Trainee wage rate: 6 published figures for a new helper

For most jobs, a trainee wage rate depends on three things: where the work happens, the helper's age, and any formal training arrangement. Answer all three before you put a figure into a quote, and write the answers down. If a customer or an inspector later asks how you priced a job, those notes show your work.

• Record the state and city of the job, plus the helper's age and start date, before you price it.
• Use a learner rate only when a learner certificate, confirmed in writing, covers the helper.
• Check the official page for each rate's start date before you send a quote.
• Price hours before and after a rate change separately.

Some words first. A minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay the law allows for most workers. A training wage is a lower rate for a short, set period, such as the one Minnesota publishes for younger workers. A learner certificate is a permit that lets an employer pay certain learners less than the normal minimum.

Three of the six figures come from official state pages; the three federal ones come from a Cornell copy of the federal rules. Each one applies to the place and date its page names. Rates change on set dates, so open the official page for your own state before you rely on any of them. This is practical guidance for a shop owner, not legal advice.

Several rules can apply to one job at the same time. Federal law sets a floor for most US workers. A state can set its own rate. A city or county can set a rate too. Some public jobs use a published wage table for the trade and the place.

So the first job is to list every rule that could apply to the work, then check which of them apply to the actual job. Do not stop at the first number you find. A number that is correct for one state can be wrong for the job next door.

Official rate pages are long, so look for four things. First, the date the rate starts. Second, the words "all employers," which tell you the rate covers everyone in that place. Third, any group the page singles out, such as workers under a certain age. Fourth, any note that a rule works differently for a certain kind of job. Write each of these down next to the figure you use. A figure without its start date is not a usable figure.

Federal labor law sets a minimum wage for most US workers. The law text on the Cornell Legal Information Institute site sets the rate at $7.25 an hour .

Think of $7.25 as the federal floor. For most workers it is the lowest line you may pay, not a target to aim at, and a learner with a certificate may be paid less, as covered below. It is the starting point for your check, not the whole check. Most of the other figures in this post are above it. California's rate is $16.90 an hour, and Minnesota's general rate from January 1, 2027 is $11.87 an hour. So never price a helper off the federal number alone. Start with the rate for the place where the job happens.

Federal law lets some learners be paid less than the minimum, but only under a learner certificate. The learner rules say a learner certificate has to spell out the lower wage rate, and they set limits on how long it can last. You can read the rules on the Cornell copy of the federal rules .

Treat the learner rule as a narrow exception, not a normal pay scale. It covers learners under a formal certificate, so the paperwork has to match the person doing the work. If the helper you hire is not covered by a certificate, the learner rule does not help you, no matter how new they are.

Figure 2 is the lowest that learner rate may go. The rule says the wage must be "not less than 95 percent of the applicable minimum wage." In plain words, a learner can be paid less than the full minimum, but never less than 95 percent of it. The lower rate is not a discount you can choose on your own. It only exists if the certificate says so.

Figure 3 is the time limit. The learning period is the stretch of time the lower rate is allowed to last. The rule sets it at no more than 240 hours. It is a short window, not a permanent rate for a helper. After that window ends, the normal minimum applies again.

Do not assume a new helper qualifies. Ask for the certificate in writing before you use the lower rate. If you cannot get one, price the helper at the normal rate. Paying a learner rate without a certificate is one of the costliest mistakes on this list, because the saving disappears the moment someone checks the paperwork.

Minnesota gives two numbers that matter for a new helper. The state labor agency's notice says the changes start on January 1, 2027. You can read the notice on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry site .

Figure 4 is the general rate. The notice says the rate goes to "$11.87 an hour for all employers in the state." If the helper is an adult, or does not fit the training rule below, start from this number.

Figure 5 is the training wage. The same notice says: "The 90-day training wage for workers under age 20 will increase to $9.68." In plain words, a worker under 20 can be paid a training rate during a 90-day period, and the state says that rate becomes $9.68 an hour in 2027.

Before you use the training wage, check the state's full rules for any conditions that apply. The notice names workers under 20, so a helper who is 20 or older does not qualify. If the helper turns 20 during the training period, check the rules before you assume the training rate still applies. Keep a note of the helper's start date so you can count the 90 days.

Dates matter. Both Minnesota figures take effect on January 1, 2027. A job that runs across that day may need two different rates. Price the hours before that day and the hours after it separately. Do not use a 2027 figure for work done before the rate takes effect.

Tell the helper in writing which rate applies to them and when it changes. Write down the start date of the training period, and the date the general rate begins if the helper keeps working past those 90 days. A helper who knows the rules is less likely to question the pay later, and you have a record to show if they do.

California's labor agency says: "Effective January 1, 2026, the minimum wage is $16.90 per hour for all employers," according to its minimum wage questions and answers page .

For a shop in California, $16.90 an hour is the number to start from for a helper in 2026. Do not assume a learner or training rule lowers that number unless you have checked the rule that applies in your state. Also ask whether your city or your trade has its own higher rate. Many shop owners only look at the state number and miss the local one.

Some government-funded jobs use a separate wage table called a prevailing wage. Oregon's labor agency says that "Prevailing wage rates differ by occupation and region." In plain words, the pay for a helper on a public job may be set by the trade and the place, not by your normal hourly rate or the state minimum. You can read Oregon's version on the Oregon labor agency's prevailing wage rates page .

