Minimum Salary for Overtime-Exempt Workers in Washington State Rocketing to $83,356 by 2028

Author: Michael Cardman, XpertHR Legal Editor

December 11, 2019

The minimum salary for most overtime-exempt employees in Washington state will increase sharply over the next eight years, hitting a projected $83,356 by 2028.

Under amended regulations adopted today by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), the minimum salary level or fee basis for executive, administrative and professional employees will increase according to the following schedule:

Date Minimum Weekly Salary Level
Small Employers
(50 or Fewer Employees)
Large Employers
(51 or More Employees)
July 1, 2020 50 × the minimum wage ($675)
January 1, 2021 60 × the minimum wage ($827) 70 × the minimum wage ($965)
January 1, 2022 70 × the minimum wage ($986)
January 1, 2023 70 × the minimum wage ($1,008) 80 × the minimum wage ($1,152)
January 1, 2024 80 × the minimum wage ($1,177)
January 1, 2025 80 × the minimum wage ($1,202) 90 × the minimum wage ($1,353)
January 1, 2026 90 × the minimum wage ($1,382)
January 1, 2027 90 × the minimum wage ($1,412) 100 × the minimum wage ($1,569)
January 1, 2028 100 × the minimum wage ($1,603)
Note: Salary projections after 2020 are based on an estimated Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers

Under the new regulations, computer employees must be compensated on a salary or fee basis at the amounts described above, or on an hourly basis at a rate as follows:

Date Minimum Hourly Rate for Computer Employees
Small Employers
(50 or Fewer Employees)
Large Employers
(51 or More Employees)
July 1, 2020 $27.63 2.75 × the minimum wage ($37.125)
January 1, 2021 2.75 × the minimum wage ($37.90) 3.5 × the minimum wage ($48.23)
January 1, 2022 3.5 × the minimum wage, regardless of employer size ($49.32)
Note: Salary projections after 2020 are based on an estimated Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers

L&I estimates 259,000 employees will be affected by the time the new regulations are fully implemented in 2028.

"We recognize how all this might impact businesses. That's why the implementation of the new state rules won't begin until next July, and they will be phased in over several years," L&I Director Joel Sacks said in a statement. "We also have an outreach plan to assist businesses with the transition."

In addition to raising the minimum salary level, the new regulations also will change the duties tests used in Washington to determine if an employee is performing exempt work. Currently, there are simplified duties tests for employees who are compensated at a higher level. Under the new regulations, there will be only one set of duties tests, which will more closely align with the federal duties tests.

The new regulations will be formally published on January 2, 2020, and take effect July 1, 2020, L&I spokesperson Tim Church told XpertHR.