What is the minimum wage in Georgia in 2025?

Georgia has a nominal state minimum wage of $5.15 per hour under O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3, but this rate is lower than the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) minimum of $7.25 per hour. For the overwhelming majority of Georgia workers — those employed by businesses covered by the FLSA — the federal $7.25/hr floor applies. The state $5.15 rate is only relevant for a narrow class of workers whose employers are not subject to the FLSA, such as certain very small businesses with no interstate commerce activity.

Why does Georgia have a minimum wage lower than the federal rate?

Georgia set its state minimum wage at $5.15 per hour in 2001 and has not updated it since. Because the federal minimum rose to $7.25 per hour in 2009, the state figure became legally irrelevant for FLSA-covered employees — federal law preempts the lower state rate. Georgia has not enacted legislation to raise its state minimum above the federal floor, meaning most workers depend entirely on federal law for their wage protection.

How is overtime calculated in Georgia?

Georgia does not have its own overtime law, so federal FLSA rules govern. Any hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek must be paid at a rate of at least 1.5 times the regular hourly rate — commonly called time and a half. For example, at $7.25/hr, overtime hours are paid at $10.875/hr. The calculator applies this automatically whenever you enter more than 40 hours per week.

How does this calculator compute monthly and annual pay?

Monthly gross = weekly gross x 52 / 12, which gives the exact calendar-month average across short and long months. Annual gross = weekly gross x 52. Both figures are before any federal income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), state income tax, health insurance or other deductions — they represent gross pre-tax pay only.

Can Georgia cities set a higher local minimum wage?

No. Georgia state law preempts local governments from setting minimum wages higher than the state or federal rate. No city or county in Georgia — including Atlanta — may legally mandate a wage floor above the $7.25 federal minimum for private-sector workers.

What wage do tipped workers receive in Georgia?

Under federal rules that apply in Georgia, tipped employees may receive a direct cash wage as low as $2.13 per hour, provided that tips bring their effective hourly rate to at least $7.25. This is known as the tip credit. If a tipped employee does not earn enough in tips to reach $7.25/hr in any given workweek, the employer is legally required to make up the difference.

Georgia Minimum Wage Calculator

Georgia is one of a handful of US states whose nominal state minimum wage sits below the federal floor. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3) sets a state minimum of $5.15 per hour, unchanged since 2001. But because the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) minimum of $7.25 per hour — in place since July 24, 2009 — supersedes any lower state rate for covered employees, the effective minimum for the vast majority of Georgia workers is the federal $7.25/hr. This calculator lets you convert that hourly rate (or any wage above it) into the figures that matter most for real-world budgeting: weekly gross pay, monthly gross pay and annual gross salary, with FLSA overtime automatically applied any time you work more than 40 hours.

How it works

Enter your hourly wage and your average hours per week. The calculator splits your hours into two buckets:

Regular time — the first 40 hours at your straight-time rate.
Overtime — any hours beyond 40, rated at 1.5 times your regular rate, as required by FLSA Section 7(a)(1) for covered, non-exempt employees.

Weekly gross = (regular hours x hourly wage) + (overtime hours x hourly wage x 1.5).

Monthly gross is then calculated as weekly gross x 52 / 12, capturing the exact calendar average across short and long months. Annual gross is weekly gross x 52. All arithmetic runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.

Worked example

Suppose you work 45 hours per week at the effective Georgia minimum of $7.25 per hour:

Metric	Calculation	Result
Regular pay	40h x $7.25	$290.00
Overtime pay	5h x $10.875 (1.5x)	$54.38
Weekly gross	$290.00 + $54.38	$344.38
Monthly gross	$344.38 x 52 / 12	$1,492.31
Annual gross	$344.38 x 52	$17,907.76

At a straight 40 hours per week with no overtime, the $7.25 minimum yields:

Weekly gross: $290.00
Monthly gross: $1,256.67
Annual gross: $15,080.00

These are all pre-tax figures. Federal income tax, FICA (Social Security 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%), Georgia state income tax and any benefit deductions reduce your actual take-home pay further. The federal comparison panel in the tool shows exactly how your chosen wage compares to the $7.25 floor on an annual basis, so you can instantly see whether — and by how much — you are earning above the legal minimum.

Georgia minimum wage in context

Georgia’s $5.15 nominal state rate has been frozen since 2001, making it one of the lowest state-level figures in the country. In practice it affects almost no one, since the FLSA covers the vast majority of private-sector employment in the state. The federal $7.25 rate itself has been unchanged since 2009 — the longest gap between federal minimum wage increases in US history.

Georgia law also prevents local governments from setting higher minimums: state preemption means Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta and other cities cannot mandate wages above the federal floor for private employers. Workers seeking wage increases above $7.25 in Georgia therefore depend entirely on employer choice or federal legislation.

Tipped workers are a special category: federal rules allow a direct cash wage as low as $2.13 per hour for employees who customarily receive tips, provided the combination of cash wages and tips equals at least $7.25/hr. If tips fall short in any workweek, the employer must make up the shortfall.

Use the calculator to model any wage scenario — what $10/hr, $12/hr or $15/hr would produce annually — so you can compare job offers, negotiate raises, or plan household finances with confidence.