Global Compliance Desk – Delaware
State: Delaware
On July 1, 2018, Delaware Governor John Carney signed Senate Bill 170 and House Bill 483 into law. These new laws will increase Delaware’s minimum wage hour and will establish a training wage and youth wage.
The minimum wage proposal passed today, October 1, 2018, increased the state’s minimum wage from $8.25 which was effective June 1, 2015, to $8.75 effective October 1, 2018. Under the new law ( Senate Bill 170 ), Delaware’s minimum wage will increase in accordance with the following schedule:
- October 1, 2018 increases to $8.75 per hour (the minimum wage for tipped employees remains $2.23 per hour)
- October 1, 2019 increases to $9.25 per hour (the minimum wage for tipped employees remains $2.23 per hour)
- October 1, 2020 increases to $9.75 per hour (the minimum wage for tipped employees remains $2.23 per hour)
- October 1, 2021 increases to $10.25 per hour (the minimum wage for tipped employees remains $2.23 per hour)
Training & Youth Wage
In addition, effective January 1, 2019, Delaware an employer will be allowed to pay 50 cents less than the minimum wage to:
- Training Wage: in lieu of the minimum wage otherwise required under this section, an employer may pay an employee who is 18 years of age or older, during the first 90 consecutive calendar days after the employee is initially employed by the employer, a wage rate that is not more than $0.50 less than the wage rate; and
- Youth Wage: in lieu of the minimum wage otherwise required by this section, an employer may pay an employee who is under 18 years of age a wage rate that is not more than $0.50 less than the wage rate.
