California Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official California Department of Industrial RelationsCalifornia's minimum wage is $16.90 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This California minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $16.90 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $676.00 before tax, or roughly $35,152.00 across a full year. Enter your own hours per week and weeks worked to see your gross pay, and edit the rate if you are paid above the minimum. The minimum wage is a floor, not a ceiling: employers can pay more, and some cities in California set their own higher local minimums. California is one of the states that does not allow a tip credit, so tipped workers receive the full minimum wage in cash plus their tips. The figure here is the state rate for 2026, sourced directly from the California Department of Industrial Relations; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
California's 2026 minimum wage is $16.90 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $676.00 a week and $35,152.00 a year before tax.
How California minimum wage pay is calculated
weekly pay = hourly rate x hours per week
annual pay = hourly rate x hours per week x weeks per year
overtime = hourly rate x 1.5 (hours over 40 in a week, FLSA)
These are gross figures before federal and California income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our California paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
Why $16.90 may not be your California floor
California's $16.90 statewide rate is a floor for all employers not otherwise covered by a higher minimum wage specific to an industry or a locality, in the Department of Industrial Relations' own words. That caveat does a lot of work. Fast food restaurant employees covered by AB 1228 have been owed at least $20.00 an hour since April 1, 2024, and many health care workers sit on a separate SB 525 schedule that runs higher still. A Bay Area fast-food cashier who types $16.90 into this calculator is understating their legal pay by about $3.10 an hour, roughly $6,448 a year at 2,080 hours.
Location matters as much as industry. Dozens of California cities and counties set their own minimums above the state figure, so the operative floor in places like Emeryville, West Hollywood or Sunnyvale sits well north of $16.90. The statewide number applies only where no higher city, county or sector rule reaches the job, and when a local ordinance and the state rate conflict, the employer must pay whichever is higher.
Two quirks make California unusual. It allows no tip credit, so servers and bartenders get the full $16.90 in cash on top of tips, unlike the federal rule that lets employers pay tipped staff as little as $2.13. And the rate is now tied to the CPI-W index for urban wage earners, with annual increases capped at 3.5% and no power to cut the wage or pause a scheduled raise. Expect small, near-automatic rises each January rather than the multi-year jumps of the old phase-in to $15.
California minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in California in 2026?
California's minimum wage is $16.90 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $16.90 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $676.00 a week and $35,152.00 a year before tax. This rate took effect on January 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in California per year?
At California's $16.90 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $35,152.00 a year ($2,929.33 a month) in gross pay before tax and deductions. Part-time hours scale down from there; use the calculator to enter your own hours.
Does California's minimum wage change every year?
Yes. California adjusts its minimum wage each year for inflation (cost of living), so it typically rises a little every January. Always check the current figure with the California Department of Industrial Relations before relying on it.
What is the tipped minimum wage in California?
California does not allow a tip credit, so tipped workers must be paid the full $16.90 minimum wage in cash, on top of any tips they keep.
Is California's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. California's $16.90 is $9.65 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $20,072.00 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- California 2026 minimum wage rate: California Department of Industrial Relations, as at July 11, 2026.
- Federal minimum wage ($7.25) and overtime rules: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 11 July 2026. See our methodology. General information, not legal or financial advice. Statewide $16.90 for all employers from 2026-01-01; adjusted annually for inflation. Sector minimums (fast food $20, health care) and many local ordinances are higher. Local minimums: Many cities and counties are higher; fast-food sector $20.00; covered health-care facilities higher.