2026 WA minimum wage and laws take effect

OLYwMPIA – The new year is here, and with it come changes to wages and laws in Washington.

Starting Thursday, the state minimum wage is $17.13 an hour, up from $16.66 an hour in 2025, maintaining Washington’s position as the state with the highest minimum wage in the nation. Employers may pay 14-and 15-year-old workers 85% of the minimum wage rate.

The federal minimum wage rate, which hasn’t increased since 2009, remains at $7.25 per hour.

Local governments may set their own minimum wage, sometimes based on employer size or type. Jurisdictions with their own minimum wage rates will also see increases starting Thursday, like in Seattle, where the rate is up from $20.76 to $21.30 an hour.

While most laws passed during the 2025 legislative session took effect earlier in the year, a few remaining measures will go into effect Thursday.

Lawmakers will be back in the statehouse for the legislative session beginning Jan. 12 to introduce, debate and pass new laws for 2026.

Here are some of the new laws taking effect:

Eliminating certain tax breaks

Senate Bill 5794 – This legislation was one of several ways lawmakers tried to save on cash in order to shore up the state’s budget shortfall. Certain “obsolete” tax breaks are now gone for things such as the sale of gold, silver and other precious metals.

All told, it is estimated ending the tax breaks will bring in about $50 million over the next two years.

The law also puts an end to tax preferences for a public utility tax credit and an international services tax credit for businesses.

New surcharge on businesses

House Bill 2081 – Another part of Democrats’ plan to rake in more revenue, this bill will impose an additional tax on businesses that have at least $250 million in state taxable income. The plan is expected to bring in about $550 million per year starting in 2027.

The surcharge does expire in 2029, but until then, a tax of 0.5% of a business’s annual income over $250 million is applied in addition to other business and occupation taxes on the income.

Unemployment benefits for striking workers

Senate Bill 5041 – With this new law, Washington is now one of three states that provide benefits to workers who are striking.

The law, which sunsets in 2035, provides up to six weeks of benefits for striking workers after a waiting period of up to 21 days after a strike or lockout period begins. Full wages are not paid out to workers during a strike, and amount to an approximate weekly payment of $757 in 2026, and $780 in 2027.

Closed captioning in movie theaters

Senate Bill 5486 – Movie theaters are required to provide open and closed captioning services.

Open captioning is text on video, or movie in this case, that cannot be turned off, while closed captioning can. For movies with closed captions available, theaters are required to provide closed caption technology to members of the public. Theater companies operating more than five theaters in the state are required to run a certain number of screenings during peak hours for movies with open caption capabilities within the first two weeks of the movie’s release. Smaller theater companies can follow the same guidelines or provide open caption screenings by request.

Theaters are required to advertise dates and times for open caption screenings, and must keep compliance records for a year.

Expanded leave after domestic violence, hate crime

Senate Bill 5101 – This law expands the Domestic Violence Leave Act, allowing workers to take reasonable leave when domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking occurs, to seek mental health treatment or address related matters.

The new law also entitles workers who are subjected to a hate crime or bias incident to take reasonable leave and the ability to request a reasonable safety accommodation. It also covers employees whose family members have been affected.

Employers are allowed to require verification of the incidents, but may not discriminate or retaliate against an employee.

Blood type on IDs

Senate Bill 5689 – Want to add your blood type to your identification? Now you can under this new state law that gives individuals the option to add it to a driver’s license or identification card.

Applicants must provide documentation verifying blood type, and the Department of Licensing is authorized to charge a one-time administrative fee up to $2 to process the request.

Workplace violence

House Bill 1162 – This law requires health care workplaces to conduct “timely investigations after incidents of violence. Investigations must include assessments detailing the time, date, nature of the incident and response.

Workplaces must submit summaries of these incidents to their safety or workplace violence committees, showing the findings, an analysis of the causes and any relevant recommendations.