South San Francisco minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in South San Francisco is $18.15 an hour in 2026, $1.25 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $18.75 on January 1, 2027. South San Francisco's own wage started at $15.00 on January 1, 2020 and has followed Bay Area inflation since 2021. The City Manager's Office enforces it and can order back wages, reinstatement and penalties of up to $50 per employee per day.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.15 an hour, since January 1, 202621 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $18.75 on January 1, 2027 (announced)71 |
| Tipped employees | $18.15, the full minimum wage before tips562 |
| Full-time pay | $726 a week, $37,752 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of South San Francisco, City Manager's Office, (650) 877-8502 |
What to know about the South San Francisco minimum wage
South San Francisco's City Council adopted a citywide minimum wage on September 25, 2019. It began at $15.00 on January 1, 2020 and has been adjusted for inflation since 2021.5 First introduced as Chapter 8.70, the ordinance is now Municipal Code Chapter 8.71.1
Each January 1 the rate rises with the August-to-August change in the Consumer Price Index for San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, rounded to the nearest nickel, and it does not fall if prices drop.5 The city publishes a poster with the new rate by November 1;1 the 2027 poster sets $18.75 from January 1, 2027.7 The rate was $17.25 in 2024, $17.70 in 2025 and $18.15 in 2026.
The work week runs Sunday to Saturday, and anyone who works two or more hours in it inside the city is owed the city rate for those hours, whether the employer is based in South San Francisco or elsewhere. Tips, health insurance and vacation cannot be counted toward the wage.6
The City Manager's Office enforces the ordinance. Complaints can be made in person at 400 Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, by phone at (650) 877-8502 or by email to [email protected]; they are confidential, and employers may not retaliate.1 The city can order back wages, reinstatement and penalties of up to $50 per employee per day, and the annual poster comes in English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Tagalog.2
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide rate | All employers, any size, including nonprofits$18.75 from January 1, 202771 | $18.1521 |
| Learners | At least 85% of the city minimum wage for the first 160 hours of employment, then the full rate. | See rule56 |
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 South San Francisco, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| South San Francisco | $18.75 on January 1, 2027 | $18.15 |
| 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 South San Francisco 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 | $18.15 an hour562 |
Employers may not deduct tips or credit them toward the wage, and health insurance, vacation and other benefits do not count toward it either.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the rate rises by the August-to-August change in the Consumer Price Index for San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, rounded to the nearest nickel, and it does not fall if prices drop. The city publishes the new poster by November 1.
Rate history
Who is covered
Adults and minors who work at least two hours in a calendar week (Sunday to Saturday) inside the city and are entitled to the state minimum wage are covered for each hour worked there, whether or not the employer is based in South San Francisco. Small businesses and nonprofits are not exempt; only a bona fide collective bargaining agreement can waive the ordinance.
- The City Council adopted the ordinance on September 25, 2019; it is now Municipal Code Chapter 8.71.
- The annual notice is published in English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Tagalog and must be posted. Payroll records must be kept for three years.
- Complaints: [email protected], or in person at the City Manager's Office, 400 Grand Avenue. Employees can also sue.
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
- Belmont$18.95
- 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
- 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 | City of South San Francisco, City Manager's Office |
|---|---|
| Phone | (650) 877-8502 |
| The law | South San Francisco Municipal Code Chapter 8.71 (Minimum Wage); Ordinance adding citywide minimum wage (File 19-437, introduced 2019-08-28 as Chapter 8.70) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of South San Francisco, Local Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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- 7 City of South San Francisco, 2027 Official Notice (English) Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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