Georgia Minimum Wage Guide for 2024

Georgia Minimum Wage - Historical Rates Table

Looking for minimum wage rates by state? Click here to view the minimum wage chart by state.

Georgia minimum wage laws do not apply to the following types of employers:

• Employers with sales of $40,000 a year or less;
• Employers with five employees or less;
• Employers of domestic employees
• Employers who are farm owners, sharecroppers, or land renters;
• Employees whose compensation consists wholly or partially of gratuities;
• Employees who are high school or college students;
• Employees of newspaper carriers; or
• Any individual who is employed by a nonprofit child-caring organization or long-term care facility serving children or mentally disabled adults who are enrolled in such institutions and reside in residential facilities of the institution, if such employee resides in such facilities, receives without cost board and lodging from such institution and is compensated on a cash basis at an annual rate of not less than $10,000. 

Georgia Minimum Wage Exemptions

• Executive workers paid on a salary basis
• Administrative workers paid on a salary basis
• Learned and creative professionals paid on a salary basis
• Computer employees
• Outside sales employees
• Tipped employees
• Minors

Georgia Tipped Employees

Per the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers in Georgia must pay their employees who receive tips a minimum wage of $2.13 per hour.

The employer can take a tip credit of $5.12 per hour to make up the difference between the tipped employee’s hourly wage rate and the minimum wage. If the tipped employee makes the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour in tips, the employer does not have to pay the employee the difference.

Youth Minimum Wage in Georgia

Under Section 6(g) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Employees under the age of 20 may receive any wage rate above $4.25 per hour for a limited period of 90 days after they are employed.

Georgia Minimum Wage Posting Requirements

In compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act and Georgia labor laws, employers must visibly display a Georgia minimum wage poster, as well as other state and federal labor law posters, in a conspicuous location that all employees have access to.

Note that each time the minimum wage is updated, the labor law poster must be replaced in the workplace. A labor law poster subscription service will automatically provide updated mandatory notices that need to be posted for employees as additional changes take place with Georgia’s state or local laws.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

If an employee feels that they have been paid a wage rate lower than the state minimum wage requires, they may choose to take legal action. 

In the case that an employee seeks legal action, the employee must file a civil action lawsuit in a superior court within three years so that they may recover the difference between the amount they were paid and the minimum wage.

Final Thoughts on Georgia Minimum Wage

Businesses struggling to maintain minimum wage compliance or manage payroll may want to consider outsourcing payroll to a Georgia payroll services company. Areas for additional knowledge and learning include the basics of payroll and what to know about modern payroll software. 

To learn more about how Employer Pass is helping countless businesses maintain minimum wage compliance, contact us today or use the find a provider tool.