California law requires specific information to be included on your pay stub (or wage statement) so that you have an accurate understanding of how your wages were calculated. This helps you determine whether the payment you received was correct based on the number of hours you worked, your hourly rates, and any deductions that were made. Employees whose pay stubs do not contain all of the information required by California law may bring a wage claim against their employer.
A pay stub must be provided to you regardless of whether you are paid in cash, by check, or by direct deposit.
California Pay Stub Requirements 2021
Your pay stub must contain the following information:
Total Hours Worked
- The employer does not have to include this information if the employee is an exempt salaried employee.
Total Gross Wages
- Total wages before deductions are made. Wages in California can include hourly pay, a salary, commissions, piece-rate payments, payments for projects or tasks, room, board, clothing, vacation pay, and sick pay.
Net Pay
- Total wages with any deductions taken out.
Pay Period Dates
- The date range for the pay period at issue.
All Hourly Rates
- All hourly rates in effect during the pay period—both regular and overtime—and the corresponding number of hours worked at each hourly rate by the employee.
Employee Information
- The name of the employee and an employee identification number or last four digits of the employee’s social security number.
Name and Address of the Employer
- If the employer is a farm labor contractor, the name and address of the legal entity that hired the contractor must also be included.
Deductions
- Your employer must itemize and list each and every deduction taken off of your wages, including taxes, 401(k) contributions, and insurance.
Receiving Non-Compliant Pay Stubs in California? Call PARRIS.
If the specific information required by California law is not included on your pay stub or wage statements, you are entitled to recover compensation from your employer. There are penalties for each pay period that an illegal pay stub is issued: up to $4,000 in penalties plus attorney’s fees.
In one extraordinary result, PARRIS recovered $15,000,000 in a wage statement class action against one of the largest communication technology companies in the world. In that case, the wage statements failed to break down the employees’ time worked between regular and overtime hours, and failed to correctly list the number of overtime hours worked by the employees.
PARRIS has been fighting for employees since 1985. To start your free case consultation, call us at (661) 485-2072. You pay no fees until we win compensation for you.
