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HB1 • 2026

Minimum wage; increases incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2028.

An Act to amend and reenact § 40.1-28.10 of the Code of Virginia, relating to minimum wage.

Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Ward
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide information about how the bill will affect small businesses or employment rates in Virginia.

Increasing Minimum Wage to $15 per Hour

This act increases Virginia's minimum wage incrementally, reaching $15 per hour by January 1, 2028.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the state minimum wage to $12.77 per hour effective January 1, 2026.
  • Raises the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour by January 1, 2027.
  • Sets the minimum wage at $15 per hour starting January 1, 2028.
  • Adjusts the state's minimum wage annually after 2029 based on changes in the consumer price index.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Employers who must pay their employees a higher hourly rate as specified by the bill.
  • Employees who will receive increased wages according to the new schedule.

Terms To Know

Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
A measure of inflation that tracks changes in prices for goods and services purchased by urban consumers, used here to adjust minimum wage annually.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the federal minimum wage is higher than Virginia's state minimum wage.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect small businesses or employment rates in Virginia.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 350 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-08 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0350)

  3. 2026-03-14 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026

  4. 2026-03-14 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  5. 2026-03-12 House

    Signed by Speaker

  6. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Signed by President

  7. 2026-03-11 House

    Enrolled

  8. 2026-03-11 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1ER)

  9. 2026-03-11 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1)

  10. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Read third time

  11. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Read third time

  12. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-03-03 Finance and Appropriations

    Reported from Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 5-N)

  14. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Rules suspended

  15. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  16. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  17. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  18. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  19. 2026-02-23 Commerce and Labor

    Reported from Commerce and Labor and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 5-N)

  20. 2026-02-04 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  21. 2026-02-04 Commerce and Labor

    Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor

  22. 2026-02-03 House

    Read third time and passed House (64-Y 34-N 0-A)

  23. 2026-02-02 House

    Read second time and engrossed

  24. 2026-01-30 House

    Read first time

  25. 2026-01-28 Appropriations

    Reported from Appropriations (15-Y 7-N)

  26. 2026-01-23 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1)

  27. 2026-01-20 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1)

  28. 2026-01-20 Labor and Commerce

    Reported from Labor and Commerce and referred to Appropriations (15-Y 7-N)

  29. 2025-11-17 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101997D

  30. 2025-11-17 Labor and Commerce

    Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

Official Summary Text

Minimum wage.
Increases the minimum wage incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2028. The bill codifies the adjusted state hourly minimum wage of $12.77 per hour that is effective January 1, 2026, and increases the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour effective January 1, 2027, and to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2028. Effective January 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, the bill requires the minimum wage to be adjusted to reflect increases in the consumer price index. This bill is identical to SB 1.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
An Act to amend and reenact §
40.1-28.10
of the Code of Virginia, relating to minimum wage.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
40.1-28.10
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
40.1-28.10
. Minimum wages.
A. 1. Prior to May 1, 2021, every employer shall pay to each of its employees wages at a rate not less than the federal minimum wage.
2. Beginning May 1, 2021, every employer shall pay to each of his employees at a rate not less than the federal minimum wage or 75 percent of the Virginia minimum wage provided for in this section, whichever is greater. For the purposes of this subdivision "employee" means any person or individual who is enrolled in an established employer on-the-job or other training program for a period not to exceed 90 days which meets standards set by regulations adopted by the Commissioner.
B. From
May 1, 2021
January 1, 2026
, until January 1,
2022
2027
, every employer shall pay to each of its employees wages at a rate not less than the greater of (i)
$9.50
$12.77
per hour or (ii) the federal minimum wage.
C. From January 1,
2022
2027
, until January 1,
2023
2028
, every employer shall pay to each of its employees wages at a rate not less than the greater of (i)
$11.00
$13.75
per hour or (ii) the federal minimum wage.
D. From January 1,
2023
2028
, until January 1,
2025
2029
, every employer shall pay to each of its employees wages at a rate not less than the greater of (i)
$12.00
$15.00
per hour or (ii) the federal minimum wage.
E. From and after January 1,
2025
2029
, every employer shall pay to each of his employees wages at a rate not less than the greater of (i) the adjusted state hourly minimum wage or (ii) the federal minimum wage.
F. By October 1,
2024
2028
, and annually thereafter, the Commissioner shall establish the adjusted state hourly minimum wage that shall be in effect during the 12-month period commencing on the following January 1. The Commissioner shall set the adjusted state hourly minimum wage at the sum of (i) the amount of the state hourly minimum wage rate that is in effect on the date such adjustment is made and (ii) a percentage of the amount described in clause (i) that is equal to the percentage by which the United States Average Consumer Price Index for all items, all urban consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, or a successor index as calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, has increased during the most recent calendar year for which such information is available. The amount of each annual adjustment shall not be less than zero.