begin indexing it to inflation beginning in 2027. New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County minimum wages also include annual cost-of-living increases.
What Is the New York Tipped Service Employee Minimum Wage Rate in 2026?
The New York State minimum wage for tipped service employees in 2026 is $16.00 per hour, up from $15.50 per hour in 2025. Tipped service employees in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County must now earn $17.00 per hour, up from $16.50 per hour. Under New York State Law, tipped employees in New York hospitality businesses receive a certain amount of tips per hour, adjusted annually. Per the state, New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County employers cannot pay tipped employees less than $2.85 below the established minimum wage rate for those areas. The remainder of New York State hospitality employers cannot pay tipped employees less than $2.70 below the established minimum wage rate.
What Is the New York Tipped Food Service Worker Minimum Wage Rate in 2026?
The New York State minimum wage for tipped food service workers in 2026 is $16.00 per hour, up from the 2025 rate of $15.50 per hour. Tipped food service workers in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County must now earn $17.00 per hour, up from $16.50 per hour. Under New York State Law, tipped employees in New York hospitality businesses receive a certain amount of tips per hour, adjusted annually. Per the state, New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County employers cannot pay tipped food service workers less than $5.65 below the established state minimum wage rate for those areas. The remainder of New York State hospitality employers cannot pay tipped food service workers less than $5.30 below the state's established minimum wage rate.
What Is the New York State Discrimination Notice?
As created and distributed by the NYDHR, the Discrimination poster generally explains that discrimination based upon age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, disability, domestic violence victim status, familial status, or marital status is prohibited by the New York State Human Rights Law. Sexual harassment or harassment based upon any of these protected classes is also not permitted. Specifically, the notice also states that all employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and apprenticeship training programs are prohibited from engaging in discrimination.
What Changed on the New York State Discrimination Poster?
The recently released Discrimination notice mainly addresses changes in employer-to-agency communication. For instance, the updated poster reflects a change to the NYDHR’s phone number. According to the agency, the most recent version of the notice must be displayed to provide employees with accurate contact information so they can file complaints or obtain additional details.
Employer Takeaways
Currently, New York employers must clearly display the revised 2026 Minimum Wage poster and the Discrimination notice in an area where employees can regularly see them.
Labor Law Posters Online's revised 2026 New York State & Federal Labor Law Poster now includes the 2026 Minimum Wage notice, which took effect on January 1st, 2026, and the changed Discrimination poster. Our all-on-one compliance resource is guaranteed to include all recent required state and federal poster updates. Existing Labor Law Posters Online customers who are part of our annual poster update service will receive these and any other revised posters for free due to their yearly subscription.