# How Much Do NEMT Drivers Make? Pay Rates and Pay Plans in 2027

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-pay/ · Updated 2026-09-28

Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs, the federal job group that includes NEMT drivers, earned a median of $18.09 an hour in May 2025 at special needs and other ground transportation companies, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. State medians ran from $12.93 in Mississippi to $24.19 in Hawaii. Hourly, per-trip, and day-rate plans are legal if each week's pay covers minimum wage and overtime for every hour worked, including on-duty waits.

- BLS counts NEMT drivers as shuttle drivers and chauffeurs. At special needs and other ground transportation companies, their median pay was $18.09 an hour in May 2025.
- State medians range from $12.93 in Mississippi to $24.19 in Hawaii, and several state minimum wages now sit above the low end of that data.
- Per-trip, per-mile, and day-rate pay are legal only if each week's total covers minimum wage for every hour worked, including waits you control.
- Overtime is figured on the regular rate, which includes trip pay and any bonus you promised in advance.
- Mileage paid to drivers who use their own cars is tax-free up to the IRS rate, 76 cents a mile from July 1 to December 31, 2026, under an accountable plan.

Driver pay is the biggest cost you control, and the pay plan you pick decides more than the rate. A per-trip rate that looks generous can fall under minimum wage in a week of long clinic waits. This guide gives the real market numbers first, then the rules each pay plan has to meet.

## How much NEMT drivers make

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track NEMT drivers as their own job. It counts them as shuttle drivers and chauffeurs (occupation 53-3053), a group its job definitions say includes nonemergency medical transporters. BLS also reports pay by industry. The industry group it calls other transit and ground passenger transportation includes special needs transportation along with other ground passenger services, so its figures come closest to a NEMT company's.

Here is what that job group earned in May 2025, the latest BLS wage survey:

| Pay in May 2025 | All employers | Special needs and other ground transportation companies |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers employed | 248,530 | 61,520 |
| Bottom 10% earn under | $13.51 an hour | $14.26 an hour |
| 25th percentile | $15.73 | $16.65 |
| Median | $17.93 | $18.09 |
| 75th percentile | $21.97 | $22.05 |
| Top 10% earn over | $26.47 | $25.94 |
| Average | $19.17 | $19.44 |
| Median yearly pay (2,080 hours) | $37,290 | $37,640 |

Know what these numbers include before you compare them with your pay plan:

- **Straight-time pay only.** The survey counts base pay, incentive pay, production bonuses, and tips. It leaves out overtime, shift differentials, and benefits.
- **Employees only.** Self-employed drivers and owners are not in it, so 1099 drivers are missing. See [are NEMT drivers 1099 or W-2](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-drivers-1099-or-w2/).
- **Yearly pay is hourly times 2,080 hours.** That assumes a full-time year with no overtime.

## NEMT driver pay by employer type

The same job pays differently depending on who hires the driver. These are May 2025 figures for shuttle drivers and chauffeurs:

| Employer type | Drivers employed | Median hourly | Middle half earns |
|---|---|---|---|
| School and employee bus companies | 10,970 | $20.84 | $17.66 to $24.96 |
| Taxi and limousine companies | 25,960 | $20.79 | $17.00 to $26.30 |
| General hospitals | 3,430 | $18.94 | $17.27 to $21.93 |
| Local government, not counting schools and hospitals | 12,060 | $18.90 | $15.91 to $22.92 |
| Special needs and other ground transportation companies | 61,520 | $18.09 | $16.65 to $22.05 |
| Retirement communities and assisted living | 9,810 | $18.04 | $16.74 to $20.62 |
| Nursing homes | 5,450 | $17.94 | $16.74 to $20.33 |
| Ambulance services | 2,680 | $17.57 | $15.23 to $19.98 |
| Services for older adults and people with disabilities | 13,640 | $16.86 | $14.36 to $18.56 |

Your applicants also weigh you against other driving jobs. National medians in May 2025, employees only:

| Driving job | Median hourly |
|---|---|
| Transit and intercity bus drivers | $28.39 |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | $28.19 |
| School bus drivers | $23.04 |
| Light truck drivers | $21.57 |
| Taxi drivers | $20.24 |
| Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs, including NEMT | $17.93 |
| Ambulance drivers and attendants, other than EMTs | $17.04 |

Dispatchers at special needs and other ground transportation companies earned a median of $21.21 an hour in May 2025. See how to hire a NEMT dispatcher.

