Oklahoma Minimum Wage 2026: $7.25 an Hour and the FLSA Overlap

It shall be unlawful to employ workers in any industry or occupation within the State of Oklahoma under conditions of labor detrimental to their health or morals and it shall be unlawful to employ workers in any industry within the State of Oklahoma at wages which are not adequate for their maintenance. Except as otherwise provided in the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act, no employer within the State of Oklahoma shall pay any employee a wage of less than the current federal minimum wage for all hours worked. Amended by Laws 1983, c. 60, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1983.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

As used in this act: (a) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Labor; (b) "Wage" means compensation due to an employee by reason of his employment, payable in legal tender of the United States or checks on banks convertible into cash on demand at full face value, subject to such deductions, charges or allowances as may be permitted by law; (c) "Employ" includes to suffer or to permit to work; (d) "Employer" means any individual, partnership, association, corporation, business trust, or any person or group of persons, hiring more than ten full-time employees or equivalent at any one location or place of business; provided, however, if an employer has less than ten full-time employees or equivalent at any one location or place of business but does a gross business of more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) annually, said employer shall not be exempt under the provisions of this act. This act shall not apply to employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, and who are paying the minimum wage under the provisions of said act, nor to employers whose employees are exempt under paragraph (e) of this section.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

Every employer shall pay to each of his employees who have reached eighteen (18) years of age wages at a rate of not less than Two Dollars ($2.00) per hour. Regardless of other provisions of the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act, every employee of the State of Oklahoma or any lessee or concessionaire thereof is hereby specifically covered by the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act. Amended by Laws 1983, c. 60, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 1983.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

A. To compute the minimum wage of any employee coming within the purview of the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act, credit toward the minimum required wage shall be given for any tips or gratuities, meals, or lodging received by the employee provided that the employer pays a cash wage of not less than what is required under 29 C.F.R., Section 531.50(a)(1). B. To compute the minimum wage of any employee coming within the purview of the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act should the minimum wage exceed the current federal minimum wage, credit toward the minimum required wage may be given for any tips or gratuities, meals, or lodging received by the employee. Added by Laws 1971, c. 70, § 2, eff. July 1, 1971. Amended by Laws 1980, c. 203, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 1980; Laws 2025, c. 401, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2025.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

fees - Defenses. Any employer who is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have paid an employee wages less than those to which such employee is entitled, under or by virtue of this act, shall be liable to such employee for double the full amount of such wages, less any amount actually paid to such employee by the employer, and for court costs, and such reasonable attorney fees as may be allowed by the court, which in no case shall be less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00). Any agreement between such employee and the employer to work for less than such wage rate shall be no defense to such action. Laws 1965, c. 427, § 9, emerg. eff. July 8, 1965.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

Upon verified complaint by an employee or former employee that an employer has violated the provisions of Section 197.5 of this title by failure to pay the minimum wage thereby established, the Commissioner, or his authorized representative, is hereby empowered to make such investigation as deemed necessary to ascertain the facts concerning such charge. The Commissioner shall have the power to administer oaths and affirmations, require sworn statements, certify to official acts, and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, correspondence memoranda, and other records deemed necessary as evidence in connection with the investigation of any alleged violation of Section 197.5 of this title. All information obtained by the Commissioner, or his duly authorized representatives, shall be confidential and, except for the finding of the need for additional wages, as provided by Section 197.8 of this title, and information which is necessarily disclosed in court proceedings provided by Section 197.9 or 197.10 of this title, such information shall not be disclosed to any person. Laws 1965, c. 427, § 7, emerg. eff. July 8, 1965; Laws 1978, c.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

