Nebraska Minimum Wage and Local Wage Authority

Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1201 to 48-1209.04 sets Nebraska's minimum wage. Voter-approved Initiative 433 (2022) raised it to $10.50 (2023), $12.00 (2024), $13.50 (2025), and $15.00 on January 1, 2026. LB258 (2025) then replaced inflation indexing with a fixed 1.75% annual increase beginning January 1, 2027, and authorized a $13.50 training wage for workers under 20 and a youth wage for ages 14-15. Tipped workers earn at least $2.13 per hour plus tips to the standard minimum. The Act has no express local-preemption clause, but the Attorney General sued Lincoln in 2026 contending local minimum-wage ordinances are preempted, so local authority is unsettled.

Employers who fail to pay the statutory minimum wage are liable under Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203 for the unpaid wages, costs, and reasonable attorney's fees. Willful violations expose the employer to additional penalties through Department of Labor enforcement.