General legal information for California workers — read it, then tell us what happened.
California workers may have an unpaid wage claim when an employer withholds earned pay, delays a final paycheck, requires off-the-clock work, makes unlawful deductions, or fails to pay earned commissions, bonuses, or accrued vacation. Unreimbursed business expenses can be a related but distinct claim. The timing and remedy depend on the type of pay and how the job ended.
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Keep salary, ordinary hours, overtime, commissions and bonuses in separate entries. Compare gross earned pay with gross pay received, then identify deductions and disputed earning conditions. Expenses and severance can require different analysis. A total without its documents can hide both missing pay and amounts already accounted for.
Corcoran Smith Law can discuss a defined Employee Rights Assessment if the firm accepts the matter. Use the wage worksheet and targeted guides to prepare a factual record. An individually quoted assessment does not include every later negotiation or court step by default.
Understand the Employee Rights Assessment and meet the partner attorneys.
Choose the record set that fits your situation. Missing pay, missing hours and an incorrect overtime rate can require different evidence.
Separate each pay category and keep the records behind the difference.
Gather the incentive plan, earning periods and any payroll adjustments.
Prepare the employer's explanation, work tasks and hours.
Distinguish recorded time, reconstructed time and supporting evidence.
Understand the procedural questions to discuss before filing.
Ready to discuss the records? Review the individually quoted Employee Rights Assessment. The firm confirms scope and a separate written engagement before legal work begins.
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:
Final earned wages are generally due immediately when an employer discharges an employee. A worker who resigns with at least 72 hours' notice is generally due final wages at quitting; without that notice, final wages are generally due within 72 hours. Industry-specific rules and the facts can change the analysis.
When an employer willfully fails to pay final wages that are due, California Labor Code section 203 may continue the employee's daily wage as a penalty for a limited period. Whether wages were due, unpaid, and withheld willfully requires a fact-specific review.
It can. Time spent opening or closing, answering messages, completing records, waiting under employer control, or doing other required work may be compensable when the employer knew or should have known the work was performed.
Earned commissions and nondiscretionary bonuses can qualify as wages, while necessary business expenses may be reimbursable. The written plan, earning conditions, pay records, and reason for separation often control what is due.
The filing period varies by the claim and can range from one to four years. The Labor Commissioner's wage-claim guidance lists common periods, but workers should identify the exact claim and act promptly rather than assume the longest period applies.
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.
Go deeper on the question that best matches what happened at work:
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.
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