## NEMT driver pay by state

This table shows May 2025 BLS hourly pay for shuttle drivers and chauffeurs in each state, across all employers, next to each state's minimum wage as the Labor Department listed it on July 1, 2026. The New York City area rate also covers Long Island and Westchester.

| State | Median | Bottom 10% under | Top 10% over | Minimum wage, July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $14.89 | $11.23 | $21.27 | $7.25 |
| Alaska | $19.14 | $14.70 | $27.48 | $14.00 |
| Arizona | $17.71 | $14.79 | $22.64 | $15.15 |
| Arkansas | $14.30 | $12.11 | $18.32 | $11.00 |
| California | $21.50 | $16.94 | $29.69 | $16.90 |
| Colorado | $19.72 | $16.07 | $26.94 | $15.16 |
| Connecticut | $18.53 | $16.35 | $23.62 | $16.94 |
| Delaware | $18.21 | $15.00 | $29.09 | $15.00 |
| District of Columbia | $21.97 | $18.04 | $30.00 | $18.40 |
| Florida | $16.66 | $13.24 | $21.38 | $14.00 ($15.00 from Sept. 30, 2026) |
| Georgia | $16.40 | $11.41 | $22.98 | $7.25 |
| Hawaii | $24.19 | $16.85 | $30.42 | $16.00 |
| Idaho | $17.40 | $11.15 | $32.74 | $7.25 |
| Illinois | $18.07 | $15.74 | $28.09 | $15.00 |
| Indiana | $15.76 | $11.55 | $21.64 | $7.25 |
| Iowa | $15.66 | $12.35 | $21.56 | $7.25 |
| Kansas | $16.67 | $11.96 | $21.26 | $7.25 |
| Kentucky | $16.14 | $12.00 | $21.21 | $7.25 |
| Louisiana | $14.73 | $10.78 | $23.31 | $7.25 |
| Maine | $18.30 | $15.37 | $23.75 | $15.10 |
| Maryland | $19.11 | $16.37 | $27.53 | $15.00 |
| Massachusetts | $20.96 | $17.23 | $26.89 | $15.00 |
| Michigan | $17.47 | $13.90 | $21.65 | $13.73 ($15.00 from Jan. 1, 2027) |
| Minnesota | $19.14 | $14.74 | $27.33 | $11.41 |
| Mississippi | $12.93 | $10.13 | $19.85 | $7.25 |
| Missouri | $17.81 | $13.83 | $22.93 | $15.00 |
| Montana | $17.61 | $14.35 | $22.26 | $10.85 |
| Nebraska | $16.96 | $13.50 | $21.16 | $15.00 |
| Nevada | $17.39 | $12.42 | $27.37 | $12.00 |
| New Hampshire | $16.39 | $12.30 | $27.70 | $7.25 |
| New Jersey | $18.98 | $15.74 | $28.90 | $15.92 ($15.23 under 6 workers) |
| New Mexico | $16.81 | $13.28 | $23.04 | $12.00 |
| New York | $21.23 | $16.23 | $29.48 | $17.00 NYC area, $16.00 elsewhere |
| North Carolina | $15.38 | $11.61 | $22.27 | $7.25 |
| North Dakota | $18.06 | $14.69 | $25.29 | $7.25 |
| Ohio | $16.12 | $12.73 | $22.04 | $11.00 ($7.25 under $405,000 in sales) |
| Oklahoma | $15.67 | $11.38 | $21.68 | $7.25 |
| Oregon | $17.94 | $15.91 | $25.53 | $15.55 ($16.80 Portland, $14.55 non-urban) |
| Pennsylvania | $16.46 | $11.54 | $21.53 | $7.25 |
| Rhode Island | $17.45 | $15.00 | $22.67 | $16.00 |
| South Carolina | $14.66 | $10.77 | $23.80 | $7.25 |
| South Dakota | $17.46 | $14.33 | $20.05 | $11.85 |
| Tennessee | $16.08 | $13.44 | $24.26 | $7.25 |
| Texas | $17.11 | $10.33 | $23.04 | $7.25 |
| Utah | $18.22 | $14.03 | $25.55 | $7.25 |
| Vermont | $20.32 | $16.79 | $25.06 | $14.42 |
| Virginia | $18.59 | $14.33 | $26.03 | $12.77 |
| Washington | $21.47 | $18.10 | $29.63 | $17.13 |
| West Virginia | $13.44 | $10.46 | $19.52 | $8.75 |
| Wisconsin | $16.34 | $11.61 | $21.05 | $7.25 |
| Wyoming | $16.13 | $12.24 | $21.48 | $7.25 |

