DC · state labor law, 2026
District of Columbia labor laws: minimum wage, overtime, leave, final pay and breaks
Washington, DC raised its wage in July and then, three months later, shortened two kinds of paid family leave and lowered the benefit ceiling.
District of Columbia and federal rules checked on official sources on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Minimum wage now
- $18.40/h
- District-wide, all employers
- Next change
- none announced
- checked October 11, 2026
- Tipped cash wage
- $10.30/h
- tips must make up the rest
- Overtime
- 40 h/week
- state law
- Paid sick leave
- 1 h per 43 h
- cap 40 h a year
- Paid family leave
- 12 weeks
- DC Paid Family Leave (DC PFL)
On October 1, 2026 the District of Columbia reduced its Paid Family Leave program: medical leave for your own condition dropped from 12 to 10 weeks, family caregiving leave from 12 to 6 weeks, and the maximum weekly benefit from $1,190 to $1,100, while parental leave stays at 12 weeks. The program is paid for entirely by employers, with no deduction from your check. The minimum wage rose from $17.95 to $18.40 on July 1, 2026 for every employer regardless of size, an inflation adjustment the District makes each July. Tipped workers receive $10.30, which is 56 percent of the full wage under the amended Initiative 82 schedule. Overtime begins after 40 hours a week. Paid sick and safe leave depends on employer size, from 3 to 7 days a year, and a fired employee must be paid by the next working day.
Gross pay for this week in District of Columbia
$736
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week
| Minimum wage in District of Columbia now | $18.40 an hour |
| Your rate against it | At or above the minimum |
| Overtime: none this week | $0 |
| Paid sick leave earned in a year | 40 hours (cap reached) |
| Breaks owed in a 8-hour shift | None required for adults |
| Final paycheck if fired | by the working day following discharge (4 days if the employee handled employer money) |
| Unused vacation at the end | Paid out if the employer policy or contract says so |
| Paid family leave | DC Paid Family Leave (DC PFL), up to 12 weeks |
40 hours a week at $18.40. State rule applied. Minimum wage, overtime and leave rules have exceptions by employer size and industry. How this is calculated.
October 1, 2026: fewer weeks, a lower ceiling
The FY2027 Budget Support Act rewrote DC Paid Family Leave with effect from October 1, 2026. A worker recovering from surgery can now claim 10 weeks of medical leave instead of 12, and someone caring for a seriously ill parent or spouse can claim 6 weeks instead of 12. Parental leave keeps its 12 weeks and prenatal leave its 2. The weekly benefit still follows a sliding scale that replaces up to 90 percent of wages for lower earners, but it now stops at $1,100.
What the change means in money: a higher earner taking the longest medical leave could previously receive 12 weeks at $1,190, or $14,280. Under the new rules the most is 10 weeks at $1,100, $11,000, a drop of $3,280. For family caregiving the gap is wider, because the weeks are halved. Workers whose leave started before the change should check with the DC Paid Family Leave office how their claim is handled.
Paid family leave in your state
DC Paid Family Leave (DC PFL)
Up to 12 weeks
| Weeks payable from your plan | 8 |
| Maximum weekly benefit 2026 | $1,100.00 |
| Most you could receive | $8,800 |
Your benefit is a share of your own wages, up to the maximum.
A wage that moves every July
The District indexes its minimum wage to the Washington-area consumer price index each July 1. The July 1, 2026 increase took the rate to $18.40, worth $936 a year to a full-time worker, and that rate stays in force until the next adjustment in July 2027. There is no smaller rate for small businesses. The tipped base wage is now set as 56 percent of the full minimum, so it rose to $10.30 at the same time, and the employer must top up any hour in which tips fail to reach $18.40. Government contractors covered by the Living Wage Act pay the same $18.40 this year. Tipped wages in the states are mostly far lower.
Sick and safe leave scaled to the employer
The Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act sets three tiers. At an employer with 100 or more workers, leave accrues at one hour per 37 worked, up to 7 days a year; at 25 to 99 workers, one hour per 43, up to 5 days; at 24 or fewer, one hour per 87, up to 3 days. A full-time employee working 2,080 hours a year therefore reaches about 56 hours at a large firm, 40 at a mid-sized one and 23 at a small one. Leave can be used after 90 days of service, and it also covers safe leave for victims of stalking, domestic violence or sexual abuse.
