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Minimum Wage in GeorgiaGeorgia Minimum Wage Finder
  
Atlanta, Georgia 30301
Georgia Counties

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For detailed information about the minimum wage in your county, please enter your ZIP code. This will direct you to a page providing tailored information about the minimum wage in your area.
Georgia Minimum Wage
     
                   Fulton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Atlanta)  FIPS: 13121                 - pop.1,066,710               
             
                   Gwinnett County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lawrenceville)  FIPS: 13135                 - pop.957,062               
             
                   Cobb County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Marietta)  FIPS: 13067                 - pop.766,149               
             
                   DeKalb County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Decatur)  FIPS: 13089                 - pop.764,382               
             
                   Clayton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jonesboro)  FIPS: 13063                 - pop.297,595               
             
                   Chatham County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Savannah)  FIPS: 13051                 - pop.295,291               
             
                   Cherokee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Canton)  FIPS: 13057                 - pop.266,620               
             
                   Forsyth County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cumming)  FIPS: 13117                 - pop.251,283               
             
                   Henry County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (McDonough)  FIPS: 13151                 - pop.240,712               
             
                   Muscogee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Columbus)  FIPS: 13215                 - pop.206,922               
             
                   Richmond County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Augusta)  FIPS: 13245                 - pop.206,607               
             
                   Hall County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Gainesville)  FIPS: 13139                 - pop.203,136               
             
                   Paulding County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dallas)  FIPS: 13223                 - pop.168,661               
             
                   Houston County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Perry)  FIPS: 13153                 - pop.163,633               
             
                   Bibb County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Macon)  FIPS: 13021                 - pop.157,346               
             
                   Columbia County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Appling)  FIPS: 13073                 - pop.156,010               
             
                   Coweta County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Newnan)  FIPS: 13077                 - pop.146,158               
             
                   Douglas County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Douglasville)  FIPS: 13097                 - pop.144,237               
             
                   Clarke County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Athens)  FIPS: 13059                 - pop.128,671               
             
                   Fayette County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fayetteville)  FIPS: 13113                 - pop.119,194               
             
                   Carroll County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carrollton)  FIPS: 13045                 - pop.119,148               
             
                   Lowndes County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Valdosta)  FIPS: 13185                 - pop.118,251               
             
                   Newton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Covington)  FIPS: 13217                 - pop.112,483               
             
                   Bartow County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cartersville)  FIPS: 13015                 - pop.108,901               
             
                   Whitfield County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dalton)  FIPS: 13313                 - pop.102,864               
             
                   Floyd County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Rome)  FIPS: 13115                 - pop.98,584               
             
                   Walton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Monroe)  FIPS: 13297                 - pop.96,673               
             
                   Rockdale County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Conyers)  FIPS: 13247                 - pop.93,570               
             
                   Dougherty County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Albany)  FIPS: 13095                 - pop.85,790               
             
                   Glynn County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Brunswick)  FIPS: 13127                 - pop.84,499               
             
                   Barrow County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Winder)  FIPS: 13013                 - pop.83,505               
             
                   Bulloch County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Statesboro)  FIPS: 13031                 - pop.81,099               
             
                   Jackson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jefferson)  FIPS: 13157                 - pop.75,907               
             
                   Troup County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lagrange)  FIPS: 13285                 - pop.69,426               
             
                   Catoosa County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ringgold)  FIPS: 13047                 - pop.67,872               
             
                   Walker County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lafayette)  FIPS: 13295                 - pop.67,654               
             
                   Spalding County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Griffin)  FIPS: 13255                 - pop.67,306               
             
                   Liberty County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hinesville)  FIPS: 13179                 - pop.65,256               
             
                   Effingham County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Springfield)  FIPS: 13103                 - pop.64,769               
             
                   Gordon County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Calhoun)  FIPS: 13129                 - pop.57,544               
             
