Nevada Minimum Wage Increases July 1, 2022

The Nevada Labor Commissioner has posted its 2022 Annual Bulletins to notify employers of increases to the minimum wage rates that take effect July 1, 2022, and the impact such increases have on overtime calculations under Nevada law.

The minimum wage will increase July 1, 2022, to $9.50 an hour for the lower tier (employees to whom qualifying health benefits have been offered/made available) and $10.50 an hour for the higher tier (employees to whom qualifying health benefits have not been offered/made available).

Under Nevada law, overtime is owed to any employee who is paid less than 1½ times the applicable minimum wage rate who works more than 8 hours in any workday or 40 hours in any workweek. Given the increase in the minimum wage, the Labor Commissioner’s Overtime Bulletin notifies employers that overtime will now be owed to an employee making less than $14.25 per hour (if the employee is offered qualified health benefits) or $15.75 per hour (if the employee is not offered qualified health benefits) if that employee works more than 8 hours in any workday or 40 hours in any workweek. (Please remember that Nevada’s wage bulletins do not affect federal overtime which is not tied to minimum wage rates; as such, overtime is owed, under federal law, to any non-exempt employee who works more than 40 hours in any workweek.) 

Pursuant to Assembly Joint Resolution 10 passed by the 2021 Legislature, Nevada’s minimum wage law will change if voters approve a constitutional amendment during the 2022 general election. If approved, the following changes would occur: 

• the two-tiered system would be removed as of July 1, 2024;
• the minimum wage would be $12.00 an hour beginning July 1, 2024;
• if the federal minimum wage is increased beyond $12.00 an hour, Nevada’s minimum wage would also increase to match the federal minimum wage; and
• the Nevada Legislature would have the power to increase the minimum wage during any legislative session.

If you have questions about Nevada’s minimum wage rates and/or overtime, please contact a KZA attorney.

KZA Employer Report articles are for general information only; they are not intended and should not be construed to be legal advice. Reading or replying to such articles does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In addition, because the subject matters and applicable laws discussed in Employer Report articles are often in a state of change and not always applicable to every type of business entity or organization, readers should consult with counsel before making decisions based on the same.