Sick leave you earn in a year
Hours earned in a year
36
| Rate | 1 hour per 43 hours worked |
| Cap (typical employer) | 40 hours |
| Weeks to earn one 8-hour day | 11.5 |
Overtime, non-competes and the final paycheck
Hours past 40 in a workweek are paid at time and a half. DC also bans non-compete clauses for most of the workforce: since January 1, 2026 the ban protects anyone earning less than $162,164 a year, with a higher line for medical specialists. When a job ends by dismissal, wages are due by the following working day, or within 4 days for an employee who handled the employer's money. A worker who quits is paid by the next regular payday or within 7 days, whichever comes first. The Office of Wage-Hour at the Department of Employment Services investigates unpaid wages, and the final paycheck guide compares deadlines.
District of Columbia employment rules at a glance, 2026
Minimum wage schedule
| From | Who it covers | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2025 | District-wide, all employers | $17.95 | In force January 1 to June 30, 2026 |
| July 1, 2026 | District-wide, all employers | $18.40 | CPI adjustment (+2.4%), regardless of employer size; in force until June 30, 2027 |
Workers covered by both laws get the higher rate. The minimum wage is indexed to Washington-area CPI every July 1 (D.C. Code 32-1003(a)(6)). The DC Living Wage (government contractors) equals $18.40 from July 1, 2026 ($17.95 Jan 1-Jun 30, 2026). Security officers in office buildings have a separate higher rate notice. Read the District of Columbia rule.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week. The salary test for exempt employees is the federal $684 a week. Time and a half over 40 hours in a workweek. source
Sick leave and family leave
Paid sick leave: 1 hour per 37 hours worked (100+ employees); 1 per 43 (25-99); 1 per 87 (24 or fewer) (100+ employees: up to 7 days/year; 25-99: up to 5 days (about 40 h for a full-time worker); 24 or fewer: up to 3 days. Use allowed after 90 days of service.), all employers (tiered by size). Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act; covers safe leave for victims of stalking, domestic violence or sexual abuse. source
DC Paid Family Leave (DC PFL): up to 12 weeks, benefits payable since July 1, 2020, Sliding scale wage replacement up to 90%, capped at the maximum weekly benefit; fully employer-funded, no employee deductions, maximum $1,100.00 a week in 2026. Since October 1, 2026: Medical leave 10 weeks (was 12), Family leave 6 weeks (was 12), Parental leave 12 weeks, Prenatal leave 2 weeks. Maximum weekly benefit $1,190 before Oct 1, 2026, $1,100 from Oct 1, 2026. DC Family and Medical Leave Act: job-protected leave for employers with 20+ employees (broader than federal FMLA) source
Final paycheck and unused vacation
Fired or laid off: by the working day following discharge (4 days if the employee handled employer money). Quitting: by the next regular payday or within 7 days of quitting, whichever is earlier. Vacation: No statute expressly requires vacation payout; 'wages' include remuneration promised under the employment contract or policy, so payout follows the employer's written policy or agreement.. source vacation rule
Meal and rest breaks
No meal break is required for adults by state law. No paid rest break is required for adults.
Unions and dismissal
District of Columbia has no right-to-work law, so a union contract may require a fee from the workers it covers. Employment is at will: either side may end it at any time, except for an illegal reason such as discrimination or retaliation, or against a contract.
Also worth knowing in District of Columbia
- DC Paid Family Leave was cut on October 1, 2026 by the FY2027 Budget Support Act: medical leave from 12 to 10 weeks, family leave from 12 to 6 weeks, and the maximum weekly benefit from $1,190 to $1,100. source
- The tipped minimum wage is now pegged at 56% of the full minimum wage ($10.30 since July 1, 2026), after Initiative 82's phase-out schedule was amended. source
- DC bans non-compete clauses for most employees: from January 1, 2026 the ban covers workers earning less than $162,164 (medical specialists under $270,274). source