The Commissioner, after investigation, shall promptly make his finding in writing as to whether or not additional wages are due the employee. If the Commissioner finds that additional wages are due, ten percent (10%) of such amount due shall be added as penalty for such wage deficiency. The Commissioner shall mail said findings to the employer and to the employee by certified mail. Payment by the employer and acceptance by the employee of the amount so determined by the Commissioner shall absolve the employer of any further liability to the employee with respect to wages claimed by the employee for the period he was employed by the employer. Laws 1965, c. 427, § 8, emerg. eff. July 8, 1965; Laws 1978, c. 47, § 5, eff. July 1, 1978.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

leave days. As a matter of public policy and due to an overriding state interest, the Legislature hereby occupies and preempts the entire field of legislation in this state touching in any way mandated minimum wage and employee benefits regarding mandatory minimum number of vacation or sick leave days. Notwithstanding any exemption from state statutes previously allowed for certain municipalities pursuant to Section 1-101 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma Statutes, no municipality or other political subdivision of this state shall establish a mandatory minimum number of vacation or sick leave days, whether paid or unpaid, or a minimum wage rate which an employer would be required to pay or grant employees. Any existing or future ordinances, orders or regulations in this field, except as may be specifically provided in this section, are null and void. The provisions of this section shall not affect the minimum number of vacation or sick leave days, whether paid or unpaid, authorized by a municipality for its employees as a benefit of employment. Added by Laws 2014, c. 40, § 1, eff. July 1, 2014.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

The welfare of the State of Oklahoma demands that the working people of Oklahoma be protected from conditions of labor which have a pernicious effect on their health or morals. The State of Oklahoma, therefore, exercising herein its police and sovereign power, declares that inadequate wages and insanitary conditions of labor exert such pernicious effect. Laws 1965, c. 427, § 1, emerg. eff. July 8, 1965.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-31 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oklegislature.gov

(a) With respect to tipped employees, section 3(m)(2)(A) provides that, in determining the wage an employer is required to pay a tipped employee, the amount paid such employee by the employee's employer shall be an amount equal to— (1) The cash wage paid such employee which for purposes of such determination shall not be less than the cash wage required to be paid such an employee on August 20, 1996 [i.e., $2.13]; and (2) An additional amount on account of the tips received by such employee which amount is equal to the difference between the wage specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section and section 6(a)(1) of the Act. (b) Section 3(m)(2)(A) also provides that an employer that takes a tip credit against its minimum wage obligations to its tipped employees must inform those employees of the provisions of that subsection, and that the employees must retain all of their tips, although the employer may require those employees to participate in a tip pool with other tipped employees that customarily and regularly receive tips.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at ecfr.gov

As used in this chapter— “Person” means an individual, partnership, association, corporation, business trust, legal representative, or any organized group of persons. “Commerce” means trade, commerce, transportation, transmission, or communication among the several States or between any State and any place outside thereof. “State” means any State of the United States or the District of Columbia or any Territory or possession of the United States. “Employer” includes any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee and includes a public agency, but does not include any labor organization (other than when acting as an employer) or anyone acting in the capacity of officer or agent of such labor organization. Except as provided in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), the term “employee” means any individual employed by an employer.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov

Also relied on in: Federal Minimum Wage 2026: $7.25 an Hour Since 2009, Minimum Wage by State 2026: All 50 States and DC, Alabama Minimum Wage 2026: $7.25 Federal, No State Rate

Every employer shall pay to each of his employees who in any workweek is engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, or is employed in an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, wages at the following rates: except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than— $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after May 25, 2007; $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day; if such employee is a home worker in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, not less than the minimum piece rate prescribed by regulation or order; or, if no such minimum piece rate is in effect, any piece rate adopted by such employer which shall yield, to the proportion or class of employees prescribed by regulation or order, not less than the applicable minimum hourly wage rate. Such minimum piece rates or employer piece rates shall be commensurate with, and shall be paid in lieu of, the minimum hourly wage rate applicable under the provisions of this section.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov

Also relied on in: Ohio Debt Collection Laws: Garnishment Formula, the 6-Year Consumer Debt Rule, and Repossession, South Dakota Debt Collection Laws: The 20% Garnishment Cap and 120-Day Lien, Wage Theft in the U.S.: Your Rights Regardless of Immigration Status