                   Camden County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Woodbine)  FIPS: 13039                 - pop.54,768               
             
                   Laurens County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dublin)  FIPS: 13175                 - pop.49,570               
             
                   Habersham County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Clarkesville)  FIPS: 13137                 - pop.46,031               
             
                   Colquitt County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Moultrie)  FIPS: 13071                 - pop.45,898               
             
                   Thomas County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Thomasville)  FIPS: 13275                 - pop.45,798               
             
                   Bryan County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Pembroke)  FIPS: 13029                 - pop.44,738               
             
                   Baldwin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Milledgeville)  FIPS: 13009                 - pop.43,799               
             
                   Coffee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Douglas)  FIPS: 13069                 - pop.43,092               
             
                   Polk County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cedartown)  FIPS: 13233                 - pop.42,853               
             
                   Oconee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Watkinsville)  FIPS: 13219                 - pop.41,799               
             
                   Tift County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Tifton)  FIPS: 13277                 - pop.41,344               
             
                   Murray County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Chatsworth)  FIPS: 13213                 - pop.39,973               
             
                   Ware County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Waycross)  FIPS: 13299                 - pop.36,251               
             
                   Harris County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hamilton)  FIPS: 13145                 - pop.34,668               
             
                   Lumpkin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dahlonega)  FIPS: 13187                 - pop.33,488               
             
                   Pickens County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jasper)  FIPS: 13227                 - pop.33,216               
             
                   Lee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Leesburg)  FIPS: 13177                 - pop.33,163               
             
                   Gilmer County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ellijay)  FIPS: 13123                 - pop.31,353               
             
                   Wayne County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jesup)  FIPS: 13305                 - pop.30,144               
             
                   Madison County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Danielsville)  FIPS: 13195                 - pop.30,120               
             
                   Haralson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Buchanan)  FIPS: 13143                 - pop.29,919               
             
                   Sumter County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Americus)  FIPS: 13261                 - pop.29,616               
             
                   Decatur County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Bainbridge)  FIPS: 13087                 - pop.29,367               
             
                   Jones County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Gray)  FIPS: 13169                 - pop.28,347               
             
                   White County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cleveland)  FIPS: 13311                 - pop.28,003               
             
                   Peach County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fort Valley)  FIPS: 13225                 - pop.27,981               
             
                   Monroe County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Forsyth)  FIPS: 13207                 - pop.27,957               
             
                   Upson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Thomaston)  FIPS: 13293                 - pop.27,700               
             
                   Toombs County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lyons)  FIPS: 13279                 - pop.27,030               
             
                   Dawson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dawsonville)  FIPS: 13085                 - pop.26,798               
             
                   Stephens County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Toccoa)  FIPS: 13257                 - pop.26,784               
             
                   Grady County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cairo)  FIPS: 13131                 - pop.26,236               
             
                   Hart County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hartwell)  FIPS: 13147                 - pop.25,828               
             
                   Butts County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jackson)  FIPS: 13035                 - pop.25,434               
             
                   Fannin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Blue Ridge)  FIPS: 13111                 - pop.25,319               
             
                   Chattooga County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Summerville)  FIPS: 13055                 - pop.24,965               
             
                   Union County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Blairsville)  FIPS: 13291                 - pop.24,632               
             
                   Burke County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Waynesboro)  FIPS: 13033                 - pop.24,596               
             
                   Franklin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carnesville)  FIPS: 13119                 - pop.23,424               
             
                   Tattnall County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Reidsville)  FIPS: 13267                 - pop.22,842               
             
                   Emanuel County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Swainsboro)  FIPS: 13107                 - pop.22,768               
             
                   Putnam County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Eatonton)  FIPS: 13237                 - pop.22,047               
             
                   Mitchell County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Camilla)  FIPS: 13205                 - pop.21,755               
             
                   McDuffie County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Thomson)  FIPS: 13189                 - pop.21,632               
             
