For California employers
Services for employers
From forensic audit to ongoing compliance infrastructure. Most California employers aren't non-compliant because they're careless — the wage and hour framework is genuinely complex and generates penalties that bear no relationship to the underlying violation.
What we audit
Employee classification
Independent contractor vs. employee, exempt vs. non-exempt, and de facto employment relationships.
Meal and rest break compliance
The 4:59 rule, short lunches, missed rest periods, and AB 1513 line item requirements.
Wage statement accuracy
Missing §226 line items, incorrect pay period dates, and per-violation penalty exposure.
Final pay compliance
§203 waiting time penalties and unpaid premiums at termination — the most common trigger for compounding exposure.
Time tracking systems
Lockout settings, rounding practices, and off-the-clock work patterns.
Overtime calculation
Daily vs. weekly overtime, double-time, and alternative workweek agreement compliance.
Deliverable: a written audit report with employee-level detail, statutory citations, maximum exposure calculations, and a prioritized remediation roadmap.
Onboarding and documentation setup
Build a compliant new-hire process
Documentation gaps surface during discovery, not before. We build a compliant, repeatable onboarding system with every required form and the protective documents litigation actually turns on.
Required at hire
- Form I-9 and Section 2 timing (3-day rule)
- Wage Theft Prevention Notice (LC §2810.5)
- Paid sick leave, Cal/OSHA, and workers' comp notices
- DE 2515, DE 2320, DE 2511, and payday notices
- Sexual harassment prevention training tracking
Recommended protective documents
- AB 51-compliant arbitration agreement
- Employee handbook acknowledgment
- Meal and rest break policy acknowledgment
- Commission or piece-rate agreement (LC §2751)
- At-will and confidentiality acknowledgments
Optional add-on: electronic document capture — signature platform configuration, automated send workflows, and a completion tracking dashboard.
The structural protections beyond the audit
Compliance is the floor. Businesses that remediate after an audit still drift back into non-compliance within 12 to 18 months without active monitoring — that drift is exactly what plaintiffs' attorneys look for.
Wage Theft Prevention Notice review
Every notice reviewed before it's issued to confirm it's complete, accurate, and reflects the employee's actual pay structure.
Clean exit termination protocols
Final pay, COBRA notices, and separation sequencing that eliminates the most common source of waiting time penalties.
Ongoing manager training
The largest violations typically originate at the supervisory level.
Compliance counseling
Ongoing access to PunchGuard for pre-payroll compliance review between audits.
Pricing
Pricing on request
Engagements are scoped after a brief intake conversation about your business, headcount, and current systems. Request a written estimate — no charge, returned within 48 hours.