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Thursday, Jul 23, 2026

Is the minimum wage for tipped restaurant staff in Oklahoma $2.13?

Matthew Yim, Oklahoma Watch
yes

The Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay tipped workers the federal tipped minimum of $2.13 by claiming up to $5.12 of an employee’s tips as credit towards the $7.25 minimum wage. 

The amount claimed cannot exceed the tips actually received – if an employee does not receive $5.12 in tips, the employer must pay the difference. 

The federal tipped minimum has not increased since its inception in 1991 – despite being set at half the minimum wage, a 1996 amendment to the FLSA locked it at $2.13. 

According to OK Policy, tipped workers’ exclusion from minimum wage laws is rooted in racism; recently emancipated Black people largely worked tip-reliant jobs. Women disproportionately work tipped occupations nationwide and represent 75% of such workers in Oklahoma. 

The annual median income for restaurant servers in Oklahoma was about $4,000 above the federal poverty level in 2024.

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Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation that produces in-depth and investigative journalism as a public service for the benefit of all Oklahomans. Through investigative, fact-driven journalism, we dig deep and examine significant issues facing our state. Our work engages all Oklahomans, amplifies the discussion of important issues and leads to change. We help develop the journalists and journalism of the future.

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