The District of Columbia
Labor Law Guide

Minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate that employers are legally obligated to pay nonexempt employees. Washington D.C. minimum wage must be paid for all hours worked in the District as follows:

The current rate is: $17.95 per hour for most employees. 

• Washington D.C. is set to have an increase in its minimum wage effective July 1, 2026, to $18.40.

Tipped minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate employers are legally obligated to pay employees who earn a significant portion of their income through tips. 

The current tipped minimum wage is: $10.00 per hour for most tipped employees.

Overtime

The District of Columbia overtime requirements mirror the FLSA. They require employers to pay nonexempt employees overtime pay of at least 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. 

Exceptions

Some employees are exempt from overtime pay under D.C. law. These include the following categories of workers:

• Airline employees

• Automobile dealership employees

• Commissioned employees

• Railroad employees

• Seamen

• Live-in Domestic Workers

• Companions for the Aged and Infirm

Each of these exemptions has specific requirements that must be met in order for it to apply. Please consult the D.C. Office of the Attorney General’s website for detailed information on each exemption.

Split shift wages

Washington, D.C., requires employers to pay split shift wages when a worker works a split shift. For example, if an employee works an 8am to noon shift in the morning and then comes back to work for a 5pm to 9pm shift that same evening, a split-shift wage is triggered. However, a shift that is separated by a meal break of up to one hour is not considered a split shift.

For each day that an employee works a split shift, the employer must pay the employee one additional hour at the minimum wage.

Washington, D.C., does not require employers to provide meal and rest breaks. However, if an FLSA-covered employer chooses to offer short breaks (usually between 5 and 20 minutes in length), federal law requires that they be paid. Longer meal breaks (30 minutes or longer) are typically unpaid and do not count as time worked. All minors must be provided with a 30-minute uninterrupted break after 5 consecutive hours of work.

Vacation leave

Washington, D.C. law does not require private employers to provide paid or unpaid vacation leave. If an employer wants to offer their employees paid or unpaid vacation leave, it is the employer’s choice and would be governed by the employer’s policies or the employment contract.

Paid sick leave

Employers in Washington, D.C. are required to provide paid sick leave to their workers. The amount of paid sick leave depends on the employer’s size:

• 24 or fewer employees: employees must accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 87 hours worked, up to a cap of 3 days per year;

• 25 to 99 employees:  employees must accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 43 hours worked, up to a cap of 5 days per year;

• 100 or more employees:  employees must accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 37 hours worked, up to a cap of 7 days per year.

D.C. employees may begin using their accrued paid sick leave after 90 days of employment.

Universal paid leave

D.C. employees are also entitled to take paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, or for a serious health condition of the employee or a family member, and provide employees with a notice of their rights at the time of hire. Washington, D.C.’s Paid Leave Act provides for the following amounts of paid leave:

• 2 weeks to care for a pregnancy (prenatal leave);

• 12 weeks to bond with a new child (parental leave);

• 12 weeks to care for a family member with a serious health condition (family leave); and

• 12 weeks to care for your own serious health condition (medical leave). 

Holidays

Washington, D.C., doesn’t require private employers to provide paid or unpaid holiday leave. If an employer wants to offer paid or unpaid holiday leave to their employees, it is up to the individual employer, and would be governed by the company’s policy or the employee’s contract.

Washington, D.C. law restricts the types of work and hours of work of minors under the age of 18. A summary of key D.C. child labor laws follows:

Minors under 14 are only allowed to do the following jobs:

• Housework performed outside school hours in the minor’s own home;

• Agricultural work performed outside school hours in connection with the minor’s home and directly for their parents or guardians; and

• Newspaper delivery (10 years and older only).

Minors under 16 years of age cannot work:

• Before 7 am or after 7 pm (This is extended to 9 pm from June 1 through Labor Day)

• In any occupation that involves the operation, oiling, wiping, or cleaning of any machinery operated by power other than hand or foot power. 

Minors aged 16-17 cannot work:

• Before 6 am or after 10 pm.

• In any occupation involving operating any freight or non-automatic elevator, or in any quarry, tunnel, or excavation. In addition, 16-17-year-olds are also prohibited from working on roofing operations and driving motor vehicles. 

Minors under 18 years of age are restricted to the following hours of work:

• Cannot work more than 6 consecutive days per week.

• Cannot work more than 48 hours per week.

• Cannot work more than 8 hours per day.