                   Worth County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sylvester)  FIPS: 13321                 - pop.20,784               
             
                   Meriwether County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Greenville)  FIPS: 13199                 - pop.20,613               
             
                   Crisp County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cordele)  FIPS: 13081                 - pop.20,128               
             
                   Morgan County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Madison)  FIPS: 13211                 - pop.20,097               
             
                   Washington County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sandersville)  FIPS: 13303                 - pop.19,988               
             
                   Dodge County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Eastman)  FIPS: 13091                 - pop.19,925               
             
                   Pierce County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Blackshear)  FIPS: 13229                 - pop.19,716               
             
                   Elbert County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Elberton)  FIPS: 13105                 - pop.19,637               
             
                   Greene County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Greensboro)  FIPS: 13133                 - pop.18,915               
             
                   Pike County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Zebulon)  FIPS: 13231                 - pop.18,889               
             
                   Lamar County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Barnesville)  FIPS: 13171                 - pop.18,500               
             
                   Appling County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Baxley)  FIPS: 13001                 - pop.18,444               
             
                   Berrien County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Nashville)  FIPS: 13019                 - pop.18,160               
             
                   Banks County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Homer)  FIPS: 13011                 - pop.18,035               
             
                   Brantley County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Nahunta)  FIPS: 13025                 - pop.18,021               
             
                   Cook County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Adel)  FIPS: 13075                 - pop.17,229               
             
                   Ben Hill County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fitzgerald)  FIPS: 13017                 - pop.17,194               
             
                   Rabun County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Clayton)  FIPS: 13241                 - pop.16,883               
             
                   Brooks County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Quitman)  FIPS: 13027                 - pop.16,301               
             
                   Dade County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Trenton)  FIPS: 13083                 - pop.16,251               
             
                   Long County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ludowici)  FIPS: 13183                 - pop.16,168               
             
                   Jefferson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Louisville)  FIPS: 13163                 - pop.15,709               
             
                   Oglethorpe County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lexington)  FIPS: 13221                 - pop.14,825               
             
                   Jeff Davis County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hazlehurst)  FIPS: 13161                 - pop.14,779               
             
                   Jasper County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Monticello)  FIPS: 13159                 - pop.14,588               
             
                   Screven County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sylvania)  FIPS: 13251                 - pop.14,067               
             
                   Bleckley County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cochran)  FIPS: 13023                 - pop.12,583               
             
                   Charlton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Folkston)  FIPS: 13049                 - pop.12,518               
             
                   Towns County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hiawassee)  FIPS: 13281                 - pop.12,493               
             
                   Telfair County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (McRae)  FIPS: 13271                 - pop.12,477               
             
                   Crawford County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Knoxville)  FIPS: 13079                 - pop.12,130               
             
                   Macon County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Oglethorpe)  FIPS: 13193                 - pop.12,082               
             
                   Heard County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Franklin)  FIPS: 13149                 - pop.11,412               
             
                   Dooly County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Vienna)  FIPS: 13093                 - pop.11,208               
             
                   Bacon County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Alma)  FIPS: 13005                 - pop.11,140               
             
                   Candler County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Metter)  FIPS: 13043                 - pop.10,981               
             
                   McIntosh County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Darien)  FIPS: 13191                 - pop.10,975               
             
                   Early County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Blakely)  FIPS: 13099                 - pop.10,854               
             
                   Evans County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Claxton)  FIPS: 13109                 - pop.10,774               
             
                   Lanier County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lakeland)  FIPS: 13173                 - pop.9,877               
             
                   Pulaski County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hawkinsville)  FIPS: 13235                 - pop.9,855               
             
                   Irwin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ocilla)  FIPS: 13155                 - pop.9,666               
             
                   Chattahoochee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cusseta)  FIPS: 13053                 - pop.9,565               
             
                   Wilkes County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Washington)  FIPS: 13317                 - pop.9,565               
             
