OLYMPIA, WA — Workers making minimum wage will see a slight increase to their paychecks starting this weekend.

As of Jan. 1, 2022, Washington’s minimum wage will rise to $14.49 per hour, up from $13.69 in 2021. That’s a healthier increase than the year before — wages rose just 19 cents between 2020 and 2021 — but it’s driven by a 5.83 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries says the extra increase should help offset the rising costs of gas, housing, and food.

Some local jurisdictions will see their wages rise even higher: in Seattle the minimum wage will be boosted from $17.27 per hour. Some employees at small businesses with 500 or fewer employees, who earn at least $1.52/hour in tips and whose employers pay at least $1.52/hour in medical benefits, have a lower minimum wage of $15.75 per hour.

The City of Seatac also has a higher minimum wage, which will rise to $17.54 in the new year.

Back in 2016, the minimum wage was just $9.47 per hour, but it has risen dramatically in the years since, thanks to voters who passed Initiative 1433, which mandated the state increase the minimum wage every year until it reached $13.50 by 2020. For every year after 2020, L&I is required to adjust the minimum wage to match the increased cost of living as calculated by the Consumer Price Index — hence the 80 cent increase for 2022.

The state’s minimum wage also only applies to workers 16 and older. Under Washington state law, workers 14 and 15 can work for just 85 percent of the minimum wage, meaning they’ll make $12.32 an hour in 2022.

Several other wage protections will also go into effect starting next year. The first raises the thresholds businesses must meet to keep full-time employees from accruing overtime pay. Starting next year, salaried employees must make at least 1.75 times the minimum wage — that’s $1,014.30 a week or $52,743.60 each year — in order to be overtime exempt. L&I says this provision specifically covers white collar jobs, like those held by computer professionals, salespeople, executive, administrative, and professional workers.

Similarly, farmworkers will become eligible for overtime for the first time ever, starting in 2022. Under the new law, farmworkers who put in more than 55 hours in a work week will receive overtime for every extra hour worked. In 2o23, farmworkers will only need to work 48 hours per week to qualify for overtime, and in 2024, they’ll become eligible for any overtime over 40 hours.

Dairy workers will also receive overtime, starting at the 40-hour mark.

Finally, workers comp premium rates are also being increased 3.1 percent starting Saturday. According to L&I, the rate increase helps match rising cost-of-living expenses, while only raising the average rate per $100 of payroll 1.4 percent to $1.53. Some employers may even see their workers comp costs go down, depending on their recent claims history, the agency said.

>> Learn more about minimum wage laws from the state Department of Labor & Industries.