The new year is here and with that comes an increase to the minimum wage in Virginia. Effective on January 1 the minimum wage is now up to $12.00 an hour.

The minimum wage in the state was $11.00 an hour in 2022. The new minimum wage will be in place until January 1, 2025 when it’s scheduled to go up to $13.50 an hour. Then on January 1, 2026 the minimum wage will go up to $15 an hour.

However, those future increases will have to be approved by the General Assembly, which could prove to be difficult in a divided house. Over the last 20 months the minimum wage in Virginia has jumped from $7.25 to $12.00