                   Johnson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Wrightsville)  FIPS: 13167                 - pop.9,189               
             
                   Terrell County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dawson)  FIPS: 13273                 - pop.9,185               
             
                   Seminole County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Donalsonville)  FIPS: 13253                 - pop.9,147               
             
                   Turner County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ashburn)  FIPS: 13287                 - pop.9,006               
             
                   Wilkinson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Irwinton)  FIPS: 13319                 - pop.8,877               
             
                   Wilcox County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Abbeville)  FIPS: 13315                 - pop.8,766               
             
                   Hancock County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sparta)  FIPS: 13141                 - pop.8,735               
             
                   Jenkins County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Millen)  FIPS: 13165                 - pop.8,674               
             
                   Montgomery County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mount Vernon)  FIPS: 13209                 - pop.8,610               
             
                   Atkinson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Pearson)  FIPS: 13003                 - pop.8,286               
             
                   Twiggs County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jeffersonville)  FIPS: 13289                 - pop.8,022               
             
                   Taylor County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Butler)  FIPS: 13269                 - pop.7,816               
             
                   Lincoln County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lincolnton)  FIPS: 13181                 - pop.7,690               
             
                   Marion County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Buena Vista)  FIPS: 13197                 - pop.7,498               
             
                   Wheeler County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Alamo)  FIPS: 13309                 - pop.7,471               
             
                   Clinch County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Homerville)  FIPS: 13065                 - pop.6,749               
             
                   Randolph County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cuthbert)  FIPS: 13243                 - pop.6,425               
             
                   Treutlen County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Soperton)  FIPS: 13283                 - pop.6,406               
             
                   Miller County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Colquitt)  FIPS: 13201                 - pop.6,000               
             
                   Talbot County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Talbotton)  FIPS: 13263                 - pop.5,733               
             
                   Calhoun County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Morgan)  FIPS: 13037                 - pop.5,573               
             
                   Stewart County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lumpkin)  FIPS: 13259                 - pop.5,314               
             
                   Warren County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Warrenton)  FIPS: 13301                 - pop.5,215               
             
                   Schley County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ellaville)  FIPS: 13249                 - pop.4,547               
             
                   Echols County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Statenville)  FIPS: 13101                 - pop.3,697               
             
                   Glascock County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Gibson)  FIPS: 13125                 - pop.2,884               
             
                   Baker County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Newton)  FIPS: 13007                 - pop.2,876               
             
                   Clay County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fort Gaines)  FIPS: 13061                 - pop.2,848               
             
                   Webster County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Preston)  FIPS: 13307                 - pop.2,348               
             
                   Quitman County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Georgetown)  FIPS: 13239                 - pop.2,235               
             
                   Taliaferro County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Crawfordville)  FIPS: 13265                 - pop.1,559

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Georgia Wage & Hour Resources

Minimum Wage In Georgia

Workers in Georgia are entitled to the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, because it's higher than the state's minimum wage ($5.15 an hour).

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Wage & Hour Law Minimum Wage ▼

What Is the Minimum Wage in Georgia?

What Is the Minimum Wage in Georgia?

Workers in Georgia are entitled to the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, because it's higher than the state's minimum wage ($5.15 an hour).

The minimum wage is the least you can be paid per hour, by law. You are entitled to earn at least the highest minimum wage that applies to you, whether the standard is federal, state, or local. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25. If your city or state has passed a law setting a higher minimum wage, your employer must pay you at least that higher amount per hour; it cannot pay you the lower federal minimum wage instead.

The minimum wage represents gross earnings: earnings before deductions, such as tax withholding, are taken. Your actual take-home pay may be less than the minimum wage.
Who Earns Overtime in Georgia?
Who Earns Overtime in Georgia?
You qualify for overtime pay if:
- you are paid by the hour
- you are not exempt (for example, because you hold a “white collar” job), and
- you work over 40 hours in a workweek (or 8 hours in a workday in some states).
If you are eligible for overtime, you are entitled to 1-1/2 times your regular hourly rate for each overtime hour worked. Check the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division for the overtime standards in Georgia.