How to read it:

- **The low end has moved up in some states.** The pay data is from May 2025, and several minimum wages rose after that. In Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, the July 2026 minimum is above the 2025 bottom 10 percent.
- **$7.25 is the federal floor.** Where a state has no minimum wage, or one below $7.25, the table shows the federal rate for employers the Fair Labor Standards Act covers.
- **Some state rates have size or sales limits.** Arkansas, Illinois, and Nebraska rates apply at 4 or more employees, Michigan's and Vermont's at 2 or more, and West Virginia's at 6 or more at one location. Montana's $10.85 applies to businesses with more than $110,000 in yearly sales.
- **Cities and counties can set higher rates.** Check your local rate before you set pay.

Medicaid and broker rates, not the job market alone, cap what you can pay. Compare these numbers with what your trips earn in [NEMT reimbursement rates](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-reimbursement-rates/).

## NEMT driver pay plans compared

| Pay plan | How it works | Where it fits | What the law requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Pay every hour from clock-in to clock-out | Days with long waits, will-calls, and split schedules | Count waits you control and drive time between trips. Overtime after 40 hours. |
| Per trip | A flat amount for each completed one-way trip | Short, busy urban days | The week's trip pay divided by all hours worked must meet minimum wage. Overtime is half the resulting rate for each hour over 40. |
| Per mile | A rate for each loaded mile or each mile driven | Long rural runs | The same weekly test. Waiting and loading time still count as hours. |
| Day rate | A flat amount per shift | Fixed routes, such as a dialysis run | The week's day rates divided by hours worked is the regular rate. Half of it is owed for each hour over 40. |
| Hourly plus trip bonus | An hourly base plus a set amount per trip or for on-time days | Rewarding productivity without minimum wage risk | A bonus promised in advance goes into the regular rate for overtime. |

Hourly pay is the simplest to run correctly, because the pay already follows the hours. Per-trip and per-mile plans move the risk of slow days onto you, since you still owe minimum wage for every hour. A day rate works when shifts are predictable. A small trip bonus on top of an hourly base rewards the busy days without the risk.

## Wage-law limits on every pay plan

### The weekly minimum wage test

The Fair Labor Standards Act measures minimum wage by the workweek (29 CFR 776.4). For any plan that is not hourly, add up the week's pay and divide it by every hour worked. If the result is below the minimum, pay the difference. When a state minimum is higher than $7.25, your regular rate for overtime cannot be lower than that state minimum (29 CFR 778.5).

A pay plan cannot skip the unproductive hours. Federal rules say waiting time and travel on the employer's behalf must be counted and paid (29 CFR 778.318). You and the driver may agree that the trip pay is meant to cover all hours, productive and not, but the weekly total must still meet the minimum.

The FLSA covers businesses with at least $500,000 in yearly sales. It also covers individual workers whose work regularly involves interstate commerce, even at a smaller company. State wage laws can apply either way.

### Waiting, travel between trips, and breaks

NEMT days are full of gaps, and the federal hours-worked rules decide which ones you pay:

| Time in the day | Paid? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting at a clinic while the driver must stay with the van | Yes | Engaged to wait (29 CFR 785.15) |
| A gap where you tell the driver in advance they are free until a set time, long enough to use for themselves | No | Waiting to be engaged (29 CFR 785.16) |
| On call close enough to the van that the driver cannot use the time | Yes | 29 CFR 785.17 |
| Driving between pickups and drop-offs | Yes | 29 CFR 785.38 |
| The normal commute from home to the first pickup | No | 29 CFR 785.35 |
| The drive from your lot after the driver reports there for the van | Yes | 29 CFR 785.38 |
| Breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes | Yes | 29 CFR 785.18 |
| A meal break of 30 minutes or more, fully off duty | No | 29 CFR 785.19 |

The off-duty rule is strict. For a dialysis gap to go unpaid, tell the driver before the break that they may leave and when they must be back. The gap must also be long enough to use as their own. Record the start and end on the driver timesheet. The scheduling side is in NEMT driver schedules.

