Wyoming tip pooling laws & tipped minimum wage
In Wyoming, employers can pay tipped workers $2.13/hr as long as tips bring them to the $7.25 minimum — here's how that works and who can legally share your tips.
| Regular minimum wage | $7.25/hr |
| Minimum cash wage for tipped workers | $2.13/hr |
| Maximum tip credit | $5.12/hr |
| Tips belong to | Employees — always |
A tip credit lets an employer count your tips toward the minimum wage it owes you. Rates reviewed July 2026. Rates change — confirm with the Wyoming labor department. Not legal advice.
What's specific to Wyoming
Wyoming’s state minimum ($5.15) is below the federal rate, so the federal $7.25 / $2.13 structure governs nearly all tipped workers.
Wyoming’s own minimum is below federal, so the federal floor governs
Wyoming’s state minimum wage is $5.15 an hour — lower than the federal $7.25. Because federal law wins when it is higher, nearly every tipped worker in Wyoming is governed by the federal structure, not the state figure.
That means the numbers that actually apply to you are the federal ones: a $2.13 cash wage, a tip credit of up to $5.12, and a full minimum of $7.25 an hour once tips are counted. Wyoming’s $5.15 rate only reaches the narrow set of employers not covered by federal law.
If your tips do not bring you to $7.25 an hour, your employer owes the difference
The $2.13 cash wage is not permission to pay you below the minimum. In any workweek where your cash wage plus tips do not average at least $7.25 an hour, your employer must make up the shortfall in that paycheck.
Because Wyoming does not add its own tipped-wage protections on top of the federal rules, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act is what you rely on. Complaints go to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
Tip pooling in Wyoming
Wyoming follows the federal baseline: employers may require tip pooling. If your employer takes the tip credit (pays $2.13/hr cash), the pool may only include customarily tipped workers — servers, bussers, bartenders, runners, hosts. Back-of-house can only be included if everyone is paid full minimum wage with no tip credit. Managers and supervisors are always excluded.
One federal rule applies everywhere: managers and supervisors can never take from a tip pool. Separately, credit card processing fees may only be deducted from tips where state law allows it.
What this means for your tip-out
Because part of your legal wage in Wyoming comes from tips, the employer's tip credit assumes those tips reached you. Use the tip-out calculator to split a shift by your house's percentages or by hours, and see standard tip-out percentages to check whether your house's rates are typical.
Wyoming tip law FAQs
What is the tipped minimum wage in Wyoming?
Employers in Wyoming may pay tipped employees a cash wage of $2.13/hr and claim a tip credit of up to $5.12/hr toward the $7.25 minimum wage. If tips don't close the gap in a workweek, the employer must make up the difference.
Is mandatory tip pooling legal in Wyoming?
Wyoming follows the federal baseline: employers may require tip pooling. If your employer takes the tip credit (pays $2.13/hr cash), the pool may only include customarily tipped workers — servers, bussers, bartenders, runners, hosts. Back-of-house can only be included if everyone is paid full minimum wage with no tip credit. Managers and supervisors are always excluded.
Can my manager take a share of the tip pool in Wyoming?
No. Federal law prohibits managers, supervisors, and owners from keeping any portion of employee tips in every state, including Wyoming. A manager may keep only tips they directly and solely earned (e.g., a table they personally served start to finish).
Is Wyoming’s minimum wage really $5.15 an hour?
That is the state figure written into Wyoming law, but it is below the federal $7.25 and applies only to the narrow set of employers not covered by federal law. Almost every tipped worker in Wyoming is entitled to the federal $7.25 minimum, with a $2.13 cash wage and up to a $5.12 tip credit.
Who do I contact if my tips do not bring me to $7.25 an hour?
Because Wyoming relies on the federal framework for tipped pay, you would contact the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Your employer must make up any difference so your cash wage plus tips average at least $7.25 an hour.