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Current BLS California employee wages for Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, SOC 49-9098; broader installation/maintenance/repair helpers, including HVAC support, excluding premium pay and benefits.
Last updated October 21, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.
Salary Guides / California
California helper wage ranges help you assess HVAC support offers, supervision, paid hours and the daily work involved.
California employee wages span $17.26–$28.74/hr, or $35,900–$59,770 a year, for the broader installation, maintenance and repair helper occupation. These figures include HVAC support alongside other trades. Match an offer to equipment handling, preparation and supervised service duties. The bands organize wage comparisons. Their titles do not award technician status or set a registered apprentice's contractual wage schedule. Ask for the employer's written description of your assignments.
What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.
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$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.
Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.
An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.
California HVAC applicants encounter specialist contractors, commercial construction and refrigeration repair. These national helper benchmarks describe different employers, equipment assignments and daily work settings.
Heating and cooling contractors install and service building systems. Ask whether your helper assignment follows installation crews or technicians making service calls. Discuss loading time, changing locations and the equipment you will help move.
Commercial building employers coordinate mechanical work with other trades. Discuss equipment deliveries, access windows and who directs HVAC support during construction. A clear reporting arrangement helps you compare the support expected on each project.
Commercial refrigeration repair belongs within this broader equipment group. Ask which machines you will support and how the employer teaches isolation procedures. Distinguish commercial refrigeration support from central air-conditioning service when discussing the position with staff.
Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.
Sorted by payback speed.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 40 HVAC Apprenticeship (journeyperson) | +$2.96 | $6,157 | $0 | 0 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$0.64 | $1,331 | $159 | 7 weeks |
| OSHA 10-Hour Construction | +$0.21 | $437 | $59 | 8 weeks |
| Aerial/Scissor Lift (MEWP) Operator | +$0.05 | $104 | $59 | 30 weeks |
| EPA Section 608 Universal Technician Certification | +$0.04 | $83 | $85 | 54 weeks |
| American Red Cross Adult First Aid/CPR/AED | +$0.04 | $83 | $102 | 64 weeks |
Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $21.48/hr.
Verified positions matching this trade and location.
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