The California Labor Code generally mandates that all employees must be compensated at least the minimum wage rate for each hour of work performed.
California minimum wage in 2022 is $15.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, while California minimum wage is $14.00 per hour for employers with 25 or less employees. Individual cities and counties are free to set a higher minimum wage, so your actual minimum wage may be higher, depending on the city or county you work in.
For prior years the California minimum wage rates were as follows:
2021: $14.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, and $13.00 per hour for employers with 25 or less employees.
2020: $13.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, and $12.00 per hour for employers with 25 or less employees.
2019: $12.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, and $11.00 per hour for employers with 25 or less employees.
2018: $11.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, and $10.50 per hour for employers with 25 or less employees.
In addition to recovering minimum wages owed by an employer, California Labor Code Section 1194.2 also permits employees who have not been paid minimum wage to recover an additional one times their owed minimum wages. Accordingly, California's minimum wage laws allow an employee to recover a total of two times their unpaid minimum wages.