California Wage & Hour Claim Calculator

Both the federal FLSA and California wage law protect workers' pay, and employees get the benefit of whichever sets the higher standard. Typical California wage cases involve unpaid overtime, employee misclassification, unpaid final wages, illegal deductions, or missed meal and rest breaks.

A powerful feature of wage law is that it often doubles the recovery: under the FLSA, unpaid wages can be awarded together with an equal amount in liquidated damages, and many states add their own penalties for willful violations. Prevailing employees are also typically entitled to attorney fees, so a California wage claim can be worth substantially more than the raw unpaid wages alone.

The FLSA generally allows 2 years to recover back wages, extended to 3 years for willful violations. California's own wage statute of limitations is about 3 years, in line with the national average of 3.6 years, and the longer applicable period usually controls — so the sooner you act, the more back pay you can recover.

You can pursue unpaid wages in California even while still employed — retaliation for asserting wage rights is illegal under both federal and state law. Claims can go through your state labor agency, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, or a private attorney, and many wage cases proceed as collective or class actions when one policy affected multiple workers.

Breaks at work in California, as recorded on a review of official state sources completed 2026-09-15. Meal break: required for adult workers, at least 30 minutes, unpaid; when: more than 5 hours per day (second meal: more than 10 hours). Meal break exceptions: Waivable by mutual consent if the workday is 6 hours or less (second meal if 12 hours or less); on-duty meal by written agreement; some union industries exempt. Rest break: required, paid 10 minutes per 4 hours worked or major fraction; not required if total daily work time is under 3.5 hours. If a required break is not given: one additional hour of pay at the regular rate for each workday a meal or rest period is not provided.

Final paychecks in California. If you are fired: immediately. If you quit with notice: at the time of quitting, if the employee gave at least 72 hours notice. If you quit without notice: within 72 hours. Unused vacation: earned, unused vacation must be paid out when employment ends. If the final paycheck is late: waiting-time penalty: wages continue at the same daily rate until paid, up to 30 days. A break that was never given or a final paycheck that arrives late can be part of a wage claim, and the break and final paycheck guide in the related reading below compares every state.