A round of changes impacting Washington workplaces now that 2026 has arrived include higher worker pay and several workplace safety alterations.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries year calculates new wage standards, including the minimum wage. L&I makes the calculations using the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
Changes include:
State Minimum Wage Going up
Washington’s minimum wage is now $17.13 an hour. That’s 2.8% higher than the $16.66 an hour minimum wage in 2025.
Employers may pay 85% of the minimum wage, or $14.56 an hour, to 14- and 15-year-old workers.
Local governments are allowed to set minimum wages that are higher than those of the state minimum. Areas with higher minimum wages include Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Bellingham, Everett, Burien, and unincorporated King County.
Tower Crane Safety Requirements
Prime contractors must now obtain a permit and follow manufacturers’ instructions for the operation, assembly, disassembly or reconfiguration of a tower crane. L&I will consider a prime contractor’s history of safety and health violations as part of the application process for a permit.
Information about the new crane tower requirements is on L&I’s website.
Overtime-Exempt Workers
Certain employees are exempt from rules requiring they be paid overtime if they are paid on a salary basis, perform work consistent with executive, administrative or professional duties, and are paid at, or above, a certain salary that L&I calculates.
For 2026, all employers must pay overtime-exempt workers at least 2.25 times the minimum wage. That means to be exempt an employee must be paid at least $1,541.70 a week ($80,168.40 a year).
The rate for exempt computer professionals who are paid by the hour will be 3.5 times the minimum wage, or $59.96 an hour.
Pay for Rideshare Drivers
The minimum pay rideshare drivers will earn went up on Jan. 1.
For trips within Seattle, they pay rising to 70 cents per passenger platform minute and $1.63 per passenger platform mile, or $6.12, whichever is greater.
For trips outside of Seattle, it went up to 40 cents per passenger platform minute and $1.38 per passenger platform mile, or $3.55, whichever is greater.
Non-Compete Clauses
L&I is also responsible for calculating the minimum annual salary required for a non-compete clause or employee contract to be enforceable. In 2026, the threshold for employees is $126,858.83. For independent contractors, the minimum is $317,147.09. A non-compete clause or employee contract for a worker earning less than these amounts is not enforceable.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Brown & Brown Files Suit Over Alleged Howden Poaching of 200+ Employees 
Board Calls for US Steel to Address Safety Issues as It Rebuilds Site of Fatal Explosion 
Stepbrother Suspect in Cruise Ship Death Says He Doesn’t Remember Anything 
Senators Launch Probe Into Demotech’s Ratings in Florida 