After the expiration of one hundred and twenty days from June 25, 1938, it shall be unlawful for any person— to transport, offer for transportation, ship, deliver, or sell in commerce, or to ship, deliver, or sell with knowledge that shipment or delivery or sale thereof in commerce is intended, any goods in the production of which any employee was employed in violation of section 206 or section 207 of this title, or in violation of any regulation or order of the Secretary issued under section 214 of this title; except that no provision of this chapter shall impose any liability upon any common carrier for the transportation in commerce in the regular course of its business of any goods not produced by such common carrier, and no provision of this chapter shall excuse any common carrier from its obligation to accept any goods for transportation; and except that any such transportation, offer, shipment, delivery, or sale of such goods by a purchaser who acquired them in good faith in reliance on written assurance from the producer that the goods were produced in compliance with the requirements of this chapter, and who acquired such goods for value without notice of any such…

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov

Also relied on in: Federal Whistleblower Laws: Protections and How to Report, Employer Threatening to Call Immigration? Your Rights in the U.S., Connecticut Minimum Wage 2026: $16.94 an Hour ($17.48 in 2027)

Any person who willfully violates any of the provisions of section 215 of this title shall upon conviction thereof be subject to a fine of not more than $10,000, or to imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. No person shall be imprisoned under this subsection except for an offense committed after the conviction of such person for a prior offense under this subsection. Any employer who violates the provisions of section 206 or section 207 of this title shall be liable to the employee or employees affected in the amount of their unpaid minimum wages, or their unpaid overtime compensation, as the case may be, and in an additional equal amount as liquidated damages. Any employer who violates the provisions of section 215(a)(3) or 218d of this title shall be liable for such legal or equitable relief as may be appropriate to effectuate the purposes of section 215(a)(3) or 218d of this title, including without limitation employment, reinstatement, promotion, and the payment of wages lost and an additional equal amount as liquidated damages.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-03 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov

Also relied on in: Unpaid Wages: How to File a Claim and Recover What You're Owed, Independent Contractor vs. Employee: The IRS, DOL and ABC Tests, Alaska Minimum Wage 2026: $14.00 an Hour, $15.00 in July 2027

No provision of this chapter or of any order thereunder shall excuse noncompliance with any Federal or State law or municipal ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum wage established under this chapter or a maximum work week lower than the maximum workweek established under this chapter, and no provision of this chapter relating to the employment of child labor shall justify noncompliance with any Federal or State law or municipal ordinance establishing a higher standard than the standard established under this chapter. No provision of this chapter shall justify any employer in reducing a wage paid by him which is in excess of the applicable minimum wage under this chapter, or justify any employer in increasing hours of employment maintained by him which are shorter than the maximum hours applicable under this chapter.

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov

Also relied on in: Arizona Minimum Wage 2026: $15.15 Per Hour, $15.65 in 2027, Arkansas Minimum Wage 2026: $11.00 an Hour, Tip Credit Rules, California Minimum Wage 2026: $16.90 an Hour, $17.40 in 2027

Any action commenced on or after May 14, 1947, to enforce any cause of action for unpaid minimum wages, unpaid overtime compensation, or liquidated damages, under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended [29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.], the Walsh-Healey Act, or the Bacon-Davis Act 1  See References in Text note below.  — if the cause of action accrues on or after May 14, 1947 —may be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrued, and every such action shall be forever barred unless commenced within two years after the cause of action accrued, except that a cause of action arising out of a willful violation may be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued; if the cause of action accrued prior to May 14, 1947 —may be commenced within whichever of the following periods is the shorter: (1) two years after the cause of action accrued, or (2) the period prescribed by the applicable State statute of limitations; and, except as provided in paragraph (c), every such action shall be forever barred unless commenced within the shorter of such two periods; if the cause of action accrued prior to May 14, 1947, the action shall not be barred by paragraph (b)…

Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov

Also relied on in: Colorado Minimum Wage 2026: $15.16, $15.71 in 2027, Georgia Minimum Wage 2026: $7.25 Federal, $5.15 State Rate, Hawaii Minimum Wage 2026: $16.00 an Hour, Next Step $18.00 in 2028