San Francisco’s annual reporting season is here once again! By May 1, 2026, employers covered by San Francisco’s Health Care Security Ordinance (HCSO) and/or Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO) are required to submit their 2025 Annual Reporting Form to the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE), where they can also access the reporting form and instructions.
San Francisco’s HCSO Reporting Requirements
San Francisco’s HCSO requires covered employers to invest in their employees’ health care, either by purchasing health insurance for their covered employees or by making payments to the city on behalf of their covered employees that secures eligibility in a qualifying program.
Employers covered under the HCSO:
- Employ one or more workers within the geographic boundaries of the city and county of San Francisco;
- Are required to obtain a valid San Francisco business registration certificate; and
- Are a for-profit business with 20 or more people performing work, or a nonprofit organization with 50 or more people performing work.
Every year, covered employers must report to San Francisco information regarding the number of individuals employed each quarter of the prior calendar year; the number of employees eligible for the HCSO in each quarter; the employer’s total health care expenditures; and the variety of health care coverage options extended to employees.
San Francisco’s FCO Reporting Requirements
San Francisco’s FCO imposes specific restrictions on how employers can obtain and use criminal background information, including a prohibition on the commonly used checkbox asking about criminal history on job applications.
Employers covered under the FCO:
- Are located or doing business in San Francisco; and
- Have five or more employees, regardless of whether those employees are all located in San Francisco.
Covered employers must annually disclose various information, including the total number of employees hired to work within San Francisco for the prior calendar year; whether background checks were performed on job applicants; and if individuals with conviction histories were hired.
Employers covered by either of these two San Francisco ordinances must complete and submit the Annual Reporting Form by May 1, 2026. Failure to submit the form by the deadline may subject employers to a penalty of $500 per quarter.
San Francisco’s 2025 Form, annual reporting instructions and additional guidance can be found on the Annual Reporting Form website.
Vanessa M. Greene, J.D., Employment Law Counsel, CalChamber
CalChamber members can read more about the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance on HRCalifornia. Not a member? Learn how to power your business with a CalChamber membership.
