Minimum Wage
Read about 2026 minimum wage increases.
Updated content: Effective January 1, 2026, California’s minimum wage is $16.90 per hour for all employers, regardless of size, with the exception of certain fast-food restaurants and health care facilities, are subject to their own minimum wage requirements.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. When state and federal law differ, you must comply with the more restrictive requirement. California state minimum wage is higher, so that is the rate that you must pay employees in California.
An increasing number of local minimum wage ordinances in California require some employers to pay a local minimum wage rate that is higher than the state rate.
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