I'm a Bay Area nurse, and these are the pay tables I could get through people I know. Nurses deserve to see this stuff, so here they are, posted as I got them.
Why only three hospitals?
That's what my own contacts could get me. I won't guess at pay for a hospital I don't have a contract for. Got one? Send a photo. I won't share who sent it.
Kaiser CNA contract, Appendix A. Effective January 2026.
Appendix A, wage structure, effective the first full pay period in January 2026 (5.25% increase). Includes Staff Nurse II, Staff Nurse II SH and other classifications, plus shift and other differentials.
Kaiser Staff Nurse II hourly pay by step, January 2026
Step
Experience
Hourly rate
Step 1
Year 1
$89.75
Step 2
Year 2
$94.24
Step 3
Year 3
$98.95
Step 4
Year 4
$102.50
Step 5
Year 5
$105.04
Step 6
Year 8
$106.61
Step 7
Year 11
$108.77
Step 8
Year 16
$111.47
Step 9
Year 21
$113.70
Step 10
Year 26
$115.97
Step 11
Year 31
$119.45
Step 12
Year 36
$123.03
Evening differential: $9.87 an hour. Night differential: $15.71 an hour. Both are flat dollars set in Appendix A (11% and 17.5% of the Staff Nurse II step 1 rate).
UCSF RN pay scale
UC NX (CNA) contract, UC San Francisco. Wage table effective January 2025.
UC San Francisco wage table, effective January 2025. Nurse, Clinical I to IV, by step, with shift, on-call and charge differentials.
UC and CNA have not published new wage tables. The current contract (term Nov 22, 2025 to Jan 2, 2030, Article 40) adds across-the-board raises on January 1 of each year: 5.0% in 2026, 5.0% in 2027, 4.5% in 2028 and 4.0% in 2029, plus a within-range step increase each July 1. NursePay multiplies this table by the raises in effect to show current rates.
UCSF Nurse, Clinical II hourly pay by step
Step
Experience
Hourly, January 2025 table
With Jan 1, 2026 raise (x1.05)
Step 1
6 months
$89.02
$93.47
Step 2
1.5 years
$92.25
$96.86
Step 3
2.5 years
$95.55
$100.33
Step 4
3.5 years
$98.98
$103.93
Step 5
4.5 years
$102.55
$107.68
Step 6
7.5 years
$104.59
$109.82
Step 7
10.5 years
$106.68
$112.01
Step 8
15 years
$108.83
$114.27
Step 9
20 years
$110.97
$116.52
Step 10
25 years
$113.07
$118.72
Step 11
30 years
$115.34
$121.11
Evening differential: 10%. Night differential: 16%. The third column is the printed January 2025 rate; the last column is our calculation using the 5.0% raise in the current contract.
Sutter Alta Bates RN pay scale
Sutter CNA agreement (Alta Bates Summit and Summit Medical Center). Rates through May 2027.
Nurse-Staff II, with every scheduled increase from March 2023 through May 16, 2027.Nurse-Staff II per diem, with scheduled increases through May 16, 2027.
Sutter Alta Bates Nurse-Staff II hourly pay by step, 2026 and 2027
Step
July 12, 2026
November 15, 2026
May 16, 2027
Step 1
$81.26
$84.11
$87.05
Step 2
$84.30
$87.25
$90.30
Step 3
$87.45
$90.51
$93.68
Step 4
$90.74
$93.92
$97.21
Step 5
$94.14
$97.44
$100.85
Step 6
$97.67
$101.09
$104.63
Step 7
$100.11
$103.61
$107.24
Step 8
$102.61
$106.20
$109.92
Step 9
$105.18
$108.86
$112.67
Step 10
$107.80
$111.57
$115.47
Step 11
$109.95
$113.80
$117.78
Alta Bates does not list years of experience for its steps. As of July 2026, the evening differential is $9.34 an hour and the night differential is $16.25 an hour, both flat dollars.
Questions nurses ask
What is the Kaiser RN pay scale in California?
Kaiser's CNA contract, Appendix A, effective January 2026, lists Staff Nurse II from $89.75 an hour at step 1 up to $123.03 an hour at step 12, which is year 36.
What is the UCSF RN pay scale?
In the January 2025 UC wage table, Nurse, Clinical II starts at $89.02 an hour at step 1 and reaches $115.34 at step 11. The current UC-CNA contract adds across-the-board raises of 5.0% on Jan 1, 2026, 5.0% in 2027, 4.5% in 2028 and 4.0% in 2029. UC and CNA have not published new wage tables, so current rates are our calculation.
What is the Sutter Alta Bates RN pay scale?
The Alta Bates Nurse-Staff II table starts at $81.26 an hour at step 1 on July 12, 2026 and rises to $84.11 on Nov 15, 2026 and $87.05 on May 16, 2027. Step 11 goes from $109.95 to $113.80 to $117.78 over the same dates.
Do night and evening differentials work the same at every hospital?
No. Kaiser and Alta Bates pay flat dollar amounts per hour. UCSF pays a percentage: 10% for evenings and 16% for nights. The flat amounts at Kaiser are set from the step 1 rate, so they don't grow as you move up steps.
Why do these only cover three hospitals?
These are the contracts a Bay Area nurse could get through her own contacts. NursePay doesn't estimate pay for a hospital without a contract. If you have one, you can send it through the contact page.
Have a California RN contract or pay table?
Send it and I'll add it here. A phone photo is fine.