### Overtime on trip pay and bonuses

Unless an exemption applies, drivers the FLSA covers are owed overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a week. For a per-trip or per-mile driver, the regular rate is the week's total pay divided by all hours worked, and you owe an extra half of that rate for each overtime hour (29 CFR 778.111). Day rates work the same way (29 CFR 778.112).

Bonuses count too. An on-time bonus you announce in advance is not discretionary, so it goes into the regular rate (29 CFR 778.211).

The Motor Carrier Act exemption rarely helps. It needs transportation in interstate commerce. Even then, the Labor Department's Fact Sheet #19 says it does not reach drivers of vehicles of 10,000 pounds or less, unless the vehicle is designed or used to carry more than 8 people including the driver for pay. The full rules are in NEMT driver overtime.

Overtime also carries a tax break for drivers. From 2025 through 2028, workers can deduct up to $12,500 a year ($25,000 on a joint return) of the extra half-time pay that federal law requires, according to IRS Publication 15 (2026).

### State rules that add to federal law

The Labor Department's state table, updated July 1, 2026, lists extra rules that hit NEMT schedules:

| State | Extra rule |
|---|---|
| California | Overtime after 8 hours in a day, double time after 12, and extra pay on the seventh day (Labor Code 510) |
| Alaska | Overtime after 8 hours in a day, except at employers with fewer than 4 employees |
| Nevada | Overtime after 8 hours in a day for employees earning less than 1.5 times the state minimum wage |
| New York | One extra hour at minimum wage when the spread of hours tops 10 or there is a split shift |
| Kentucky | Time and a half on the seventh day for employees who work all seven days |

California adds a rule for piece-rate pay. Workers paid on a piece-rate basis, which can include pay per trip, must be paid separately for rest and recovery periods and for other nonproductive time, and the pay stub must show those hours and rates (Labor Code 226.2).

### Records you must keep

For every driver, keep the hours worked each workday and each workweek, the basis of pay (hour, day, trip, or mile), and the regular rate in any week with overtime (29 CFR 516.2). Keep payroll records for 3 years, and time cards and trip rate tables for 2 years (29 CFR 516.5 and 516.6). Your trip logs help prove hours, so keep them in the same file. See [NEMT trip documentation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-trip-documentation/).

## Worked example: per-trip pay in a busy week and a slow week

Take a driver paid $15 for each completed one-way trip, in a state with a $15.00 minimum wage, such as Illinois or Missouri. The driver is on duty 45 hours both weeks. The trip counts are examples.

| | Busy week | Slow week with long waits |
|---|---|---|
| Trips | 48 | 30 |
| Trip pay at $15 | $720.00 | $450.00 |
| Hours worked | 45 | 45 |
| Trip pay per hour | $16.00 | $10.00 |
| Minimum wage top-up (45 hours at $15.00) | $0 | $225.00 |
| Regular rate | $16.00 | $15.00 |
| Overtime premium (5 hours at half the regular rate) | $40.00 | $37.50 |
| **Total pay** | **$760.00** | **$712.50** |

In the slow week, trip pay alone came to $10 an hour, so you owe $225 to reach the minimum. Your labor cost per trip jumps from $15.83 to $23.75. Per-trip pay only saves money when every week is busy. If your days have long waits or many cancellations, an hourly base is simpler to run correctly and easier to budget. Try your own numbers in the [NEMT driver cost calculator](https://nemtguide.com/tools/nemt-driver-cost-calculator/).

## Drivers who use their own cars

Some companies send sedan trips to drivers in their own cars. The wage rules still apply. Costs you require an employee to carry for the job cannot cut into the minimum wage or overtime owed (29 CFR 531.35). The regulation's example is tools of the trade, and fuel and wear on a car you require for the job raise the same question.

