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Minimum Wage in Oklahoma



Guide to the Minimum Wage in Oklahoma

If you are working for the minimum wage in OK, you may want to know more about the state's minimum wage laws.  Currently, the minimum wage in Oklahoma for most employees is set by federal wage laws, rather than by specific state statute.  This guide will help you understand the minimum wage in OK for different types of workers.  You will also learn how to pursue a claim against your employer if you are entitled to the minimum wage in Oklahoma but are illegally being paid less.

Minimum Wage in Oklahoma for Non-Tipped Employees

The minimum wage in OK for non-tipped employees is the same as the current federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour.  This represents a significant increase from just a few years ago, as the minimum wage in Oklahoma (and most U.S. states) stagnated at a rate of $5.15 an hour for nearly 10 years until recent increases.

Employers are also required to pay overtime for employees who work more than 40 hours in a work week, according to both state and federal laws.  For an employee making the minimum wage in OK, overtime wages of one and a half times the base wage will be $10.88 per hour.  Not all employees are entitled to overtime wages, but the vast majority of employees making the minimum wage in Oklahoma are.

Minimum Wage in Oklahoma for Tipped Employees

Employees who primarily make money from tips are entitled to a different and lower minimum wage in OK than non-tipped employees.  If you are working in a job where tips are your primary source of income, employers are allowed to pay 50% of the minimum wage for non-tipped employees.  Currently, that amounts to $3.63 for all tipped employees.

If you are a tipped employee making the minimum wage in Oklahoma, and your tips do not bring you to a total of at least $7.25 an hour, your employer must pay wages to make up the difference so that your total compensation is at least $7.25 per hour.  If your employer refuses to do this, they are violating laws about the minimum wage in OK and you may be able to sue for back wages and attorney fees.

Exemptions from Minimum Wage in Oklahoma

Not all employers are required to pay employees the minimum wage in OK.  Maids and agricultural workers are exempt from the minimum wage in Oklahoma, as are newspaper vendors and carrier.  Part-time temporary employees may also be exempt from the minimum wage in OK in some circumstances.

While the majority of bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees make more than the minimum wage in Oklahoma, technically these laws also do not apply to them.  If your employment does not qualify for the normal minimum wage in OK, you are still entitled to make at least $2.00 per hour as long as you are over the age of 18.

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