Work

Minimum wage Nevada: $12.00 an hour, and what your boss can't do

Minimum wage Nevada employers must pay is $12.00 an hour for every hour worked. There is one rate. It doesn't drop because you get tips or because your job offers health insurance. Here's who it covers, how to check your pay, and what to do if you're being paid less.

The rule in plain English

1. The number is $12.00. It comes from the Nevada Constitution, not an ordinary statute. It has applied since July 1, 2024 (Nev. Const. art. 15, sec. 16(1)). If the federal minimum ever rises above $12, the higher federal rate applies (sec. 16(2)). The federal rate is $7.25 today, and federal law says it doesn't excuse a higher state minimum (29 USC 206(a)(1), 29 USC 218(a)).

2. Tips don't count. Your employer can't credit tips toward the $12 (sec. 16(4), NRS 608.160(1)(b)). Your employer can't take your tips either. Workers may agree to split tips among themselves (NRS 608.160(1)(a), (2)).

3. You can't sign it away. A deal to work for less doesn't count, and neither does accepting less for a while (sec. 16(5), NRS 608.260(1)). The one exception is a real union contract that waives it in clear terms (sec. 16(5)).

4. Being paid by salary or by the piece doesn't get around it. Divide your pay for the period by the hours you worked. The answer must be at least the minimum wage (NAC 608.115(2)). This is the answer to the "minimum salary" question.

What $12.00 comes to

Time worked	Before taxes and deductions
8-hour day	$96
40-hour week	$480
Full year at 40 hours a week (2,080 hours)	$24,960

Our arithmetic from the $12.00 rate. On a salary of $24,960 for 40 hours a week, you're at the line. Work more hours for the same pay and you fall under it (NAC 608.115(2)).

Old numbers you may run into

You may see two rates online, or a lower rate if health insurance is offered. That was the old system. The voters changed the Constitution in the 2022 General Election, and it now says one rate of $12. NRS 608.250 still prints the old two-tier table, and NAC 608.100 still prints $5.15 and $6.15. We go by the Constitution, because it outranks both. If someone quotes you $11, ask them to show you where sec. 16 says so.

Who isn't covered

Person	Why	Source
A person under 18	Left out, as the regulation reads the definition	Sec. 16(8)(a), NAC 608.100(3)(a)
Nonprofit after-school or summer worker	Left out of the definition	Sec. 16(8)(a), NAC 608.100(3)(b)
A trainee, for 90 days at most	Left out of the definition	Sec. 16(8)(a), NAC 608.100(3)(c)
Union member, where the contract clearly waives it	Allowed waiver	Sec. 16(5)
A true independent contractor	Not an employment relationship	NRS 608.255(2), NRS 608.0155
Jobs and day training program participant with an intellectual or developmental disability	Not an employment relationship, for a certified program	NRS 608.255(1)

Read 2026-11-02 off the Nevada Constitution (revision stamped 4/15/2026), the Nevada Revised Statutes (chapter 608 stamped 9/9/2026, 2026R1), NAC chapter 608 (stamped 4/13/2026) and the U.S. Code. The Constitution's definition is one short sentence, and it can be read more narrowly than the regulation does, so a teen in a regular job should ask a lawyer before accepting less. A job title doesn't decide who is a contractor. NRS 608.0155 tests how the work actually runs. "Probationary", "temporary" and "part-time" workers get the same rate (NAC 608.100(1)). From January 1, 2028, NRS 608.250(2) says a federal special certificate under 29 USC 214(c) doesn't allow pay under the minimum. Until then, NAC 608.200 to 608.370 still print a special minimum wage program for some workers with disabilities.

Other pay rules that travel with it

Rule	What the law says	Source
Every hour counts	You must be paid for each hour worked. No unpaid trial or break-in period	NRS 608.016
Time outside your schedule	Work done at your employer's direction is paid, even off the schedule	NAC 608.115(1)
Overtime	Time and a half over 40 hours in a week. If you earn under 1.5 times the minimum, also over 8 hours in a workday, unless you agreed to four 10-hour days. Many jobs are exempt	NRS 608.018
Uniforms	Distinctive uniforms are free. So is any special cleaning they need	NRS 608.165
Giving pay back	Your employer can't make you return wages you were paid	NRS 608.100(2)
Pay cuts	Written notice at least 7 days before you work at the lower pay, unless a contract sets other terms. Never below the minimum	NRS 608.100(3)
Meals as pay	Only if agreed in your employment contract. Capped at $3 a breakfast, $3 a lunch and $6 a dinner	NRS 608.155
Lodging as pay	Only if agreed in your employment contract. Capped at $60 a week	NRS 608.154
Last paycheck	Fired or laid off: due immediately. Quit: by the next payday or within 7 days, whichever is earlier	NRS 608.020, NRS 608.030

The meal and lodging caps are our arithmetic from the percentages in the statutes at $12.00, and they don't apply to agricultural workers. On overtime, 1.5 times $12.00 is $18.00 an hour. NRS 608.018 points to the rate in NRS 608.250, and the Constitution now sets one rate, so that's our reading, not a number printed in the statute.

If you're being paid less

1. Build your own record today. Save pay stubs, schedules, texts and photos of the time clock. Write down your hours for each day. Divide your pay by your hours.

2. Ask in writing. Put the hours and the amount you're owed in a short message. Keep a copy. It might fix a payroll mistake, and it gives you a dated record if it doesn't.

3. Go to the Labor Commissioner. The Labor Commissioner enforces the minimum wage (NRS 608.270(1)). The Commissioner can add an administrative penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation, and a violation is a misdemeanor (NRS 608.290). Don't run two tracks at once: the Commissioner can't take a wage claim during a suit for the same wages under NRS 608.135(1) (NRS 608.135(2)).

4. Or sue within 2 years. You can sue your employer within 2 years (NRS 608.260(1)). If you win, the court must award reasonable attorney's fees and costs, on top of remedies like back pay, damages and getting your job back (sec. 16(7), NRS 608.260(2)). That fee rule is why a small claim can still be worth a lawyer's time.

5. Know you can't be punished for it. Your employer can't fire you, cut your pay or discriminate against you for asserting these rights or using civil remedies to enforce them (sec. 16(6)).

Programs and help that apply

Free legal help — find out who may take a wage case at no cost.

Lost my job — if you were let go after you complained, or you're still waiting on a last paycheck.

211 — food, rent or other help while you wait for what you're owed.

This page is general information, not legal advice. For how to file a claim, check with the Nevada Labor Commissioner directly. Call 211 if you need help.