Category: Compensation
From the Experts: Deductions from Employee Wages Not Allowed Except in Limited Cases
One of our employees is continually short on their cash drawer. Can we deduct the shortage from the employee’s tips if the employee agrees to…
2026 Social Security Taxable Wage Base, California SDI Withholding Rate Increase
On January 1, 2026, both the Social Security taxable wage base and California’s state disability insurance (SDI) withholding rate will increase. For 2026, the federal…
How to Figure Reimbursement Rate
Our employees use their personal cell phones at work — hourly employees use an app on their phones to clock in and out and managers…
‘Fall Back’ on November 2 as Daylight Saving Time (DST) Ends
At 2 a.m. this Sunday, November 2, daylight saving time (DST) officially ends — meaning while most of us will enjoy an extra hour of…
Read This Before Your Friday Halloween Party
Since Halloween falls on a Friday this year, employees might find themselves in a celebratory mood, and some employees may feel — because it’s a…
Employment-Related Legislation Headed to the Governor
In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman discuss several employment-related bills sent…
Stopped: New Employer Penalty, Burdensome Changes to Claims Process
A CalChamber-led coalition of business groups, including local chambers of commerce, has stopped a Cost Driver bill that would have exposed employers to a new 30 percent penalty…
California Supreme Court Clarifies Good-Faith Defense to Unpaid Wage Claims
Typically, employees who prove minimum wage violations are entitled to liquidated damages. Recently though, the California Supreme Court issued an opinion clarifying employers’ good-faith defense…
Ninth Circuit Validates Employers’ Piece-Rate Compensation Plan
California law imposes special conditions on employers who choose to compensate employees on a “piece-rate” or per task basis. For example, these employees must receive…
Paycheck Direct Deposit: Offer, But Don’t Mandate
In 2025, we would like to pay all our employees by direct deposit. We have a couple of employees who do not have direct deposit,…
