Wage guide

Nebraska minimum wage 2026: $15.00 an hour and the paycheck it pays

The minimum wage in Nebraska is $15.00 an hour, in force since January 1, 2026. Full time that is $600 a week gross and about $509 after tax, or $26,489 a year net.

The Nebraska rate in context

Nebraska minimum wage: $15.00 an hour, set by a voter-approved ballot measure
In force since: January 1, 2026
Next scheduled change: None currently scheduled
Tipped cash wage: $2.13, with a tip credit of up to $12.87
Federal minimum: $7.25, unchanged since July 24, 2009
Above the federal floor by: $7.75 an hour, $16,120 a year full time
Rank: Tied 13th of the 50 states and DC, with 5 other states
State income tax: Progressive brackets
Overtime: 1.5x past 40 hours a week under the federal FLSA
Youth / training wage: $4.25 for the first 90 days for workers under 20, the federal rule

Initiative 433 (November 2022) reached its final step at $15.00; CPI indexing begins in 2027. A youth training wage applies to workers under 20.

A minimum-wage paycheck after taxes

$15.00 an hour, single filer, 2026 federal and Nebraska rates, no benefits deducted.

Hours/week	Weekly gross	Weekly net	Biweekly net	Annual net
20	$300	$273	$546	$14,194
30	$450	$392	$784	$20,394
40	$600	$509	$1,019	$26,489

Full time at $15.00 is $31,200 gross a year, about $2,207 a month net and $26,489 a year net — an effective tax rate of 15.1%. Change the hours or add overtime in the Nebraska hourly paycheck calculator.

Minimum wage in Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue and other Nebraska cities

$15.00 applies across Nebraska. No city or county here sets a higher figure, so the statewide rate is what your employer must pay in every city below. What differs between these places is the cost of living, not the wage floor. Each link runs the full paycheck math for that city.

City	Wage floor	Tipped cash wage	Full-time gross a month
Omaha	$15.00	$2.13	$2,600
Lincoln	$15.00	$2.13	$2,600
Bellevue	$15.00	$2.13	$2,600
Grand Island	$15.00	$2.13	$2,600
Kearney	$15.00	$2.13	$2,600

Minimum wage is a gross figure, not take-home pay

$15.00 is what your employer owes you per hour before anything is withheld. Social Security takes 6.2% and Medicare 1.45% from the first dollar, with no threshold. Federal income tax starts only once annual pay clears the standard deduction, which is why a minimum-wage check loses proportionally less to income tax than a larger one, and Nebraska adds its own state tax on top. The result is an effective rate of 15.1% on a full-time minimum-wage year — well below the headline bracket.

Who the Nebraska minimum wage covers

It applies to employees covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which in practice is nearly everyone paid hourly. A federal training wage of $4.25 an hour applies for the first 90 consecutive days to workers under 20. Salaried employees who meet the FLSA duties tests and the salary threshold are exempt from hourly minimums, and independent contractors sit outside minimum wage law entirely — which is why worker classification decides so much of what you are actually owed. See salary vs hourly pay for where that line falls.

How the Nebraska rate gets set

The current figure comes from a voter-approved ballot measure. States that move their minimum regularly either legislate a schedule of steps or index the rate to a price index and adjust it each year, usually on January 1. States that do neither drift back towards the federal $7.25 in real terms, because that number has not changed since July 24, 2009.

If you are paid below the minimum

Check gross pay against hours worked on the stub — see how to read a pay stub — and remember that the test is gross, before deductions. Unpaid minimum wage is a wage claim, which can go to the Nebraska labor office under state law or to the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division under the FLSA. Deductions for uniforms, tools or cash-drawer shortages that drop effective pay below the floor are generally not permitted.

Keep going with Nebraska pay

Nebraska paycheck calculator

Salary or hourly take-home pay with full state and federal withholding.

Nebraska hourly paycheck calculator

Any rate, any hours, overtime at 1.5x.

Minimum wage after taxes

Every state's minimum wage and what it leaves after tax, in one table.

Tips tax calculator

How much of your tips escape federal tax under the 2025 deduction.

Overtime paycheck calculator

Time and a half after taxes, plus the federal overtime deduction.

How much tax is taken out

Every tax on a US pay stub, with 2026 numbers.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Nebraska in 2026?+

$15.00 an hour, in force since January 1, 2026. That is $7.75 above the federal floor of $7.25, which has not moved since July 24, 2009, and makes Nebraska one of 6 states tied at 13th of the 50 states and DC. The rate is set by a voter-approved ballot measure.

How much is a full-time minimum wage paycheck in Nebraska after taxes?+

At $15.00 and 40 hours a week, gross pay is $600 a week, $2,600 a month and $31,200 a year. A single filer with no other deductions takes home about $509 a week, $1,019 every two weeks, $2,207 a month or $26,489 a year. Social Security takes $1,934 a year and Medicare $452. Nebraska income tax takes $760, so the overall rate is 15.1%.

Is the minimum wage before or after tax?+

Before. A minimum wage is a floor on gross pay — the figure your employer must pay for each hour worked, calculated before any withholding. Payroll taxes come out afterwards, so what lands in your account is always less than $15.00 an hour. In Nebraska the gap on a full 40-hour week is $91, taking $600 gross down to about $509 net.

What is the tipped minimum wage in Nebraska?+

$2.13 an hour in direct cash wages, with tips making up the rest of the $15.00 minimum. The tip credit an employer may claim is $12.87 an hour. If tips plus the cash wage do not reach $15.00 for the hours worked, the employer has to pay the difference. A tipped employee under federal law is someone who customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. Tips are taxable wages reported through payroll, and for 2026 up to $25,000 of qualified tips is deductible on your federal return.

Do cities in Nebraska have their own minimum wage?+

Where a city, county or region carries a higher rate, that rate governs for work done there. A wage floor can be raised above the state figure but never lowered below it. No Nebraska city currently runs above the statewide $15.00, so that one figure applies across the state. Whatever the wage floor, the payroll tax on it works the same way everywhere in Nebraska.

How does Nebraska compare with other states?+

$15.00 makes Nebraska one of 6 states tied at 13th of the 50 states and DC. 31 of the 50 states and DC pay above the federal $7.25; the other 20 sit exactly on it. The District of Columbia is highest at $18.40, then Washington at $17.13.

What should I do if I am paid less than the Nebraska minimum wage?+

Start with your pay stub: multiply the hours worked by $15.00 and compare it with gross pay for the period, before deductions. Unpaid minimum wage is a wage claim, filed with the Nebraska labor office under state law or with the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which carries its own filing window. Deductions that push effective pay below the minimum — uniforms, tools, till shortages — are generally not allowed. Employers must display the federal minimum wage poster in the workplace.