The minimum wage in Boise, Idaho is $7.25 per hour. That rate comes from Idaho Code § 44-1502, which sets the statewide floor at the federal minimum and bars any city or county, including Boise and Ada County, from passing a higher local rate.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 44-1502 – Minimum Wages The $7.25 figure has been in effect since July 24, 2009, and because Idaho’s rate tracks the federal one, it will only move if Congress raises the federal minimum.
Who Isn’t Covered by the $7.25 Rate
Several categories of workers are excluded from Idaho’s minimum wage under Idaho Code § 44-1504:
- Executive, administrative, and professional employees who meet the duties test and earn at least $684 per week (roughly $35,568 per year)2U.S. Department of Labor. Earnings Thresholds for the Executive, Administrative, and Professional Exemption
- Outside salespersons whose primary duties involve making sales away from the employer’s premises
- Domestic service workers
- Seasonal employees of nonprofit camps
- Children under 16 working no more than four hours a day with any single employer
- Certain agricultural workers, including family members of the farm employer and some piece-rate harvest laborers
The salaried white-collar exemption is the one most Boise workers run into. Clearing the salary threshold alone isn’t enough. The actual job duties also have to meet the executive, administrative, or professional test, and a misclassified salaried employee is still entitled to minimum wage and overtime.
Tipped Workers
Employees who regularly receive more than $30 per month in tips, such as servers, bartenders, and valets, can be paid a lower base cash wage of $3.35 per hour in Idaho.3Idaho Department of Labor. Frequently Asked Questions on Labor Laws That base is higher than the $2.13 federal tipped minimum.4U.S. Department of Labor. Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees Tips are supposed to bring total pay to at least $7.25 per hour. When they don’t, the employer must cover the shortfall for that pay period. The obligation is on the employer, not the worker.
Tip pools affect how the math is done. Idaho treats only the tips an employee actually keeps as tips received for minimum wage purposes, so the tip credit has to be calculated on the post-pool share, not the gross.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 44-1502 – Minimum Wages Federal law also prohibits managers and supervisors from keeping any part of other employees’ tips, whether through a pool, a tip jar, or any other arrangement.5U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 15B – Managers and Supervisors Under the FLSA and Tips
Workers Under 20
Employers can pay a training wage of $4.25 per hour to new employees under 20, but only for the first 90 consecutive calendar days with that specific employer.3Idaho Department of Labor. Frequently Asked Questions on Labor Laws After day 90, or when the worker turns 20, pay has to rise to the full $7.25. Idaho also prohibits employers from cutting an existing worker’s hours, wages, or benefits in order to bring in a younger hire at the training rate.1Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 44-1502 – Minimum Wages
Overtime on Top of the Hourly Rate
Idaho has no separate overtime law and follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Non-exempt employees are entitled to one and one-half times their regular rate for every hour over 40 in a single workweek.3Idaho Department of Labor. Frequently Asked Questions on Labor Laws At the $7.25 minimum, that’s at least $10.88 per overtime hour.
Only actual hours worked count toward the 40-hour threshold. Paid holidays, vacation, and sick time don’t push you into overtime unless your employer’s policy says they do. The same executive, administrative, and professional exemptions that apply to minimum wage also apply here, so a properly classified salaried employee gets no premium for extra hours.6U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 23 – Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA
If You’ve Been Underpaid
You have three options if a Boise employer has paid you below the minimum: file a wage claim with the Idaho Department of Labor, sue in small claims court, or hire an attorney.7Idaho Department of Labor. Wage and Hour Claims They’re alternatives. Once you file with the Department of Labor, that administrative process becomes your exclusive remedy for the same claim.
The department takes claims through its online portal, and the filing takes about 30 minutes. Have your contact details, your employer’s name and address, a description of the pay problem, and any pay stubs or time records ready.8Idaho Department of Labor. Complaints – Unpaid Wages A compliance officer will contact the employer and review payroll records. Penalties against the employer are only assessed when the department finds the wages were withheld willfully, arbitrarily, and without just cause.9Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 45-617 – Administrative Proceedings for Wage Claims If the department requests more information from you, respond within 30 days or your claim can be dismissed.
Deadlines
Idaho uses two filing windows. If none of the wages were paid, you have two years from the date the wages were due. If you were paid something and are seeking the remainder, penalties, or liquidated damages, the window shrinks to one year. Under the federal FLSA, the deadline is two years, or three years if the violation was willful.
Is the Rate Going to Change
House Bill 485, introduced in the 2025 Idaho legislative session, proposed stepping the minimum wage up to $12.00, then $15.00, and eventually $17.00. As of early 2026 it has not been enacted, and the $7.25 rate remains in force. Even if the bill passed, it would apply statewide. Boise cannot set a higher local rate on its own, because state law reserves that authority to the legislature.