California Employment Law Resource Center
California Wage and Hour Guides for Employees
California employee guides covering classification, overtime, off-the-clock work, breaks, paystubs, commissions, equal pay, expense reimbursement, DLSE claims and PAGA.
Guide 06
California Independent Contractor Test and Misclassification
California classification rules, common exceptions, and the wage claims that can follow when a worker is labeled a contractor but treated like an employee.
Guide 07
California Exempt Employee Misclassification
Why salary and title do not decide overtime rights, and how California evaluates duties, salary basis, time spent, and specialized exemption rules.
Guide 08
Off-the-Clock Work and Hours Worked in California
Pre-shift and post-shift work, security checks, remote messages, travel, on-call time, rounding, and the records that reveal uncompensated work.
Guide 09
California Overtime and Regular Rate of Pay
Daily and weekly overtime, seventh-day rules, alternative workweeks, flat-sum bonuses, commissions, and the pay-rate calculation that drives the claim.
Guide 10
California Meal and Rest Break Laws
A practical guide to break timing and freedom from duty, premium pay, short shifts, call-ins, and long unpaid gaps within the workday.
Guide 11
California Pay Stub, Payday and Deduction Laws
What a California paystub must show, when wages must be paid, what records must be kept, and when an employer cannot shift business losses to an employee.
Guide 12
California Commission, Bonus and Chargeback Laws
How to identify when incentive compensation is earned, whether a cap or chargeback exists, and what happens when the employer changes the explanation after the work is done.
Guide 13
California Equal Pay and Pay Transparency
Substantially similar work, lawful factors explaining pay differences, salary-history limits, job-posting ranges, and retaliation for discussing compensation.
Guide 14
California Expense Reimbursement and Remote Work Costs
When California employees may be entitled to reimbursement for necessary business expenses and why a policy cannot simply declare employer costs to be personal.
Guide 15
How to File a California Wage Claim: DLSE and PAGA
The major enforcement paths for unpaid wages and penalties, the difference between an individual wage claim and representative litigation, and the records needed before selecting a forum.
Guide 16
How to Request a California Personnel File
The records that tell the before-and-after story of performance, policy, discipline, complaints, and termination.
Need help applying these rules to a real workplace problem?
Contact Ruggles Law Firm for a California employee case evaluation.
This material is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.