Tennessee is one of a small number of US states that has never enacted a state minimum wage law. The Tennessee Code Annotated contains no minimum wage chapter, leaving most Volunteer State workers covered exclusively by the federal floor of $7.25 per hour — a rate set by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and unchanged since July 24, 2009. This calculator converts that hourly rate — or any wage above it — into the figures that matter most for everyday budgeting: weekly gross pay, monthly gross pay and annual gross salary, with FLSA overtime factored in automatically the moment you work more than 40 hours in a week.
How it works
Enter your hourly wage and your average hours per week. The calculator divides your hours into two categories:
- 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).
Weekly gross = (regular hours x wage) + (overtime hours x wage x 1.5).
Monthly gross is derived as weekly x 52 / 12, capturing the exact calendar average across short and long months. Annual gross is weekly x 52.
All arithmetic runs entirely in your browser. No figures are uploaded or stored anywhere.
Worked example
Suppose you work 45 hours per week at the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour in Tennessee:
| 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 federal minimum of $7.25/hr yields a weekly gross of $290.00, a monthly gross of $1,256.67, and an annual gross of $15,080.00 — before any federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare or other withholdings. Note that Tennessee has no state income tax on wages (the Hall Income Tax on investment income was fully repealed on January 1, 2021), so TN wage earners face no state income tax withholding on top of federal obligations.
The federal comparison panel at the bottom of the calculator lets you instantly see how much more or less per year your actual wage produces relative to the $7.25 floor, which is useful when evaluating a job offer or planning a household budget.
Tennessee minimum wage in context
Tennessee’s decision never to adopt a state minimum wage puts it alongside a handful of states — including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and New Hampshire — where the federal $7.25/hr floor is the only legal minimum. By contrast, neighboring states have enacted higher rates: Georgia sets its state minimum at $5.15/hr (below federal, so FLSA applies), while Virginia has phased its minimum up to $12.00/hr and North Carolina sits at $7.25/hr, matching the federal level.
A distinctive feature of Tennessee law is its express preemption of local minimum wage ordinances. Unlike states such as Colorado or California where cities can set wages above the state floor, no Tennessee city or county can impose a higher local minimum. This means that workers in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga are all subject to the same $7.25/hr federal floor regardless of local cost of living differences.
In practice, the competitive labor market in many parts of Tennessee — particularly in Nashville’s booming healthcare, entertainment and tech sectors — means many employers already pay well above the $7.25 floor. Entry-level roles in retail, food service and logistics frequently advertise starting wages of $14/hr to $16/hr or more. Use the calculator to model any wage scenario: plan a household budget, compare job offers across state lines, or understand the annual income impact of an hourly raise.
Tipped workers are a special case. Federal rules permit a direct cash wage as low as $2.13 per hour for tipped employees, provided that tips bring the effective hourly rate to at least $7.25. If tips fall short in any workweek, the employer is legally required to make up the shortfall. Tennessee does not supplement or alter these federal tipped-wage rules with any state provision.
The tool also includes a quick-reference table showing common wage and hours scenarios so you can quickly benchmark your own situation against the federal minimum and typical market wages across the state.