For more information about overtime eligibility, see Am I Entitled to Overtime Pay in Georgia?
How Do I Calculate My Hourly Wage?

How Do I Calculate My Hourly Wage?

To calculate your hourly wage, take the total amount you are paid (whether by the hour, as a salary, by piece rate, or on commission) in a pay period, such as one workweek. Divide that total amount by the total number of regular time (not overtime) hours you worked to earn that money. Be sure to count every hour you worked, including time spent working from home (if allowed by your employer) and any break time for which you should be paid, including breaks that lasted 20 minutes or less and breaks during which you had to work. The hourly rate that you come up with must be at least the minimum wage in Georgia.

For more information about your pay rights, see What Are My Rights to Pay for Work in Georgia?
What Is a Tip Credit?

What Is a Tip Credit?

A tip credit is the amount of tips you earn that your employer can count towards its obligation to pay you the minimum wage.

An employer that is allowed to take a tip credit can pay you less than the regular minimum wage, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your hourly compensation up to at least the minimum wage. Under federal law, for example, the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but employers may pay tipped employees as little as $2.13 an hour, as long as the employee earns at least the rest in tips. An employer taking advantage of this lower minimum wage is taking a tip credit of $5.12 an hour.

Not all states allow employers to take a tip credit. Some states that allow a tip credit set the minimum tipped wage amount at $2.13 an hour, like federal law; others have established a higher tipped minimum wage.
In Georgia, your employer may pay you a minimum wage of $2.13 an hour, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your total hourly pay up to the full minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. If you don’t earn enough in tips to bring your compensation to the full minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference.
Are Tip Pools Legal?
Are Tip Pools Legal?
Does your employer require you to pool tips? Tip pooling, sometimes called tip sharing or tipping out, is a common practice in establishments where only some employees receive tips directly from customers, especially restaurants.

In a tip pool, tipped employees put a certain amount or percentage of their tips into a pot, which is then shared among a group of employees. Whether a tip pool is legal depends on who shares in the pool, among other things.

The general rule is that tips belong to the employee who received them. However, employees can be required to pay part of their tips into a tip sharing arrangement, as long as it meets these legal requirements:
- The employer may not share in the tip pool. This includes managers and supervisors. If managers and supervisors receive their own tips for services they directly and solely provide to customers, they may contribute a portion of those tips to the tip pool, but they may not take any money from the pool.
- If the employer takes a tip credit, then only employees who regularly and customarily receive tips may share in the tip pool. For example, wait staff, bussers, and bartenders may be part of the tip pool, but "back of the house" employees -- like cooks and dishwashers -- may not. (Employers that don't take a tip credit may allow back of the house employees to take a share of the tip pool, but only if state law allows it.)
- Only the amount of tips an employee actually takes home counts towards any employer tip credit. In other words, if an employee has to share tips, the employee's hourly wage includes only what the employee got back from the tip pool, not what the employee had to put into the pot.
Am I Entitled to Breaks?

Am I Entitled to Breaks?

Believe it or not, employers in many states have no legal obligation to give their employees any breaks during the work day. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require employers to provide any breaks, and many states follow the same rule. Other states require employers to provide rest breaks, meal breaks, or both.

