San Francisco Minimum Wage in 2026: Pay, Sick Leave and Health Spending

What is the San Francisco minimum wage in 2026?

Employers must pay at least $19.61 an hour for work performed in San Francisco from July 1, 2026, according to the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE). Because the rate changes every July 1, a claim covering more than a year can involve two different hourly figures.

The city rate rises each July 1 by the prior year's increase in the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area (L.E.C. section 1.4). The state's Labor Commissioner says that when local, state and federal rates differ, the employer must pay the one most favorable to the worker.

Who has to be paid the city rate?

Any employee who performs work within San Francisco's boundaries is owed the city rate for each hour worked there, including part-time and temporary employees. Where the employer is based does not decide it; where the work happens does.

• For example, a driver dispatched from a Daly City warehouse is owed the city rate for the hours spent working inside San Francisco.
• A worker cannot agree to accept less; the Labor Commissioner notes that the minimum wage cannot be waived by agreement.
• Employers must give each employee their name, address and phone number in writing at hire, and post the city's notice where workers can read it (L.E.C. section 1.5).

If your employer kept no reliable payroll records, the ordinance presumes you were paid no more than the state or federal minimum, unless the employer proves otherwise by clear and convincing evidence. Employers must keep payroll records for four years.

Example: working out what you are owed

Example (hypothetical): a barista at a Mission District cafe is paid $18.50 an hour from July 1, 2026 and works 30 hours a week. The shortfall is $1.11 for every hour.

That $532.80 is back pay only. Under section 1.7, a court or OLSE can add interest from the date each paycheck was due, at the rate in Civil Code section 3289(b), and the penalties described below. Keep your own log of hours if your pay stubs are incomplete; our guide to California pay stub violations covers what a stub must show.

How does San Francisco paid sick leave work?

Under the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (L.E.C. Article 11), employees who work in San Francisco earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, including temporary and part-time employees.

• Employers with 10 or more employees may cap a worker's balance at 72 hours.
• Employers with fewer than 10 employees may cap the balance at 40 hours.
• OLSE notes that neither SFO nor the Presidio is covered by this law.
• Questions go to OLSE at 415-554-6271 or psl@sfgov.org.

San Francisco voters approved the first city paid sick leave law in the country in 2006, and 2016 amendments added worker protections that largely parallel California's statewide Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act. Leave balances and caps can still differ between the two, so check both.

What does the Health Care Security Ordinance require?

Employers with 20 or more workers worldwide (or nonprofits with 50 or more) must spend a minimum amount per hour on health care for covered employees (L.E.C. Article 21). You are covered if you have worked for the employer for more than 90 days and regularly work at least 8 hours a week in San Francisco.

The employer chooses how to spend it, for example on insurance premiums or payments to the SF City Option program, and since 2017 only irrevocable expenditures count. Managerial, supervisory and confidential employees earning more than $128,861 a year in 2026 are exempt. HCSO questions go to 415-554-7892 or hcso@sfgov.org.

What can OLSE or a court award for unpaid San Francisco wages?

After a hearing, OLSE can order back wages, reinstatement and an administrative penalty that the ordinance sets at $50 per affected worker for each day the violation continued, adjusted annually for inflation (L.E.C. section 1.7(c)).

A worker can also sue in court. Section 1.7(d) lets a person who wins recover back wages, the same daily penalty, reinstatement or injunctive relief, and reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. Interest on unpaid wages is added in either forum.

Can you be fired for raising a minimum wage complaint?

No. Section 1.6 makes it unlawful for an employer to take adverse action against anyone for asserting rights under the ordinance, including filing a complaint, telling coworkers about their rights, or helping someone else assert them. The protection covers a good-faith complaint even if it turns out to be mistaken.

If the employer acts against you within 90 days of the protected activity, the law presumes the action was retaliation, and the employer must rebut it. Our guide to a workplace retaliation letter in California explains the parallel state protections.

Steps to recover unpaid San Francisco wages

1. Collect pay stubs, schedules, texts assigning shifts and any time records, and note which hours were worked inside the city.
2. Calculate the hourly shortfall for each pay period at the rate in effect on that date.
3. Add any unpaid sick leave and, if you are covered, ask whether health care expenditures were made for you.
4. Write to the employer with the totals, the ordinance sections and a payment date, and keep proof of delivery.
5. If unpaid, file with OLSE using its complaint form, at 415-554-6292 or mwo@sfgov.org, or take the claim to court. OLSE keeps a reporter's identity confidential to the extent the law allows.

Wages owed at the end of a job carry separate state deadlines, covered in our guide to a final paycheck demand letter.

When a San Francisco wage claim calls for an attorney letter

Underpayment that spans two or three July 1 rate changes, hours split between city and suburban job sites, missing sick leave and health spending, or a firing within weeks of a pay complaint each add rules and dollar figures to track. A written demand that ties each dollar to a section of the Labor and Employment Code puts the employer on notice before OLSE or a court is involved.

Through Talk to My Lawyer, a licensed California attorney writes your letter (from your facts, pay stubs, schedules and other records) and sends it on your behalf to your employer. Choosing between OLSE, the state Labor Commissioner and court is a decision to make with a lawyer who knows your facts.