New Law Raises D.C. Minimum Wage to $15 in 2020

On June 27, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law the Fair Shot Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2016 that will make the minimum wage $15 an hour in the District of Columbia beginning in 2020. In addition, tipped workers are slated to make $5 an hour by 2020.

The current minimum wage is $11.50 an hour as of July 1, 2016, in accordance with the Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2013.  Under the new Fair Shot Minimum Wage Amendment Act, it will continue to increase each year as follows:

• July 1, 2017: $12.50
• July 1, 2018: $13.25
• July 1, 2019: $14.00
• July 1, 2020: $15.00

In addition, beginning in 2020, the minimum wage will be adjusted each year based on changes in the cost of living.
 
This gives D.C. one of the highest minimum wages in the country. Nearby, Maryland’s statewide minimum wage is $8.75 per hour with a higher minimum wage in Montgomery County, where it is $10.75, and Prince George’s County, where it is $9.55. Virginia follows the Federal Minimum Wage which is $7.25.
 
Nonprofit employers of minimum-wage workers should consider the scheduled wage increases as they plan budgets and submit grant proposals for upcoming years.
 
The minimum wage requirement applies to any employee who works at least 50 percent of the time in D.C., regardless of where the worker resides.