Exempt Salary Threshold Calculator
The threshold resets every January 1 with the state minimum wage. See if a salary clears the current-year bar for your job category.
For 2026, the standard exempt salary threshold in California is $70,304.00/year. Computer software professionals need $122,573.13/year, and licensed physicians and surgeons paid hourly need $107.17/hour. Meeting the salary threshold is required but is not enough. The employee must also pass a duties test.
Enter a salary and select the job category to see whether it clears the current threshold.
Exempt Salary Threshold Calculator
Threshold Result
Reminder: meeting the salary threshold doesn't make an employee exempt. The duties test also applies.
How this is calculated
The standard threshold is twice the state minimum wage × 2080 hours a year. With the minimum wage at $16.90/hour for 2026, that is $70,304.00. The threshold changes every January 1 that the state minimum wage changes. City and county minimum wage ordinances don't affect it.
Computer software professionals and licensed physicians and surgeons have separate thresholds set by DIR and adjusted each year using the California Consumer Price Index. Commissioned inside salespeople have no salary figure. Their exemption requires earnings of more than 1.5x the state minimum wage for all hours worked in the pay period, with more than half of total pay coming from commissions.
In every category, the pay threshold is only the first requirement. The employee's job duties must also primarily meet the duties test in the relevant Wage Order (executive, administrative, professional or computer-professional) for the exemption to apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the exempt salary threshold in California for 2026?
For the standard executive, administrative, and professional exemptions, the 2026 minimum salary is $70,304/year (2x the state minimum wage x 2080 hours). Computer software professionals have a separate, higher threshold of $122,573.13/year, and licensed physicians/surgeons paid hourly have a floor of $107.17/hour.
Does meeting the salary threshold automatically make an employee exempt?
No. The salary threshold is required but is not enough. The employee must also pass a "duties test": the job must primarily involve executive, administrative or professional work as the applicable Wage Order defines it. An employee paid above the threshold is still non-exempt if the day-to-day duties don't qualify.
Why does the exempt salary threshold change every year?
The standard threshold is legally defined as 2x the state minimum wage times 2080 hours (a full-time year). Because the state minimum wage increases most years, the standard exempt threshold recalculates automatically every January 1.
How is a commissioned salesperson's exemption different?
Commissioned inside salespeople use a different test. Their earnings must exceed 1.5x the state minimum wage for all hours worked in the pay period, and more than half of their total compensation must come from commissions. No annual salary figure applies.
Do local minimum wage ordinances change the exempt salary threshold?
No. The exempt salary threshold is based on the state minimum wage, not any city or county minimum wage ordinance, even in cities with a higher local minimum wage.
This tool provides an educational estimate only and is not legal advice. Exempt classification also depends on a duties test this calculator cannot evaluate. Consult an employment attorney or your HR or legal counsel before classifying an employee as exempt.