State law lookup › Unpaid wages › California
Unpaid wages in California: what the law says
My employer owes me wages
What the statute says
- Final pay after being fired
- 0 days
- Final pay after quitting
- 3 days
- Final pay detail
- Discharge: wages earned and unpaid are 'due and payable immediately' at the time of discharge (Lab. Code 201(a)) - i.e. 0 days. Quit without notice: due 'not later than 72 hours thereafter' (Lab. Code 202(a)) - encoded as 3 days. Quit WITH at least 72 hours' advance notice: due at the time of quitting (0 days).
Read the full rule
Layoffs/seasonal and certain industries (motion picture, oil drilling, live theatrical, agriculture) have separate rules in Lab. Code 201.3-201.9 that are not reflected in these two numbers.
- Penalty for paying late
- Lab. Code 203(a): if an employer WILLFULLY fails to pay per sections 201/201.3/201.5/201.6/201.8/201.9/202/205.5, 'the wages of the employee shall continue as a penalty from the due date thereof at the same rate until paid or until an action therefor is commenced; but the wages shall not continue for more than 30…
Read the full rule
days.' Per the DLSE FAQ, no penalty accrues where there is a good-faith dispute over the amount owed.
- State minimum wage
- $16.90 / hour
- Overtime beyond federal law
- Yes - stronger than the FLSA. Lab. Code 510: 1.5x the regular rate for work over 8 hours in one workday (and over 40 in a workweek); 2x for work over 12 hours in one day; and 2x for work over 8 hours on the seventh day of a workweek. Daily overtime and seventh-day double time have no FLSA equivalent.
- Liquidated damages
- Lab. Code 1194.2: for minimum wage violations, an employee may recover liquidated damages in 'an amount equal to the wages unlawfully unpaid and interest thereon' (i.e. 100%).
Read the full rule
The court/Labor Commissioner may reduce or deny the award if the employer proves the violation was in good faith with reasonable grounds for believing it complied. Note this covers MINIMUM WAGE underpayment; it is not a general doubling for all unpaid-wage claims (overtime-only claims are separately remedied, and late final pay is remedied by the sec. 203 waiting time penalty).
- Time limit to sue
- 3 years
Read this before relying on the numbers above
The $16.90 figure is the statewide floor. A number of California cities and counties set a higher minimum wage of their own, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Emeryville and West Hollywood. California also sets separate, higher minimums for fast food workers and for health care facility workers. If you worked in one of those places or in one of those industries, your hourly floor was above the state rate.
The three-year deadline covers the core wage claims: minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest premiums, sick leave, illegal deductions and unreimbursed expenses. Other theories run on their own clocks. It is four years to sue on a written contract, two years on an oral promise to pay above minimum wage, and one year for certain penalties. Which clock applies depends on what you are claiming.
Read it yourself
Official sources. If a number below matters to your case, open the statute and read it — laws get amended, and cities often stack stricter local rules on top.
- Cal. Lab. Code § 201(a) — Cal. Labor Code sec. 201(a) - final pay on discharge due immediately (amended Stats. 2018, Ch. 903, Sec. 19 (SB 1504), eff. Jan. 1, 2019)
- Cal. Lab. Code § 202(a) — Cal. Labor Code sec. 202(a) - 72 hours on quit, immediate if 72 hours' notice given (amended Stats. 2018, Ch. 903, Sec. 20 (SB 1504), eff. Jan. 1, 2019)
- Cal. Lab. Code § 203(a) — Cal. Labor Code sec. 203(a) - waiting time penalty, max 30 days (amended Stats. 2019, Ch. 700, Sec. 2.5 (SB 286), eff. Jan. 1, 2020)
- Cal. Lab. Code § 510 — Cal. Labor Code sec. 510 - daily overtime, double time over 12 hours, seventh-day double time (amended Stats. 1999, Ch. 134, Sec. 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2000)
- Cal. Lab. Code § 1194.2 — Cal. Labor Code sec. 1194.2 - liquidated damages equal to unpaid minimum wages (amended Stats. 2014, Ch. 211, Sec. 1 (AB 2074), eff. Jan. 1, 2015)
- DLSE FAQ - Paydays, pay periods, and the final wages — CA DIR / DLSE official FAQ - Paydays, pay periods and final wages (agency restatement of 201/202/203)
- DLSE FAQ - Minimum Wage — CA DIR / DLSE official minimum wage FAQ - $16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026 for all employers
- DLSE - How to File a Wage Claim (statute of limitations) — CA DLSE 'How to file a wage claim' - 3-year limit for minimum wage, overtime, meal/rest, sick leave, illegal deductions; 4 years on a written contract; 2 years oral promise above minimum wage; 1 year for certain penalties
- Division of Labor Standards Enforcement — CA Labor Commissioner's Office / DLSE homepage confirming official office name
Last checked: 2026-08-17
Jab drafts the letter, a licensed attorney reviews it, and we mail it USPS Certified Mail with a signed return receipt. $29 flat. You can also write it yourself — this page has what you need.
Start my letter →