Overtime Lawyer in Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County: where paychecks usually go wrong

The county's largest wage exposure sits in shift work: warehouse and delivery routes that run past 8 hours without daily overtime, security and restoration crews kept on standby, and hospitality staff clocked out during setup or cleanup. California counts employer-controlled standby as hours worked under Mendiola v. CPS Security Solutions, Inc., 60 Cal. 4th 833 (2015).

Local minimum-wage ordinances in the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated county areas can set a floor above the state rate, and a higher floor raises the regular rate used for overtime under Cal. Lab. Code § 510 and the flat-sum bonus method in Alvarado v. Dart Container Corp., 4 Cal. 5th 542 (2018).

Missed and interrupted meal periods on tight route or production schedules generate a premium hour per day under Cal. Lab. Code § 226.7, and unreimbursed phone and mileage costs are separately recoverable under Cal. Lab. Code § 2802.

What California overtime law requires

California pays overtime by the day, not only by the week. Time and a half is owed after 8 hours in a workday and after 40 hours in a workweek, double time after 12 hours in a workday, and premium pay applies on the seventh consecutive day of work under Cal. Lab. Code § 510.

Overtime is calculated on your regular rate of pay, which includes most non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials, not just your base hourly wage; the California Supreme Court set the flat-sum bonus method in Alvarado v. Dart Container Corp., 4 Cal. 5th 542 (2018).

Small amounts of off-the-clock work still count. California rejects the federal de minimis defense for regularly occurring minutes worked, Troester v. Starbucks Corp., 5 Cal. 5th 829 (2018), and time spent under employer control — including mandatory bag checks — is hours worked, Frlekin v. Apple Inc., 8 Cal. 5th 1038 (2020).

Meal breaks, rest breaks, and premium pay

A 30-minute uninterrupted, off-duty meal period is required before the end of the fifth hour of work under Cal. Lab. Code § 512, and each missed or interrupted meal or rest period costs the employer one additional hour of pay at your regular rate under Cal. Lab. Code § 226.7.

Rest breaks must be genuinely off duty — an employer cannot require you to stay reachable by radio or phone during a rest period, Augustus v. ABM Security Services, Inc., 2 Cal. 5th 257 (2016). Employer-controlled on-call time is compensable in California even when you are never called, Mendiola v. CPS Security Solutions, Inc., 60 Cal. 4th 833 (2015).

What can be recovered, and by when

Beyond unpaid wages, California workers can pursue waiting-time penalties of up to 30 days of pay when final wages are late under Cal. Lab. Code § 203, wage-statement penalties under Cal. Lab. Code § 226, and reimbursement of work expenses such as personal phone and vehicle use under Cal. Lab. Code § 2802.

If you were paid on a 1099 but worked like an employee, the ABC test in Cal. Lab. Code § 2775 presumes employee status, and misclassification carries employer penalties of $5,000 to $25,000 per violation under Cal. Lab. Code § 226.8. Civil penalties may also be sought on behalf of the state under Cal. Lab. Code § 2699.

Deadlines are short. Statutory wage claims generally run three years under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 338, written-contract claims four years under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 337, and unfair-competition restitution reaches back four years under Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200. Federal overtime claims run two years, or three if the violation was willful, under 29 U.S.C. § 255(a).

Two ways to bring a California wage claim

You can file a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner (a Berman hearing) or file suit in superior court. Court claims can reach the full set of statutory penalties, including Cal. Lab. Code § 203 waiting-time penalties and Cal. Lab. Code § 2699 civil penalties, and federal overtime claims can be joined under 29 U.S.C. § 207(a).

Retaliation for asking about or complaining about your pay is separately unlawful under Cal. Lab. Code § 1102.5 and, for federal claims, 29 U.S.C. § 215(a)(3).

Los Angeles County questions

Do I get daily overtime in Los Angeles County?

Yes. California overtime is daily as well as weekly: time and a half after 8 hours in a day and after 40 in a week, and double time after 12 hours in a day, under Cal. Lab. Code § 510. County lines do not change that rule.

What if my employer paid me as a 1099 contractor?

California presumes you are an employee unless the hiring business satisfies all three prongs of the ABC test in Cal. Lab. Code § 2775. Misclassification does not erase overtime; it usually adds claims, including penalties of $5,000 to $25,000 per violation under Cal. Lab. Code § 226.8.

How long do I have to act?

Generally three years for statutory wage claims under Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 338, four years for restitution under Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, and two years — three if willful — for federal overtime under 29 U.S.C. § 255(a). Waiting to gather perfect records can cost you weeks of recovery.

Does the Los Angeles minimum wage change my overtime rate?

It can. Overtime is a multiple of your regular rate, so a higher local minimum wage raises the overtime rate owed under Cal. Lab. Code § 510, and non-discretionary bonuses must be folded in under Alvarado v. Dart Container Corp., 4 Cal. 5th 542 (2018).

Other California counties we serve

• Orange County
• San Diego County
• Riverside County
• San Bernardino County
• Ventura County
• Santa Barbara County
• Imperial County