Before you quote a public job, find the wage table for that job and read it. Do not rely on memory or on last year's sheet. If you cannot find the table, ask the agency that publishes it which rate applies. Other states publish their own tables, so check the one for the state where the job is.

The hourly wage is what you agree to pay the helper. It is not everything you spend on that helper. When you price a helper for a quote, add the extra costs of employing them:

• Payroll taxes, the taxes you pay on each paycheck
• Workers' compensation insurance, which covers injuries on the job
• Paid time off, if you give it
• The hours a trained worker spends teaching the helper
• Slower work in the first few weeks

Get your own percentages and costs from your payroll company, insurance agent or accountant. This post does not give them because they vary from one business to another. For more inputs to a labor rate, see paid technician time . Use one set of numbers for every quote so that your prices stay comparable.

Once you have the numbers, the cost works out like this:

  
  Cost per hour = wage rate + employer extras per hour
Job cost      = cost per hour x hours the helper will work

  
  

Work through it in five steps:

1. Find the rate for the state and city where the job happens, using the dates the hours are worked.
2. Check the helper's age and whether a learner certificate covers them. If there is no certificate, do not use a lower learner rate.
3. Add your employer extras, using your own percentages.
4. Multiply the cost per hour by the hours the job needs. If paid training time is not already in those hours, add it separately.
5. Compare the result with the price you would charge for a fully trained worker on the same job. If the gap is small, the quote may not cover your costs.

A quote should state the price in a way a customer can check, without showing your private costs. Name the labor clearly, say which hours it covers, and say what is included. This line does the job:

  
  Labor: helper hours at our full hourly cost, including training time.

  
  

Do not show a customer your wage table or your learner paperwork. Keep those in the job file, where you can find them if someone asks later.

Here is how the steps look for a helper working in Minnesota. Treat it as a pattern, not a price list. Your shop's extras will differ.

• A helper under 20 starts after January 1, 2027. If the training rule applies from the first day of work, the first 90 days can be priced at $9.68 an hour. After that, price at $11.87 an hour.
• A helper aged 20 or older starts in the same period. Price at $11.87 an hour from the first day.
• In both cases, add your employer extras to the wage before you multiply by the hours.

The example shows why the helper's age and start date belong in your notes. Two helpers in the same state can need different rates on the same day.

Most wrong quotes come from a small set of errors. Watch for these:

• Using last year's rate. Minnesota's figures change on January 1, 2027, and California's figure is set for 2026. Check the date on the official page every time.
• Assuming a new helper is a learner. The lower learner rate needs a certificate in writing.
• Using the federal $7.25 in a state with a higher rate. California's figure is $16.90 an hour, and Minnesota's general rate from 2027 is $11.87 an hour.
• Applying the training wage to someone outside the age group. The Minnesota notice names workers under 20.
• Leaving out the employer extras, then finding out the job lost money after it was done.
• Pricing a job that crosses a rate change as if one rate applied to every hour.

A wrong rate does not just shave a few dollars off a quote. If an inspector or a helper finds that the rate was wrong, the shop can end up paying the difference, and the job can lose its profit. The fix is cheap at the start. Check the official page, write down the date, and keep the note with the quote.

Helpers often ask why they are paid a particular rate. A plain answer works best. Tell them the rate depends on their age and on whether a training period applies. Show them the official page that names the rate, and the date it starts. If you are not sure of the answer, say so, check the page, and reply in writing. Do not guess.

Keep this list short and use it every time:

• Write down the state and city where the job happens.
• Write down the helper's age and start date.
• Confirm in writing whether a learner certificate covers the helper, if you plan to use the learner rate.
• Check whether the job is public work with its own published wage table.
• Use the rate for the dates the hours are worked, not the date you write the quote.
• Save these notes with the quote, so you can show how you got the number.

Keep a copy of something that shows the helper's date of birth, such as an ID your payroll provider asks for, and keep the start date on file. Keep any learner certificate and any written confirmation of the training rule with the helper's records. Payroll providers and employment lawyers can tell you which records your state requires you to keep. For a wider list, see payroll record retention . Ask them before a dispute, not during one.

Each state labor agency publishes its own minimum wage page. The federal text is on the Cornell copy linked above. Use the official page, not a blog, a forum or an old printout. Check the page's date and look for a newer notice before every quote. If a number in this post no longer matches the official page, trust the official page and correct your quote.

This post does not cover overtime, tips, union contracts, or the wider rules for young workers outside the Minnesota training wage. It does not give tax or insurance advice. Whether a helper is an employee or a contractor is a separate question, covered in worker classification tests . For a large job, or if you are not sure how a rule applies to your helper, ask an accountant or an employment lawyer before you send the quote.

Open the official rate page for your state, copy its start date, and save that date with the notes for your next quote.

Can I pay a new helper less than the minimum?

Only if a learner certificate in writing covers the helper; otherwise price at the normal rate.

Is $7.25 the rate to quote?

Not if your state sets a higher rate, because $7.25 is the federal floor for most workers.

How long can a learner rate last?

The learning period is no more than 240 hours under the federal rule linked above.

Does the Minnesota training wage cover every helper?

No. The Minnesota notice names workers under 20, so a helper aged 20 or older does not qualify. Check the state's full rules for any other conditions before you use it.