Washington exempt salary threshold
$1,541.70 per week ($80,168.40 per year) in 2026
From January 1, 2026, executive, administrative and professional employees must earn at least $1,541.70 per week ($80,168.40 a year) to be exempt in Washington - 2.25 times the state minimum wage, the same at every employer size. The multiplier is scheduled to reach 2.5 times the minimum wage in 2028.
- Effective
- Jan 1, 2026
Local notes & what to do
Washington has the highest state minimum wage in the country ($17.13 in 2026) and allows no tip credit. Its exempt salary threshold is also the nation's highest - $80,168.40 in 2026, set at 2.25 times the minimum wage at every employer size and scheduled to reach 2.5 times in 2028. Paid family and medical leave premiums rose to 1.13% of wages in 2026, with a maximum weekly benefit of $1,647. Several Puget Sound cities set wages well above the state rate.