California employment laws

California employers must pay a discharged employee all wages — including accrued vacation — immediately at the time of termination. Employees who quit without notice must be paid within 72 hours.

California requires paid sick leave for nearly all employees: accrual of at least one hour per 30 hours worked, with a usage floor of 40 hours or five days per year and an accrual cap of 80 hours or ten days.

California treats accrued vacation and PTO as earned wages: it must be paid out at the final rate of pay when employment ends, and use-it-or-lose-it policies are not enforceable.