The simplest fix is a mileage payment. The IRS business rate is 76 cents a mile for July 1 to December 31, 2026, up from 72.5 cents in the first half of the year. Under an accountable plan, where drivers log their business miles, reimbursements up to that rate are not wages. They are free of income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and federal unemployment tax (IRS Publication 15, 2026).

Pay mileage on top of wages, not inside the trip rate. Otherwise the reimbursement and the pay blur together, and the minimum wage math gets harder to prove.

## What a driver costs beyond the wage

The hourly rate is only part of what you pay. For 2026, IRS Publication 15 sets these employer taxes:

| Cost | Rate for 2026 | On the median $37,640 a year |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security, employer share | 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 | $2,333.68 |
| Medicare, employer share | 1.45% of all wages | $545.78 |
| Federal unemployment (FUTA) | 0.6% of the first $7,000 with the full state credit | $42.00 |
| State unemployment tax | Set by your state | Varies |
| Workers' compensation | Set by your state and insurer | Varies |

That is about $2,921 in federal payroll taxes on a median driver's year before state taxes and insurance. See workers' comp for NEMT drivers for the insurance side.

## Pay changes to plan for in 2027

- **Florida** reaches $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026. Under the state constitution, the first inflation adjustment is calculated on September 30, 2027 and takes effect January 1, 2028.
- **Michigan** is scheduled to reach $15.00 on January 1, 2027, then adjust each year by formula.
- **States that adjust every year.** The Labor Department's table notes a yearly formula for California, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, and a July 1 adjustment for the District of Columbia and Oregon. Other states change their rates by law or ballot measure, so check yours.
- **The overtime deduction** for workers runs through tax year 2028.

Check your state labor office for new rates before each January 1. Then recheck every per-trip, per-mile, and day-rate driver against the new minimum from the first week it applies. Pay that keeps drivers is its own subject, covered in how to keep NEMT drivers.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much do NEMT drivers make an hour?

In May 2025, shuttle drivers and chauffeurs, the federal job group that includes NEMT drivers, earned a median of $17.93 an hour across all employers and $18.09 at special needs and other ground transportation companies, the industry group closest to NEMT. The bottom 10 percent at those companies earned under $14.26 and the top 10 percent over $25.94. These figures exclude overtime and cover employees only.

### How much do NEMT drivers make a year?

The BLS median for shuttle drivers and chauffeurs at special needs and other ground transportation companies was $37,640 a year in May 2025. BLS figures that by multiplying the hourly median by 2,080 hours, a full-time year with no overtime. Part-time drivers, and drivers who work fewer weeks, earn less than that.

### Can I pay NEMT drivers by the trip?

Yes, under federal law, as long as the week's trip pay divided by all hours worked, including waits and drive time between trips, meets the minimum wage, and overtime is paid on that average rate. If the trip pay falls short in a slow week, you owe the difference. California also requires separate pay for rest breaks and other nonproductive time for workers paid by the piece.

### Do I have to pay NEMT drivers while they wait at a clinic?

Usually. Federal rules count waiting as work when the driver must stay with the van or is otherwise not free to use the time. The wait is unpaid only if you tell the driver in advance that they are off duty until a set time and the break is long enough for them to use for their own purposes.

### Do NEMT drivers get overtime?

Usually, at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a week. The Motor Carrier Act exemption needs interstate transportation. Even then, it does not reach drivers of vehicles of 10,000 pounds or less, unless the vehicle is designed or used to carry more than 8 people including the driver for pay. Some states add daily overtime, such as California after 8 hours in a day. See our NEMT driver overtime guide for the details.

### Do I have to pay for the drive to the first pickup?

Not for a normal commute from home. Federal rules say ordinary home-to-work travel is not work time. Travel between pickups during the day is work time, and so is the drive from your lot if you require drivers to report there first to get the van or instructions.

## Official resources

- [BLS: OEWS data for shuttle drivers and chauffeurs by area and industry](https://data.bls.gov/oes/)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: State minimum wage laws](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #22, Hours worked under the FLSA](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/22-flsa-hours-worked)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: Overtime pay](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #19, The Motor Carrier Exemption](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/19-flsa-motor-carrier)
- [IRS: Standard mileage rates](https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates)
- [IRS: Publication 15, Employer's Tax Guide](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15)