Minimum wage workers in Massachusetts will see a $1 increase in their hourly pay beginning tomorrow, Jan. 1.
The minimum wage increase was signed into law in July 2014, after the Massachusetts Senate passed the bill in November 2013, followed by the House of Representatives in April 2014. The first increase, from $8 to $9 an hour, occurred last year. The minimum wage is set to increase again on Jan. 1, 2017, to $11 an hour.
According to Worcester Sen. Harriette Chandler’s office, the wage increase will boost the earnings of an average minimum wage worker by about $2,000 a year and reduce the percentage of Massachusetts residents living under the federal poverty level by about 3 percent.
Under the same law, the minimum wage for tipped workers will also increase from $2.63 to $3.75 per hour by 2017.
Meanwhile, an expansion of the state Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families will be effective tomorrow as well. The maximum value of the credit will increase by $500. The credit is calculated based on income and family size.
