---
title: "Server Minimum Wage in California (2026)"
url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/california/server-wage
language: en
publisher: TipMax (Entermaurs Incorporated)
date_published: 2026-09-23
last_verified: 2026-09-23
---

# What’s the minimum wage for servers in California?

**Short answer:** California requires restaurants to pay servers the full state minimum wage of $16.90 an hour. There is no tip credit, so tips can’t be used to pay any part of that base. Whatever guests leave is extra. Cities and counties can set higher minimums, so check whether a local rate beats $16.90 where you work.

## California at a glance

| Rule | California | Federal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum wage | $16.90 | Federal: $7.25 |
| Tipped cash wage (paid before tips) | $16.90 | Federal: $2.13 |
| Can tips count toward minimum wage? | No | DOL: No |
| State tax on the federal tips deduction | California does not follow the federal tips deduction for state income tax. |  |

As of the U.S. Department of Labor table revised July 1, 2026. Your city may set a higher rate.

## What’s different in California

Federal law allows a $2.13 cash wage for tipped staff. California doesn’t. The DOL lists the state among those that require the full minimum before tips, so your base is $16.90 on every hour you clock, the same as a dishwasher or host.

Taxes are another place California breaks from the federal rules. The Franchise Tax Board’s summary of federal changes answers the tips deduction question with a flat “No, with respect to the deduction on tips provisions.” Tips that qualify for the federal deduction still get no break on your California return. A bill to adopt the deduction for 2026 to 2028, AB 1550, was pending, and the FTB page didn’t show it enacted when we checked.

BLS pegged the median for California servers at $17.35 an hour in May 2025, a figure employers estimate and that includes tips they report. Since your state return won’t shelter tips, a clean record of what you earned matters twice over.

## Example shift

Say you work 6 hours and walk out with $120 in tips (illustrative numbers; use your own).

1. Wages: $16.90 × 6 = **$101.40**.
2. With tips: $101.40 + $120 = **$221.40**, or **$36.90 an hour**.

**What servers earn:** BLS estimates the median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses in California was **$17.35** in May 2025. BLS counts tips in this figure, but the numbers come from employers’ estimates.

Check your own week: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/tools/tipped-wage-check

## Official sources

- [U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum wages for tipped employees (state table)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: State minimum wage laws](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state)
- [BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, waiters and waitresses (35-3031)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353031.htm)
- [California labor agency](http://www.dir.ca.gov/contactus.html)
- [California FTB: Summary of federal income tax changes](https://www.ftb.ca.gov/about-ftb/data-reports-plans/Summary-of-Federal-Income-Tax-Changes/index.html)

## Last verified

September 23, 2026. Checked the U.S. Department of Labor state tables (revised July 1, 2026) and BLS OEWS May 2025.

## About TipMax

California pays servers $16.90 before tips and taxes those tips on the state return with no deduction, so a running tip log is what you’ll lean on at filing time.

TipMax is an iPhone app for servers and bartenders that tracks tips and tip-outs and turns a restaurant menu into study flashcards.

Download TipMax free: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tipmax-study-track-earn/id6744850146

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TipMax Answers explains public government guidance on pay and workplace rules in plain English for tipped workers. It is **not legal, tax, or accounting advice**. Rules change and local rules can add to them. Confirm with the agency linked on this page or a qualified professional. TipMax the app helps you track tips and pay; it doesn’t enforce wage law or decide disputes.