Paycheck, sick leave, and final pay check

For most hourly workers, the stub should show gross wages, total hours, each hourly rate and the hours at that rate, deductions, net wages, pay-period dates, the employee, and the legal employer. Piece-rate work has added unit and rate details.

Here is a simple floor check. Eight hours at the 2026 state rate of $16.90 equals $135.20 in gross pay before deductions. Use a higher rate when a local rule or special industry rate covers the job. Overtime, bonuses, tips, commissions, and piece work need their own math.

The general state rule covers an employee who works at least 30 days for the same employer in California within a year. The worker normally completes a 90-day employment period before using leave. The annual floor is 40 hours or five days, whichever is more. A worker with regular 10-hour days therefore needs at least 50 hours to equal five days.

An accrual plan usually earns at least one hour for every 30 hours worked. The employer may generally cap the bank at 80 hours or 10 days and yearly use at 40 hours or five days. An up-front plan works differently. The available balance should appear on the stub or a separate paper given on payday.

A worker who is fired or laid off is generally due earned wages at once. A worker who quits with at least 72 hours' notice is generally due wages when the job ends. With less notice, the usual deadline is within 72 hours after quitting.

Earned vacation or general-purpose PTO is usually paid with final wages at the worker's final rate. Unused sick leave usually is not paid out unless a plan, agreement, or promise says more. Earned commissions can use the commission agreement to decide when they become due.

A willful failure to pay final wages on time can support a waiting-time penalty at the worker's daily rate. It can run for up to 30 calendar days, including weekends and holidays. The penalty is not automatic just because the worker disagrees with payroll.

A good-faith dispute, the amount actually due, and whether the worker was ready to receive payment can matter. Special timing rules also cover some industries and union agreements. Keep the termination paper, quit notice, final stub, deposit record, envelope, and every message about payment.

List each workday, hours, breaks, rate, and unpaid task. Then total the pay period and compare it with the stub. Mark the first point where the numbers split. Keep screenshots before an app or payroll account closes.

Ask payroll for a written explanation and correction. A Labor Commissioner wage claim can cover many unpaid-wage problems. Retaliation has a separate complaint path. A promise to fix the check does not pause a filing deadline, so use the current official instructions when the problem stays open.