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Ask HN: Software Engineer Minimum Wage

by poly_morphis on 12/5/24, 6:35 AM with 10 comments

I'm a salaried software engineering employed in Washington state. I make a bit under $100k. Today I learned about minimum wage laws in WA state for computing professionals that would give me a raise of $15k - $20k / yr. Question is - how do I bring it up to my employer, and is it as straightforward as it sounds here?

WAC 296-128-535 states that:

"Beginning January 1, 2022, and each following year, an amount not less than 3.5 times the minimum wage prescribed in RCW 49.46.020 per hour regardless of the size of the employer" [0]

3.5 times the current minimum wage would be $16.28 * 3.5 * 160hrs * 12 or ~109k / yr, before the minimum wage increases here again in January.

- I design, document, write, test, debug, etc. low-level software in my job (I fit the description according to the written law).

- I am compensated on a salary basis.

I'm assuming, if this were correct, my employer would also owe me back pay if this is in fact a miscalculation, of all the months since I started (I started after January 1, 2022)?

[0] https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=296-128-535

  • by andthenzen on 12/5/24, 8:50 AM

    Where did you learn this from?

    This interpretation is incorrect. The section you mention is a subsection of 296-128-500, which defines the minimum rates for certain professions to be exempt from overtime. In this case, computer professionals paid at least 3.5x the minimum wage and who are paid on an hourly basis are exempt. The level to qualify as exempt if an employee is paid on a salary basis is defined in 545.

  • by Jtsummers on 12/5/24, 5:59 PM

    > 3.5 times the current minimum wage would be $16.28 * 3.5 * 160hrs * 12 or ~109k / yr, before the minimum wage increases here again in January.

    That's low, you should estimate by total hours over the year, and not an assumption of just 4 weeks per month (you're losing 4 weeks of pay that way). The average work hours per year at 40 hours/week is 2087 (this is the number the federal government uses). Calculating your salary based on that you would get $118,917.26/year as the minimum salary.

  • by markus_zhang on 12/6/24, 5:37 PM

    I think you can negotiate the salary more efficiently if you have a second offer at hand and do want to stay in the same company.

  • by vunderba on 12/5/24, 5:34 PM

    I have never heard of minimum wage laws at the granularity of white collar occupations in the U.S. - I would double check your understanding of the documents.

  • by gregjor on 12/5/24, 6:52 AM

    I would discuss with HR. Their job to understand and comply with the laws.

  • by ddgflorida on 12/8/24, 12:44 AM

    Wishful thinking