Wage Claim Adjudication

DLSE adjudicates wage claims on behalf of workers who file claims for nonpayment of wages, overtime, or vacation pay, pursuant to California Labor Code sections 96 and 98. DLSE deputies hold informal conferences between employers and employees to resolve wage disputes. If a matter cannot be resolved at the informal conference, an administrative hearing is held to make a final determination on the matter.

Note to Employers:  If you have non-negotiated checks on your books and the checks are made payable to employees who have left your employment and whom you cannot locate, you may send the Labor Commissioner the non-negotiated checks, along with an explanation of your efforts to contact the employee. The Labor Commissioner will try to locate the employee and make payment of the wages. If these attempts are unsuccessful, the checks will be deposited into the State of California Unclaimed Wages Fund. Locate the nearest office of the Labor Commissioner.

Cautionary Note: All Wage Orders except Orders 14 and 17 contain references to specific Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) sections. These references are in the section of the Wage Orders that discuss their applicability. All the references relate to determining whether employees meet the "Executive," ""Administrative," and/or "Professional" exemption.

The CFR sections referenced are those in effect when the Wage Orders were amended, and some of the CFRs have been amended since then. Click on the link to access the correct 29 CFR language that is referenced in the Wage Orders 1-13 and 15 or click on the following link to access the correct 29 CFR language that is referenced in Wage Order 16.