General legal information for California workers — read it, then tell us what happened.
Most nonexempt California employees must receive overtime for work over eight hours in a workday, over 40 hours in a workweek, and in certain seventh-day situations. Double time can apply after longer daily hours. A salary, job title, or no-overtime policy does not by itself eliminate overtime rights. If this is happening to you, California law gives you real protections — speak with us 24/7, free and private, and leave with a video call booked with a California employment attorney who already understands your story.
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None of these alone decides a case — but each is worth writing down while it is fresh:
Deadlines in employment cases are real, strict, and vary by claim — talking to an attorney early protects your options.
Protect your options — speak with us →You talk; we listen and organize. These are the questions that give your story its weight:
For many nonexempt employees, overtime begins after eight hours in a workday or 40 hours in a workweek. California also has rules for the seventh consecutive day in a workweek and double time after more than 12 hours in a workday. Exceptions apply to some industries and valid alternative workweeks.
Yes. Salary alone does not create an exemption. The employer generally must satisfy the duties and compensation requirements for a recognized exemption; otherwise, a salaried worker may still be entitled to overtime and other protections.
Generally yes when the employer knew or should have known the work was performed. An employer may enforce a scheduling or approval policy, but it cannot accept the benefit of compensable work and use the lack of approval to avoid paying for it.
Timecards, schedules, login records, messages, calendar entries, delivery or route data, pay stubs, and coworker observations can help. Workers can also create a good-faith reconstruction of hours when employer records are incomplete.
Consider speaking with an attorney when the facts involve money owed, job loss, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, leave denial, or a deadline. This site provides general information and intake support, not legal advice.
No. Submitting information or using the intake assistant does not create an attorney-client relationship unless an attorney agrees to represent you in writing.
Start with the governing statute and agencies, then bring your specific facts to an attorney. These links are primary public sources, not substitutes for advice.
The law is statewide; the workplaces are local. Start with your city, or speak with us from any of the 58 counties:
Speak with us now — free, private, any hour. Tell your story once, and leave with a video call booked with a California employment attorney.
Free · Private · Any hour — start by talking, not typing.