A small number of states require employers to provide paid rest breaks during the work day.
Georgia law does not require employers to offer meal breaks. If your employer chooses to give employees meal breaks, you are not entitled to be paid for that time as long as your break lasts for more than 20 minutes and you don’t have to do any work during your break.
Georgia law does not require employers to provide rest breaks. If your employer chooses to let employees take rest breaks, it must pay you for breaks that last for 20 minutes or less.
How Can I Enforce My Wage and Hour Rights?
How Can I Enforce My Wage and Hour Rights?
If your employer hasn't paid you overtime, hasn't given you legally required breaks, didn't give you a final paycheck, or has otherwise not paid you everything you are owed, you should take steps to assert your rights. There are three things you can do:
- Complain within your company. Use your company's internal complaint process to raise your concerns. Ask the company to investigate and make the situation right. The law protects you from employer retaliation for asserting your wage and hour rights.
- File a wage claim. If your company doesn't resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, find out whether your state has an administrative wage claim procedure. In most states, you can file a claim with the state agency that enforces wage and hour laws. Your claim may be investigated, settled, or sent to an administrative hearing, where you can present evidence that you were not paid properly. It's a good idea to talk to an employment lawyer if you are considering filing a wage claim. A lawyer can help you word the complaint properly, present your best evidence persuasively, and reach the best possible outcome -- all while preserving your arguments for court, if things don't work out.
- File a lawsuit. If other avenues don't work, you can sue your employer in state or federal court for wage theft. At this point, you will definitely need legal representation to persuade a judge or jury to enter a judgment in your favor.
What Is a Wage Claim?

What Is a Wage Claim?

A wage claim is an administrative complaint you can make against your employer with your state department of labor. Most states have created a process for employees to file a wage claim with a government agency, so they can get their claims adjudicated and get the money they are owed, in less time and for less money than it would cost to file a lawsuit.

Not every state has a wage claim procedure, however.

Check the website of the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division to learn more.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Overtime or Wage Case?

Do I Need a Lawyer for My Overtime or Wage Case?

In most cases, it makes sense to hire a lawyer to pursue your overtime or unpaid wage claim. This doesn’t mean you should hire a lawyer at the first sign of trouble, however. If you believe your employer hasn’t paid you fairly, start by raising the issue within your company. Ask your manager or your human resource representative about the problem, or file a complaint using your company’s internal complaint process. It is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you for making a wage and hour complaint, whether you make it within your company or to an outside agency or court.

If your company does nothing to address your concerns – or breaks the law by firing or disciplining you for asserting your rights – then it’s time to talk to a lawyer. At this point, your options are to negotiate a settlement of your claims with your employer, file a wage claim against your employer with your state’s labor department (if your state has this type of procedure), or file a lawsuit. Having a lawyer will greatly boost your chances of success in any of these endeavors. And, because most lawyers work on a contingency fee basis in these types of cases, you won’t have to pay the lawyer unless you win. Learn more about finding a wage and hour lawyer.
How Do Wage and Hour Lawyers Charge?

How Do Wage and Hour Lawyers Charge?

Most lawyers that represent employees charge a contingency fee. This means the lawyer gets paid only if the client wins, and only out of the money the client receives as a settlement or court award. When you meet with a lawyer, ask how the lawyer charges, including what percentage he or she will take as a contingency fee.

You will most likely have to pay the costs of litigation, including court fees, transcription costs, copying costs, and so on. Some attorneys will advance these costs for you, paying them out of pocket until the end of the case. If you win, you can use your award to pay the costs.
What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?

What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?

A class action lawsuit is a court case brought on behalf of a group of employees who have similar legal claims against their employer. In a class action case, one lawsuit decides the rights of all employees who are members of the class.

It’s not uncommon for overtime and unpaid wage cases to be brought as class action lawsuits, if the employer applied an illegal policy to a group of employees. For example, if a retail employer required all employees to arrive at 8:30 a.m., spend half an hour cleaning the store and restocking shelves, and then clock in (and start to get paid) at 9 a.m., an attorney might bring a class action lawsuit on behalf of all employees who were subjected to this policy.

Many wage and hour cases involve relatively small dollar amounts. Although every dollar you aren’t paid is undoubtedly very important to you, the overall value of your case might not be high enough to interest an attorney in representing you. When a number of employees combine in one lawsuit, the attorney can bring all of your claims at the same time and earn a higher fee.