Amazon invests more than $1.5 billion in higher pay for U.S. core operations employees, alongside new benefits designed to help teammates’ money go further.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced it is raising pay across the board for U.S. core operations employees, alongside new benefits. Minimum starting pay for U.S. full-time core operations roles—many of which require no prior experience—is increasing to $20/hour, with average pay reaching nearly $24/hour. Average total compensation exceeds $32/hour when you include the value of Amazon’s industry-leading benefits package. Amazon is also providing access to a new lifetime banking benefit for employees called Day 1 Financial—a membership in First Tech Federal Credit Union that provides qualified employees and their families with high-quality, low-cost banking services they can keep for life. Amazon’s also lowering the cost of groceries for employees, with an uncapped 10% off eligible fresh groceries and everyday essentials on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market Online, plus 20% off in-store at Whole Foods Market. These are on top of the benefits Amazon already offers, which include a free Prime membership for eligible employees, healthcare for as low as $5 a week with $5 copays, prepaid education programs, and much more.

The following is a blog post written by Udit Madan, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Operations.

Key takeaways

• Minimum starting pay for U.S. full-time core operations roles—many of which require no prior experience—is increasing to $20/hour, with average pay reaching nearly $24/hour.
• Average total compensation exceeds $32/hour when you include the value of Amazon’s industry-leading benefits package.
• Amazon is also providing access to a new lifetime banking benefit for employees called Day 1 Financial—a membership in First Tech Federal Credit Union that provides qualified employees and their families with high-quality, low-cost banking services they can keep for life.
• Amazon’s also lowering the cost of groceries for employees, with an uncapped 10% off eligible fresh groceries and everyday essentials on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market Online, plus 20% off in-store at Whole Foods Market.
• These are on top of the benefits Amazon already offers, which include a free Prime membership for eligible employees, healthcare for as low as $5 a week with $5 copays, prepaid education programs, and much more.

I spend a lot of time talking with and listening to members of our team out in the field. I often hear that they appreciate a good paycheck, but also really value the full range of benefits that we offer—which together help them support their families and grow in the long run. So, each year, we look at that full picture—pay, benefits, and how we can continue to support them and their families through many different parts of their lives.

Over the past several years, that’s meant continuing to raise pay—our minimum starting pay has increased more than 17% in the past three years alone—and it’s also meant introducing a wide range of benefits for eligible employees including things like free Prime membership, lowering the costs of healthcare to as low as $5 a week with $5 copays, continuing to expand our education programs so employees can get a certificate or degree and build their career, and continuing to ensure we have the most safe and supportive workplace we can.

This year, we’re excited to build on that with three big new announcements that I hope our team will love.

Amazon's new minimum starting pay for full-time employees: $20/hour

First, we’re raising pay across the board—an increase of $1 per hour for eligible employees, bringing our core operations full-time employees’ minimum starting wage to $20 per hour across the country, and our average hourly wage to nearly $24 per hour. When you add in the value of our industry-leading benefits, average total compensation comes to more than $32 per hour. We also have an annual step plan where pay increases the first three years someone is with us, providing a clear path for how their pay can grow over time.

Expanding access to financial services

Second, we’re providing access to a low-cost, high-quality banking benefit called Day 1 Financial—a membership in First Tech Federal Credit Union that provides qualified employees and their families banking services they can keep for life. With traditional banking, fees and limited access to straightforward financial tools can make it harder for people to get the most from what they earn. This benefit removes some of those barriers and gives employees and their families another resource to help manage their money and plan for the future. Qualified employees, their spouses, and their children can access the benefit for life, meaning it can continue supporting their financial needs long after their time at Amazon.

It includes:

• $0 overdraft fees, $0 monthly maintenance fees, and no account minimums on standard checking and savings accounts.
• No credit history required to open a checking and savings account.
• Access to thousands of surcharge-free ATMs nationwide, plus up to $300 each year in out-of-network ATM fee reimbursement.
• Mobile and online banking, direct deposit, and credit-building programs designed to create emergency savings and increase financial stability.
• Access to competitive credit cards, auto loans, and home loans for those who choose and qualify to use them.

This builds on the financial support we already provide through Brightside Financial Care, a free service that connects employees one-on-one with a financial assistant who can help with everything from budgeting, to managing debt and student loans, to emergency expenses, to understanding their eligible benefits. More than 150,000 hourly employees have used Brightside since 2022, and together, these resources give employees access to both the financial tools and personalized support that can help them make the most of what they earn and build greater financial security over time.

Day 1 Financial will be provided through an independent, member-owned financial institution, First Tech Federal Credit Union, federally insured by the NCUA. Access will begin rolling out in late 2026 and become broadly available in 2027.

Discounts on groceries and everyday essentials for U.S. Amazon employees

And finally, we’re lowering the cost of groceries and everyday essentials for our teammates. We've invested heavily through the years in our ability to deliver fresh groceries and everyday essentials quickly and reliably, and when we build something like that, we want our teammates to benefit from it just as much as our customers do. Starting October 1, 2026, every Amazon employee in the U.S. will have access to a new grocery discount designed to help their money go further on the things they and their families buy every day:

• An uncapped 10% off eligible grocery and everyday essentials on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market online.
• An uncapped 20% off in-store at Whole Foods Market, including the hot bar and salad bar.
• The discount applies to purchases made through the employee's Amazon account.
• The discount can be combined with existing Prime member discounts.

We’re excited to be launching this benefit soon and think our team will really enjoy it.

Amazon's existing range of employee benefits

These build on the industry-leading benefits employees already have.

We’re proud to already offer an industry-leading package of benefits, and these new investments make it even stronger. They build on existing benefits like:

• Healthcare from day one for regular full-time employees, including the Essential Plan at $5 a week with $5 copays.
• Free Prime membership, with benefits including fast shipping, streaming, fuel savings, Grubhub+, and more.
• Career Choice, which provides prepaid tuition of up to $5,250 a year through more than 475 education partners so employees can earn degrees or certificates in the field of their choice.
• A 401(k) with company match.
• Paid parental leave, flexible time off, and 24/7 mental health support through Resources for Living.
• And much more.

Listening and always getting better, together.

We talk a lot about continuous improvement at Amazon—about always wanting to get better, even when things are going well. I love that approach because it starts with listening to our customers and teammates, and then investing and inventing to make their experience even better. We do that in small ways throughout the year, then in big ways in moments like this. I’m excited about how these investments work together to help our employees and their families continue to thrive for the long run. And while there’s always more work to do, I’m proud that we’re continuing to find new ways to support our team, both at work and beyond.

Our team is the heart and soul of what we do, and I’m incredibly grateful for everything they do to support our customers, and each other, every day. Thank you to every member of our team across the country and around the world, and I look forward to saying that in person to as many of you as I can in the year ahead.

Next, learn more about working at Amazon.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

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