Tipped Minimum Wage in Burien (2026)
Burien pays tipped workers some of the highest wages on the West Coast in 2026 — $21.78 an hour at large employers, $20.78 at medium ones, $19.28 at the smallest — and every dollar of it is cash before a single tip counts. Washington State banned the tip credit decades ago, so Burien servers never live on a $2.13 base. Here is how the three tiers work, what they beat, and what to check on every paycheck.
By the TippedPay editorial team · Updated $1
Key numbers at a glance
| Rule | Federal | Washington State (2026) | Burien (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full minimum wage | $7.25 | $17.13 | $21.78 large / $20.78 medium / $19.28 small |
| Tipped cash wage | $2.13 | $17.13 — no tip credit | Full tier rate — no tip credit |
| Maximum tip credit | $5.12 | None allowed | None allowed |
| Top-up when tips fall short | Required every workweek | Not applicable — full wage in cash | Not applicable — full wage in cash |
How Burien tipped pay works
Burien is one of eight Washington jurisdictions — alongside Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Everett, Bellingham and unincorporated King County — that set a local minimum wage above the state floor, per the Washington L&I local rates list. For 2026 the city's rate runs in three tiers by employer size: $21.78 an hour for large employers with 501 or more employees, $20.78 for medium employers with 16 to 500, and $19.28 for small employers with 15 or fewer. Every tier clears the statewide minimum of $17.13, which itself rose 2.8 percent from $16.66 at the start of 2026. How a jurisdiction counts employees toward a tier can vary, so verify which tier your employer falls into with the city and L&I.
The mechanics are the simplest in the country because Washington law does not permit a tip credit. Whatever tier applies, the employer pays that full rate in cash for every hour worked inside Burien city limits, and 100 percent of your tips land on top. There is no weekly top-up calculation, because tips were never counted toward the wage. A 40-hour week at the large-employer rate makes it concrete: 40 × $21.78 = $871.20 in guaranteed wages whether the dining room is slammed or empty. At the medium tier the same week is $831.20, and at the small tier $771.20 — all cash, all on the paycheck. Add $500 in tips to the large-tier week and your total is $1,371.20, an effective $34.28 an hour. Run your own hours and tips through the server paycheck calculator to see your effective rate.
The comparison is the story. The same shift worked in most of the country rides on a $2.13 federal cash wage, and even elsewhere in Washington it rides on the $17.13 state minimum. Burien's tiers clear both — the numbers line up like this:
Burien vs. Washington vs. the federal rule
| Rule | Federal | Washington State (2026) | Burien (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full minimum wage | $7.25 | $17.13 | $21.78 large / $20.78 medium / $19.28 small |
| Tipped cash wage | $2.13 | $17.13 — no tip credit | Full tier rate — no tip credit |
| Maximum tip credit | $5.12 | None allowed | None allowed |
| Top-up when tips fall short | Required every workweek | Not applicable — full wage in cash | Not applicable — full wage in cash |
| Overtime basis | Full minimum — OT cash rate ≈ $5.76 | Full minimum — OT $25.70 | OT $32.67 large / $31.17 medium / $28.92 small |
| Tip pools | Employees only, never managers | Employees only, never managers | Employees only, never managers |
Every dollar figure in Burien's column is guaranteed cash. Where a Kentucky server's floor on a 30-hour week is $217.50 — often mostly tips — a Burien server's is $579.60 at the small tier and $653.40 at the large tier, all of it on the paycheck. Tips change your total, never your floor.
What Burien servers should watch
City limits are the line. The Burien rate attaches to hours worked inside the city, not to where your employer is based or where you were hired. An employer with rooms in Burien and Seattle owes the applicable Burien tier for Burien hours and Seattle's $21.30 for Seattle hours; hours in a city without a local ordinance fall to the $17.13 state rate. If your schedule hops the city line, your pay stubs should show the split — check how your hours were coded against the L&I local rates list.
Overtime at 1.5 times your tier. With no tip credit there is no lawful shortcut: overtime is 1.5 × $21.78 = $32.67 an hour in cash at the large tier ($31.17 medium, $28.92 small), plus tips. An employer cannot recharacterize tips to discount the base. Price a double with the overtime calculator before you volunteer for one.
Service charges are not tips. Washington law (RCW 49.46.160) treats an automatic service charge — banquets, large parties, delivery fees — as the house's money unless the receipt or policy says otherwise, and it requires disclosure of what share reaches employees. Read the receipt language before counting that 20 percent line; the fuller rules are in our service charge explainer.
The January re-set. Washington's state rate re-announces each fall, effective January 1, and Burien's tiers move with their own schedule — confirm the current figures before you compare offers. Neighbors move too: Seattle sits at $21.30 for every employer, Tukwila at $21.65, SeaTac's airport-and-hospitality rate at $20.74, and Renton between $20.57 and $21.57, per L&I. Compare them all on our city minimum wage hub.
Your real number. A $21.78 base with $25 an hour in tips is a $46.78-an-hour job — one of the best floor-plus-tips combinations in the country. Compute effective hourly (wages plus kept tips, divided by hours) before comparing offers, and read the tip-out rules so support-staff deductions are netted honestly. The statewide background is in our Washington state breakdown.
FAQ
What is the tipped minimum wage in Burien in 2026?
Between $19.28 and $21.78 an hour depending on employer size: $21.78 for large employers with 501 or more employees, $20.78 for medium employers with 16 to 500, and $19.28 for small employers with 15 or fewer, per Washington L&I. All of it is cash — tips go on top.
Can a Burien employer count my tips toward my hourly wage?
No. Washington state law does not allow a tip credit. The employer must pay the full applicable minimum in cash; every tip you receive is on top of it.
Does Burien have one minimum wage rate for all employers?
No. Burien uses three tiers by employer size. In 2026 large employers (501+) pay $21.78, medium employers (16-500) pay $20.78, and small employers (15 or fewer) pay $19.28 per hour.
How is overtime calculated for Burien tipped workers?
At 1.5 times the full local rate in cash — $32.67 an hour at the large-employer rate of $21.78 — plus your tips. There is no tip credit, so there is no discounted overtime rate.
What if I work partly in Burien and partly in Seattle or another city?
The Burien rate covers hours worked inside Burien city limits. Seattle hours must be paid at Seattle's $21.30, and hours elsewhere in Washington at the statewide $17.13 unless that city sets its own rate. Track where the hours happen.
Are service charges the same as tips in Burien?
No. Under Washington law an automatic service charge is not a tip, and employers must disclose what portion of it goes to employees. Check the receipt language before counting on it.