California
For California, deadline after firing/layoff is immediately at the time of termination; deadline after quitting is within 72 hours of quitting; penalty for late payment is an amount equal to the employee's daily rate of pay for each day the wages remain unpaid, up to a maximum of thirty (30) calendar days; statute or source is Labor Code Sections 201 and 227.3, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31.
- State
- California our reading
- Deadline after firing/layoff
- immediately at the time of termination verified
- Deadline after quitting
- within 72 hours of quitting verified
- Penalty for late payment
- an amount equal to the employee's daily rate of pay for each day the wages remain unpaid, up to a maximum of thirty (30) calendar days our reading
- Statute or source
- Labor Code Sections 201 and 227.3 our reading
Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.
What the source says
An employee who is discharged must be paid all of his or her wages, including accrued vacation, immediately at the time of termination. Labor Code Sections 201 and 227.3
— dir.ca.gov, retrieved 2026-08-31
Where each value comes from
This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.
Deadline after quitting
An employee without a written employment contract for a definite period of time who quits without giving 72 hours prior notice must be paid all of his or her wages, including accrued vacation, within 72 hours of quitting.
Penalty for late payment
The waiting time penalty is an amount equal to the employee's daily rate of pay for each day the wages remain unpaid, up to a maximum of thirty (30) calendar days.
— all from dir.ca.gov, retrieved 2026-08-31
Source
- dir.ca.govhttps://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_paydays.htm