Los Angeles wage and hour
Los Angeles Wage and Hour Lawyer
Los Angeles has more overlapping wage rules than anywhere else in California. Which one applies to you depends on the work, the employer and sometimes the street the building sits on.
This page covers wage and hour claims for Los Angeles employees. For the statewide rules see California wage and hour, and for other Los Angeles claims see the Los Angeles hub.
Which Minimum Wage Applies to You
A Los Angeles employee can sit under the state floor, a city or county rate, a hotel ordinance rate, or a sector rate for healthcare or fast food. They are not alternatives you choose between. The highest applicable rate governs, and the employer has to work out which that is.
That complexity is the point of failure. Underpayment here is often a payroll system pointed at the wrong rate rather than anyone deciding to short you.
California Overtime in One Table
| Rule | What is owed |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | 1.5x after 8 hours in a day |
| Double time | 2x after 12 hours in a day |
| Seventh consecutive day | 1.5x for the first 8 hours, 2x after |
| Regular rate | Includes nondiscretionary bonuses and shift differentials |
| Exempt salary floor, 2026 | $70,304 per year. Salaried below this means overtime is owed. |
Figures update January 1 and July 1.
Where the Hours Go Missing
Rounding that only ever rounds down. Time spent waiting to clear security or a bag check. Pre-shift setup and post-shift close. Split shifts without the premium. Meal breaks recorded automatically whether or not they were taken.
Each of those is small on any single day. Across a year across a workforce they are not small at all, which is why they are worth counting properly.
Wage Claim or Lawsuit
A wage claim goes to the Labor Commissioner downtown at 320 West 4th Street, Suite 450, with a Van Nuys office at 6150 Van Nuys Boulevard, Room 206. A lawsuit goes to Los Angeles Superior Court at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, with complex and class matters at the Spring Street Courthouse.
The route changes what you can recover and how long it takes. It is worth deciding deliberately rather than defaulting to whichever form you found first.
Find Out Where You Stand
Three questions and a phone number. An attorney reads every one, and you hear back within one business day.
Los Angeles Wage and Hour FAQ
My employer pays the state minimum but I work in the city. Is that enough?
Not if a higher city rate covers your worksite. The highest applicable rate governs.
Does Waiting for a Bag Check Count as Hours Worked?
Time under the employer’s control is generally compensable.
My timeclock rounds to the nearest quarter hour.
Rounding is not automatically unlawful, but it cannot systematically favor the employer where actual time is captured.
I never got a meal break but the records show one.
An automatic deduction that does not reflect what happened is a records problem and a wages problem at the same time.
Employment Law Resources
- Labor Code section 510, daily overtime and double time: leginfo
- Labor Code section 226.7, meal and rest period premiums: leginfo
- California Labor Commissioner, wage claim process: dir.ca.gov/dlse
- Los Angeles Superior Court, filing locations: lacourt.org
Tell Us What Happened
One business day for a response. You pay nothing unless we win.