Time is running out! Certain California employers must submit their annual pay data reports to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) by Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
Remember, private employers with at least 100 employees and/or at least 100 workers hired through labor contractors must annually report pay, demographic and other workforce data. Employers must report specific detailed information covering a snapshot period of the previous year.
If an employer doesn’t submit their required report by May 14, the CRD may seek a court order requiring them to comply with California’s pay data reporting requirements. The CRD can recover the costs associated with seeking the order for compliance, and the court may assess a civil penalty of $100 per employee against an employer who fails to file, with the penalties increasing to $200 per employee for a subsequent failure to file. These penalties can also be assessed against a labor contractor who has failed to provide the required pay data to a client employer in a timely fashion.
Employers must submit their reports through the CRD’s pay data portal — no email or hard copy reports will be accepted. For reports due May 14 (meaning for reporting year 2024), employers need to use the templates, instructions and other resources the CRD made available on February 3, 2025. Do not use templates from prior years; the portal will reject outdated versions.
Employers can also use the CRD’s updated employer handbook, which provides instructions for submitting and certifying annual reports to CRD, including the types of data requested and relevant deadlines. Excel and CSV template instructions are available and provide step-by-step guidance for employers to complete their Payroll Employee Reports and/or Labor Contractor Employee Reports, including data entry instructions, field (i.e., column) descriptions, code values and definitions, and field types.
Finally, head’s up, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has submitted documents to the White House Office of Management and Budget for the 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection — proposing it will open on May 20, 2025, and close on June 24, 2025. Employers required to file EEO-1 reports should stay tuned to HRWatchdog for updates!
Katie Culliton, Senior Editor, CalChamber
CalChamber members can read more about California Pay Data requirements and the EEO-1 Component 1 date collection in EEO Reporting Requirements in the HR Library. Not a member? Learn about the benefits of membership.
