§ 32–1003(Perm). Requirements.

(a)(1) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, as of January 1, 2005, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be $6.60 an hour, or the minimum wage set by the United States government pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. § 206 et seq.) ("Fair Labor Standards Act"), plus $1, whichever is greater.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, as of January 1, 2006, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be $7 an hour, or the minimum wage set by the United States government pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, plus $1, whichever is greater.

(3) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, as of July 1, 2014, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be $9.50 an hour, or the minimum wage set by the United States government pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, plus $1, whichever is greater.

(4) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, as of July 1, 2015, the minimum wage required to be paid to any employee by any employer in the District of Columbia shall be $10.50 an hour, or the minimum wage set by the United States government pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, plus $1, whichever is greater.

(5)(A) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section and subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, the minimum hourly wage required to be paid to an employee by an employer shall be as of:

(i) July 1, 2016: $11.50;

(ii) July 1, 2017: $12.50;

(iii) July 1, 2018: $13.25;

(iv) July 1, 2019: $14.00; and

(v) July 1, 2020: $15.00.

(B) If the minimum wage set by the United States government pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act ("U.S. minimum wage") is greater than the minimum hourly wage currently being paid pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, the minimum hourly wage paid to an employee by an employer shall be the U.S. minimum wage plus $1.

(6)(A) Except as provided in subsection (h) of this section, beginning on July 1, 2021, and no later than July 1 of each successive year, the minimum wage provided in this subsection shall be increased in proportion to the annual average increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor for the previous calendar year. Any increase under this paragraph shall be adjusted to the nearest multiple of $.05.

(B) Repealed.

(b) A person shall be employed in the District of Columbia when:

(1) The person regularly spends more than 50% of their working time in the District of Columbia; or

(2) The person's employment is based in the District of Columbia and the person regularly spends a substantial amount of their working time in the District of Columbia and not more than 50% of their working time in any particular state.

(c) No employer shall employ any employee for a workweek that is longer than 40 hours, unless the employee receives compensation for employment in excess of 40 hours at a rate not less than 1 1/2 times the regular rate at which the employee is employed.

(d) All workers with disabilities shall be paid at a rate not less than the minimum wage, except in those instances where a certificate has been issued by the United States Department of Labor that authorizes the payment of less to workers with disabilities under § 214(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act [29 U.S.C. § 214(c)].

(e) No employer shall be deemed to have violated subsection (c) of this section if the employee works for a retail or service establishment and:

(1) The regular rate of pay of the employee is in excess of 11/2 times the minimum hourly rate applicable to the employee under this subchapter; and

(2) More than 1/2 of the employee's compensation for a representative period (not less than 1 month) represents commissions on goods or services.

(f)(1) For purposes of this subsection, the term "tipped minimum wage" shall mean the minimum hourly wage required to be paid by an employer to an employee who receives tips.

(2) As of July 1, 2021, the "tipped minimum wage" shall be $5.05 an hour with tips on top; provided , that the employee actually receives tips in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section. This tipped minimum wage will increase on July 1, 2022 in proportion to the annual average increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor for the previous calendar year. Any increase under this paragraph shall be adjusted to the nearest multiple of $.05.

(3) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of January 1, 2023, the tipped minimum wage shall be not less than $6.00 an hour with tips on top; provided, that the employee actually receives tips in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.

(4) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2023, the tipped minimum wage shall be not less than $8.00 an hour, with tips on top; provided, that the employee actually receives tips in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.

(5) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2024, the tipped minimum wage shall be not less than $10.00 an hour, with tips on top; provided, that the employee actually receives tips in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.

(6) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2025, the tipped minimum wage shall be not less than $12.00 an hour, with tips on top; provided, that the employee actually receives tips in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.

(7) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2026, the tipped minimum wage shall be not less than $14.00 an hour, with tips on top; provided, that the employee actually receives tips in an amount at least equal to the difference between the hourly wage paid and the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section.

(8) Except as provided in subsections (h) and (i) of this section, as of July 1, 2027, the tipped minimum wage shall be not less than the minimum wage as set by subsection (a) of this section, with tips on top.

(f-1) The Mayor shall publish in the District of Columbia Register, on the Department of Employment Services website, and make available to employers in a bulletin, the adjusted minimum hourly wage to be paid by an employer to an employee pursuant to subsections (a)(5) and (6) and (f) of this section at least 30 days before an increase is scheduled to go into effect.

(g) Subsection (f) of this section shall not apply to an employee who receives gratuities, unless:

(1) The employer has provided the employee with notice of the following, included in the notice furnished pursuant to § 32-1008(c):

(A) The provisions of subsection (f) of this section;

(B) If tips are not shared, that the tipped employee shall retain all tips received;

(D) The percentage by which tips paid via credit card will be reduced by credit card fees;

(2) If the employer uses tip sharing, the employer has posted the tip-sharing policy; and

(3) All gratuities received by the employee have been retained by the employee, except that this provision shall not be construed to prohibit the sharing of gratuities among employees who customarily receive gratuities.

(h) Beginning on July 1, 2019, and no later than July 1 of each successive year, an employer shall pay a security officer working in an office building in the District of Columbia wages, or any combination of wages and benefits, that are not less than the combined amount of the minimum wage and fringe benefit rate in effect on September 1 of the immediately preceding year for the guard 1 classification established by the United States Secretary of Labor pursuant to Chapter 67 of Title 41 of the United States Code (41 U.S.C. § 6701 et seq.), as amended.

(i) The provisions of subsection (f)(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), and (7) of this section shall not apply to employees of the District of Columbia, or to employees employed to perform services provided under contracts with the District of Columbia. Those employees shall continue to be subject to the minimum wage requirements of this subchapter as they existed before the February 23, 2023, and to the requirements of all other applicable laws, regulations, or policies relating to wages or benefits, including subchapter X-A of Chapter 2 of Title 2.