California is regarded as one of the most protective states in America in terms of employees right. The rules guiding the payment of employees include pay stub information, your exact payday, how often you must be paid, and when you are to be paid if are fired.
Employees in California have the right to receive payment two times in a month. If you have earned compensation between the 1st day of the month to the 15th, you must record your compensation no later than the 26th of that month. For compensation that was earned between the 16th to month end, it has to be paid by the 10th of the next month.
According to California’s laws, an employer who is paid weekly, twice a week, or two times a month in accordance with an earning schedule, must be paid within seven days of the agreed payment period. Let us take, for example, an employer who pays his employees every two weeks. According to the law, he has to pay his employee within a week after the two weeks’ pay period must have closed.
California pay rules suggest that an employer must pay on paydays that falls in line with the above requirements. The employer must also notify employees of the date, place, and time that they will receive payment. However, there are some exceptions. Administrative, professional and executive employees may be paid just once a month under the California overtime laws as long as they receive their payments by the 26th of the month. Furthermore, their paycheck has to include their complete salary for the month. In addition, weekly payment is allowable for employees who work as contractors on a farm.
What must your pay stub include?
According to California laws, an employer has to provide a written statement that will itemize the content of every paycheck. This written statement may come as a detachable pay stub, and the information contains therein must include the following information:
- The employee’s total gross wages earned under the pay period.
- The total man-hours spent by the employee under the pay period
- The total rates or the number of units per piece of work carried out by the employee.
- All deductions made from the employee’s pay must be identified.
- The last four digits of the social security number of the employee, including the employee’s name,
- Payment rates per hour and the number of man-hours per rate.
Request for payroll records
According to California laws, employees have the right to verify their payroll records within 21 days of payment upon request. As an employer, you can request a personal copy of your payroll records. However, you should bear in mind that your employer may charge you for the cost of printing or photocopying. Failure of your employer to provide you with your payroll records after 21 days of request may result in that employer owing you a penalty fee of $750.
The rule for collecting your final paycheck
If an employee is fired (aka Involuntary Separation from your job), your employer has to immediately give you your paycheck at the time of job termination without having to wait till the next scheduled payday.
