If you show up to work in California but are sent home early or aren't given your full shift, you may still be entitled to pay. This protection, known as "reporting time pay," is a critical but potentially overlooked worker right in California.

What Is Reporting Time Pay?

While there can be variations depending on the job or industry, generally, reporting time pay is a California labor law that requires employers to compensate employees who report to work as scheduled but are either:

• Not put to work at all, or
• Given less than half of their usual or scheduled day's work

For many California workers, reporting time pay provisions are outlined in the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) Wage Orders. These orders regulate wages, hours, and working conditions across various industries.

How Much Reporting Time Pay Are You Entitled To?

If you report to work as scheduled but are sent home early or not given work, your employer must typically pay you for:

• Half your usual or scheduled day's work (but never less than 2 hours or more than 4 hours)
• At your regular rate of pay (which cannot be less than minimum wage)

For example, if you were scheduled for an 8-hour shift but are sent home after only 2 hours of work, your employer would need to pay you for 4 hours total (half your scheduled 8-hour day).

If you're required to report to work a second time in the same workday and are furnished less than 2 hours of work, you must be paid for at least 2 hours at your regular rate.

When Reporting Time Pay Does Not Apply

There are important exceptions when reporting time pay is not required:

1. When operations cannot begin or continue due to:
   • Threats to employees or property
   • Recommendations by civil authorities
   • Public utility failures (electricity, water, gas, or sewer)
   • Acts of God or other causes beyond the employer's control
2. When you're on paid standby status and are called to perform work at a time other than your scheduled reporting time

How to Protect Your Rights

If you believe you're owed reporting time pay:

1. Document your work time accurately and independently from your employer's timekeeping system
2. Review your pay stubs to identify missing compensation
3. Consider raising this issue with your supervisor, Human Resources Department, or another person who is responsible for remedying the lack of pay, preferably do this in writing and document exactly when you told your employer
4. If you raise the issue with your employer and the employer takes any adverse action against you because of or possibly because you raised the issue, remember to document communications and any adverse actions taken against you. Get whatever you can in writing from your employer.
5. Consider consulting with an employment attorney who practices representing employees in wage and hour claim.

The Value of Reporting Time Pay

Reporting time pay helps discourage employers from overscheduling workers and then sending them home without pay when business is slow. If you think your reporting time pay rights have been violated, consider consulting with an employment attorney who can evaluate your specific situation and help you understand your options.