California:

California Unpaid Overtime Claiming Unpaid Overtime Wages in California

Hourly Overtime Minimum Wage
$24.00 / hour
Daily Overtime Limit1
15 hours / day
Weekly Overtime Limit2
40 hours / week


Am I eligible to collect unpaid overtime from my employer?

The California overtime minimum wage is $24.00 per hour, one and a half times the regular minimum wage of $16.00. If you earn more then the California minimum wage rate of $16.00, you are entitled to at least 1.5 times your regular hourly wage for all overtime worked.

If your employer has failed to pay you a proper overtime wage for any amount of qualifying overtime worked, you are eligible to receive back wages and possibly additional damages from your employer.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) explicitly protects California workers who file an overtime complaint from being penalized by their employer for filing the complaint with threats, suspension, or firing. The statute of limitations for filing an overtime claim is two years, although this is increased to three years in the case that your employer willfully and knowingly broke the law in failing to compensate you for overtime worked.

How can I collect back wages if my employer owes me overtime?

After checking to ensure that your job is not exempt from overtime under California law, the next step to take in filing an unpaid overtime claim is submitting an official complaint including all pertinent information to your local Department of Labor office. If the California Department of Labor cannot solve your overtime case, you can file a civil claim with the California state court system by levying an unpaid overtime lawsuit against your employer.

California Overtime Lawsuits Contacting the Department of Labor in California Regarding Unpaid Overtime

If you believe you are owed unpaid overtime, or think your employer is not complying with other labor laws, your first point of contact is your local field office of the Federal Department of Labor. There are eight field offices located in California.

Contact the office nearest to you, and they will be able to advise you of your legal rights and your next steps. You may want to have your employer's information and any relevant paystubs available. Remember, it is illegal for your employer to punish you for speaking to the Department of Labor! You can find contact information for the California Department of Labor here.


Fresno Area Office

US Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division 906 N Street Suite 105 Fresno, CA 93721-2246

Nora Pedraza, Assistant District Director

P: (559) 487-5317

Sacramento District Office

US Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-1836 Sacramento, CA 95825-1886

Richard E. Newton, District Director

P: (916) 978-6123

Serving Imperial, San Diego and Orange county:

San Diego District Office US Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division 550 Corporate Center 550 West "C" Street Suite 990 San Diego, CA 92101

Rodolfo Cortez, District Director

P: (619) 557-5110

Serving Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis, Obispo, and Ventura counties and portions of Los Angeles county:

Los Angeles District Office US Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division 915 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 960 Los Angeles, CA 90017-3446

Kim Chi Bui, District Director

P: (213) 894-6375

Serving Orange county:

Orange Area Office 770 The City Drive South Suite 5710 Orange, CA 92868-4954

Tony Pham, Assistant District Director

P: (714) 621-1650

Serving San Bernardino county, Riverside County and portions of Los Angeles County:

West Covina District Office US Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division 100 N. Barranca Street, Suite 850 West Covina, CA 91791

Daniel A. Pasquil, District Director

P: (626) 966-0478

Serving San Francisco, San Mateo, Napa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Alameda and Contra Costa county:

San Francisco District Office US Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division 90 7th Street, Suite 12-100 San Francisco, CA 94103-6719

Susana Blanco, District Director

P: (415) 625-7720

Serving Santa Clara, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey county:

San Jose Area Office US Dept. of Labor Wage & Hour Division 96 North 3rd Street, Suite 400 San Jose, CA 95112-7709

Michael Eastwood, Assistant District Director

P: (408) 291-7730


California Min Wage - $16.00 per hour as of 2024


** This Document Provided By Minimum-Wage.org **
Source: http://www.minimum-wage.org/california/unpaid-overtime