California Reporting Time Pay Rules
Showing up for a shift and being sent home after an hour costs you more than lost wages. California makes employers pay for part of the shift you were promised.
In California, if you report to work as scheduled and are given less than half of your scheduled shift, your employer must pay you for half the shift, at least 2 hours and no more than 4, at your regular rate. Hours you actually worked count toward that amount. If you're called back a second time the same day and get less than 2 hours of work, you're paid for 2 hours.
Where the rule comes from
Reporting time pay is in Section 5 of the Industrial Welfare Commission wage orders, the industry rules that cover almost every non-exempt employee in California. It isn't in the Labor Code itself, but the Labor Commissioner's Office enforces it the same way as unpaid wages. The goal is to stop employers from scheduling more people than they need and sending the extras home unpaid.
How much you're owed
The rule has three numbers: half the scheduled day, a floor of 2 hours and a ceiling of 4 hours. Following the Labor Commissioner's own examples, the hours you worked are counted toward the guarantee, and reporting time pay covers the rest:
| Scheduled shift | Hours worked | Reporting time pay | At $22.00/hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 hours | 0 | 4 hours | $88.00 |
| 8 hours | 1 | 3 hours | $66.00 |
| 8 hours | 3 | 1 hour | $22.00 |
| 8 hours | 4 | 0 hours | $0.00 |
| 6 hours | 1 | 2 hours | $44.00 |
| 4 hours | 0 | 2 hours | $44.00 |
| 10 hours | 0 | 4 hours | $88.00 |
Notice the 8-hour shift where you work 4 hours: that's half the shift, so nothing extra is owed. And on long shifts the 4-hour ceiling applies, so being sent home from a 10-hour shift with no work earns 4 hours, not 5.
Reporting time pay is paid at your regular rate of pay, not the minimum wage. At the $16.90 state minimum, 4 hours of reporting time pay is $67.60.
Being called back a second time
A separate rule covers a second reporting in the same workday. If your employer makes you come back, for a meeting, a training or a second shift, and gives you less than 2 hours of work that time, you're paid for 2 hours. The Labor Commissioner's example: after an 8-hour shift, a worker is required to return for a 1-hour training. That's 1 hour of work plus 1 hour of reporting time pay, and the training hour is also overtime because it's the ninth hour worked that day.
It doesn't count toward overtime
Reporting time pay is treated as a penalty on the employer for poor scheduling, not as pay for time worked. So it isn't counted when deciding whether you worked over 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week. In the Labor Commissioner's example, a worker sent home after 1 hour and called back for an 8-hour shift is paid 3 hours of reporting time pay plus 9 hours worked, and only the ninth hour worked is overtime.
When reporting time pay isn't owed
The wage orders and the Labor Commissioner list situations where no reporting time pay is due:
- Operations can't begin or continue because of threats to employees or property, or civil authorities recommend that work not begin or continue.
- Public utilities fail to supply electricity, water or gas, or the sewer system fails.
- The interruption is caused by an act of God or another cause outside the employer's control.
- You are on paid standby.
- Your regularly scheduled shift is less than 2 hours.
- You leave on your own, for example to care for a sick child.
Being sent home because a manager is unhappy with your work is not an exception. Neither is a slow day: lack of business is the situation the rule was written for.
Call-in shifts and on-call scheduling
Some employers schedule "on-call" shifts and tell workers to phone in a couple of hours before to find out whether they're needed. In Ward v. Tilly's (2019), the California Court of Appeal held that calling in as required counts as reporting for work, so an employee told not to come in is owed reporting time pay. Tilly's practice of having workers call two hours before the shift was the case in point.
Separately, several cities have fair workweek ordinances that require advance schedules and extra "predictability pay" when an employer changes a schedule on short notice, even if you never report. These local rules add to the state rule; they don't replace it.
Run your numbers
Our Reporting Time Pay Calculator works out the hours and dollars owed for a shift, including a second reporting the same day. If your schedule also has an unpaid gap in the middle of the day, check the split shift premium, and for long days use the daily overtime calculator.
If your employer doesn't pay it
Keep a record of when you were scheduled, when you arrived, and when you were sent home, along with any texts or schedules. You can file a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner's Office. Unpaid reporting time pay owed at the end of a job can also add to a waiting time penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is reporting time pay in California?
Pay owed when you report to work as scheduled but get less than half your usual or scheduled day's work. You're paid for half the scheduled day, at least 2 hours and no more than 4, at your regular rate. The hours you worked count toward it.
Do I get reporting time pay if my shift is cancelled by text the night before?
Not under the state rule, which applies once you report for work: in person, by logging on remotely, or by a call-in your employer requires. A cancellation that reaches you before then doesn't trigger it. A few cities with fair workweek laws, such as San Francisco, Emeryville and Los Angeles (for large retailers), require predictability pay for short-notice changes.
Is reporting time pay owed if I'm sent home for poor performance?
Yes. The Labor Commissioner says being sent home because the employer is unhappy with your work isn't one of the exceptions. If you worked less than half your shift, reporting time pay is owed.
Does on-call time count as reporting?
It can. In Ward v. Tilly's (2019), the Court of Appeal held that you don't have to show up in person to report: phoning in two hours before a shift, as the employer required, counted. The Labor Commissioner also lists logging on remotely, arriving at a client's site and setting out on a trucking route.
How long do I have to claim unpaid reporting time pay?
Reporting time pay is wages, so you can file a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner's Office, generally within three years.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact the Labor Commissioner's Office or an employment attorney.