Exempt salary threshold 2027 by state.

Thresholds at a glance

California has its own page with the pay-period table: California exempt salary threshold 2027.

Federal

The eCFR text of 29 CFR 541.600, which shows an amendment dated May 15, 2026, requires an exempt executive, administrative or professional employee to be paid on a salary basis of not less than $684 per week. It translates that to $1,368 biweekly, $1,482 semimonthly and $2,964 monthly, and says the shortest pay period that can meet the requirement is one week. For highly compensated employees, 29 CFR 541.601 sets total annual compensation of at least $107,432, including at least $684 a week on a salary or fee basis. The salary is only one part: the employee must also meet the duties test for the exemption.

California

The state test is two times the statewide minimum wage for full-time work. With the minimum wage rising to $17.40 on January 1, 2027, the Labor Commissioner's Office states the annual salary must be at least $72,384, up from $70,304 in 2026 ($16.90 × 2 × 40 × 52). That is about twice the federal level, so any California employer paying between the two figures should treat the state number as the one to meet.

Washington

Washington's rule, WAC 296-128-545, sets the salary threshold as a multiple of the state minimum wage for a 40-hour week, and the multiple steps up each year: 2.25 times in 2026 for every employer, and in 2027 2.25 times for employers with 50 or fewer employees and 2.5 times for employers with 51 or more. From 2028 it is 2.5 times for all. Washington adjusts its minimum wage each September 30 for inflation (RCW 49.46.020). We could not read the 2027 Washington minimum wage from the state's own announcement, so the checker above asks you to enter it rather than guess. Example: at a $17.00 wage, 2.25 times is $38.25 an hour, or $1,530 a week ($79,560 a year); 2.5 times is $1,700 a week ($88,400 a year). The $17.00 is an illustration, not the 2027 rate.

Other states

Some states set a salary test of their own and are not covered here. New York's labor department says its minimum wage stays at $17.00 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and $16.00 elsewhere, on January 1, 2027, but we did not read an exempt-salary figure from it. Check the labor department of the state where the employee works, and plan around the higher of the federal and state numbers once you confirm the state rule.

Worked example

An employer offers an operations manager $52,000 a year. That is $1,000 a week. It clears the federal $684, so the federal salary test is met. In California in 2027, the minimum is $1,392 a week, so $1,000 is short by $392 a week ($20,384 a year). In Washington with 51 or more employees, the minimum would be 2.5 times the 2027 wage for 40 hours. At the illustrative $17.00 above, $1,700, which $1,000 also misses. Same salary, three different answers, which is why the state matters.

Sources

Primary sources opened on November 1, 2026. The plain-English parts of this page are our summary, not official guidance.

• eCFR, 29 CFR 541.600 Amount of salary required (amended May 15, 2026) (read 2026-11-01): federal $684 per week and the biweekly, semimonthly and monthly equivalents
• eCFR, 29 CFR 541.601 Highly compensated employees (read 2026-11-01): highly compensated employee level of $107,432
• California Labor Commissioner (DIR), release 2026-66: California minimum wage rises to $17.40 on January 1, 2027 (read 2026-11-01): California $17.40 and $72,384
• Washington WAC 296-128-545: salary thresholds by year and employer size (read 2026-11-01): Washington multipliers by year and employer size
• Washington RCW 49.46.020: minimum wage and annual September 30 adjustment (read 2026-11-01): Washington annual minimum wage adjustment
• New York State Department of Labor, Minimum wage (read 2026-11-01): New York 2027 minimum wage unchanged