labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Idaho minimum wage laws require the state minimum to mirror the federal minimum.

 

Both the Idaho minimum wageand the federal minimum wage increased in 2007 from $5.15 to $5.85 and again in 2008 from $5.85 to $6.55.

 

On July 24, 2009, the federal and Idaho minimum wage rates will again increase by 70 cents to $7.25 per hour.

 

Though this increase may create hardship for employers in this struggling economy, 2009 is the last scheduled increase for the federal minimum rate. At this time, no increase is scheduled for 2010.

 

Idaho state minimum wage covers the smaller employers. The Idaho minimum wage law is enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the Idaho Department of Labor.

 

The remaining companies are covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which is enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor at www.dol.gov.

 

FLSA covers several different types of employers, including government agencies (federal, state and local), hospitals, health care facilities and schools. The federal law also applies to companies that earn at least $500,000 per year and those that are engaged in interstate commerce.

 

Interstate commerce refers to any company that does business with other states. Any business that accepts credit cards is conducting business with other states, as are employers that conduct business via the Internet, communicate through emails and ship packages out-of-state. It would be difficult to find any modern business that did not engage in interstate commerce.

 

All of these companies would be covered under FLSA and be required to pay the federal minimum wage.

 

Employees covered by FLSA or Idaho minimum are entitled to overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in one work week. The overtime rate is calculated as 1.5 times the employee’s hourly rate.

 

Both federal and state laws allow employers to pay tipped employees less than the minimum. If the employee doesn’t earn enough in tips for his or her combined wages and tips to equal the minimum wage, the company must make up the difference. The same rule applies for tipped employees working overtime.

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