Brewing great beer is one thing. Running payroll correctly is another. Washington has its own set of labor laws that breweries need to track, especially with taproom staff and production crews working under one roof. Here are ten essentials to keep in mind for 2025.
1. Minimum Wage
The statewide minimum wage jumped again at the start of 2025. It now sits at $17.40 per hour. Cities like Seattle or SeaTac may have their own higher rules, so always double-check your location. If you’ve got part-timers working the bar, craft beer tastings, or special events, this is the lowest you can pay.
2. Salary Threshold for Exempt Staff
Some employees can be treated as “exempt” from overtime, but only if they earn enough and have qualifying job duties. In Washington this year, the minimum is about $90,480 annually for full-time work. If your taproom manager is on a salary and doesn’t clear that amount, then they’re owed overtime like everyone else. A paystub creator tool can help you track this clearly and make sure their status is documented the right way.
3. Overtime Rules
Hourly workers receive overtime pay in cases where they put in a work of longer than 40 hours during a week. The rate is time-and-a-half. Thus, essentially, when you have bartenders, brewers, or packaging personnel, you have it covered. Big weeks keep people over 40 hours in no time, such as canning or events.
4. Sick Leave Accrual
Every worker in Washington earns sick time. The rule is simple: one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked. Leftover hours can roll over into the next year, though there are caps. This applies even if someone only picks up shifts on weekends.
5. Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
The PFML program in Washington is financed by the deductions in payroll. The overall amount of premium in 2025 is 0.6% of gross pay, and employers with 50 or more workers contribute. Smaller breweries are free of paying the employer share, but a part must be withheld, which is the employee share, and forwarded to the state.
6. Meal and Rest Breaks
Washington requires both rest and meal breaks. Staff working a typical shift should get a paid 10-minute rest break every four hours, plus a 30-minute meal period if they work more than five hours. Breaks need to be real breaks; employees shouldn’t be pouring pints and calling it “lunch.”
7. Tips and Service Charges
Tips belong to employees. Service charges are different: they’re business revenue unless you state in writing that the money goes to staff. Either way, both must show up properly on paychecks. Clear reporting avoids confusion with workers and with tax agencies, and it also builds trust, something that spills over into your reputation and even your online marketing success.
8. Pay Stubs and Transparency
Each paycheck must come with a stub showing hours worked, pay rates, deductions, and available sick time. Washington is strict about this. If you’re not sure what belongs on a stub, here’s a good primer on pay stub requirements along with tools for generating compliant ones.
9. Workers’ Comp
Breweries are tricky because you’ve got people brewing, bartending, delivering kegs, maybe even working in an office. Each type of job may fall under a different workers’ comp classification. Misclassify and you risk audits or higher insurance bills, so it’s worth getting it right with Labor & Industries.
10. New Hire Paperwork
Every new worker needs to fill out a W-4 for federal tax withholding and an I-9 for work eligibility. On top of that, Washington requires employers to report new hires to the state within 20 days. It’s a quick online process that helps state agencies track things like child support.
Less Paperwork, More Beer
Payroll may not be the fun part of running a brewery, but it counts. When you keep up with the wages, breaks, and reporting, then you will not be fined, and your staff will remain happy. Rules in Washington change frequently, and therefore, it is a good idea to look at further improvements every year. Get it right and you will have fewer headaches and more time to concentrate on the beer.
