Belmont minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Belmont is $18.95 an hour in 2026, $2.05 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $19.60 on January 1, 2027. Belmont's wage follows regional inflation each January 1 under a 2017 ordinance, and the city contracts out enforcement to San Mateo County rather than handling claims at City Hall.
Contents10 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.95 an hour, since January 1, 202617 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $19.60 on January 1, 2027 (announced)89 |
| Tipped employees | $18.95, the full minimum wage before tips13 |
| Full-time pay | $758 a week, $39,416 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, (866) 870-7725 |
What to know about the Belmont minimum wage
One year stands out in Belmont's rate history. On January 1, 2025 the wage rose $0.95, from $17.35 to $18.30, far more than in other years. The city explained that late in 2024 it had found an error in the rate notice it issued for 2022 and folded the correction into the 2025 figure.23 It has not published revised figures for 2022 through 2024, so the rates in the history table are the ones announced at the time.
The ordinance dates from 2017. A 2023 amendment changed the yearly arithmetic: each January 1 the wage follows regional inflation but rises by no more than 3.5%, any part of an increase cut off by that cap can be added in a later year, and the result is rounded to the nearest five cents.1 The January 1, 2026 increase, to $18.95, was $0.65.7
Belmont does not investigate wage claims at City Hall. It contracts with San Mateo County's Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, which runs a free Labor Advice Hotline at (866) 870-7725 (email [email protected]).1 Employers must give every worker a written notice of rights at hire, post the city notice and keep three years of payroll records.3
Compared with California
When a local minimum wage, the state minimum wage and the federal minimum wage differ, the employer must pay the highest one that applies to the work. For most covered work in Belmont, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Belmont | $19.60 on January 1, 2027 | $18.95 |
| California (state) | $17.40 on January 1, 2027 | $16.90 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
California also sets higher statewide minimums for some jobs, which apply in Belmont when they exceed the local rate: Fast food restaurant employees ($20.00); Health care: large systems, dialysis clinics and large-county facilities ($25.00); Health care: community, rural and intermittent clinics ($22.00); Health care: other covered facilities ($23.00); Health care: safety net hospitals and small-county facilities ($19.28). See the California page for the rules.
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Not allowed: tips are on top of the full minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $18.95 an hour13 |
Tips and other benefits cannot be used to offset the Belmont minimum, so tipped workers get the full city rate before tips.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the rate rises by the smaller of 3.5% or the previous year's increase in San Francisco-area consumer prices, with held-back increases recoverable in later years.
Rate history
Who is covered
Anyone who does two or more hours of work a week inside Belmont city limits is covered, including workers under 18, regardless of immigration status or the employer's size.
- The notice given at hire must include the employer's name, address and phone number.
- Remedies for violations include reinstatement, back wages and civil penalties.
Other local rates in California
- Emeryville$20.34
- West Hollywood$20.25
- Mountain View$19.70
- Berkeley$19.61
- San Francisco$19.61
- Sunnyvale$19.50
- Richmond$19.18
- El Cerrito$18.82
- Cupertino$18.70
- Los Altos$18.70
- Palo Alto$18.70
- Santa Clara$18.70
- Redwood City$18.65
- San Mateo$18.60
- Pasadena$18.57
- Milpitas$18.50
- Los Angeles County (unincorporated areas)$18.47
- Santa Monica$18.47
- Sonoma$18.47
- San Jose$18.45
- Los Angeles$18.42
- Petaluma$18.31
- Santa Rosa$18.21
- South San Francisco$18.15
- Fremont$18.05
- San Mateo County (unincorporated areas)$17.95
- Half Moon Bay$17.91
- Malibu$17.91
- East Palo Alto$17.90
- Burlingame$17.86
- Foster City$17.85
- Hayward$17.79
- Alameda$17.76
- San Carlos$17.75
- San Diego$17.75
- Novato$17.73
- Menlo Park$17.55
- Daly City$17.50
- Oakland$17.34
Everywhere else in California, the state rate applies.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement |
|---|---|
| Phone | (866) 870-7725 |
| The law | City of Belmont Minimum Wage Ordinance (adopted 2017; amended 2023 to add CPI catch-up and $0.05 rounding) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 6 City of Belmont, Belmont Minimum Wage Ordinance FAQ page, archived May 5, 2022 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 7
- 8 City of Belmont, 2027 Minimum Wage Information Bulletin (English) Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 9 City of Belmont, Minimum Wage FAQ Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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