California Wage Claim Builder
Answer the questions below and this tool builds your Labor Commissioner wage claim: an itemized damages worksheet and a written claim statement you can attach to DLSE Form 1. Filing is free, you don’t need a lawyer, and it is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you for filing (Labor Code §98.6). Nothing you type here leaves your device.
Were you a live-in or personal attendant (caregiver whose main job is supervising, feeding, or dressing a child, elderly, or disabled person)? Different overtime rules apply (Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, Labor Code §1454).
Do you still work there?
Paid a flat daily or weekly amount instead of hourly? Divide what you were paid by the hours you actually worked to get your true hourly rate, and enter that. If it comes out below minimum wage, check the minimum wage violation in Step 4.
Based on your Step 3 schedule, overtime hours are calculated automatically. How were those extra hours paid?
If your rate in Step 3 is below this, the shortfall is calculated for every hour in the claim period, and an equal amount is added as liquidated damages.
Calculated automatically from your pay frequency. Note: this penalty only reaches back 1 year from your filing date — another reason to file now.
Uses your answers in Step 2. Fired workers are owed everything on the last day; workers who quit with less than 72 hours notice are owed within 72 hours.
Check everything that was true. These facts defeat the “contractor” label:
Privacy: this page does all math in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere. Print or copy your results before closing the page.
Disclaimer: This is a free self-help educational tool from the Justice Foundation. It is not legal advice, the amounts shown are estimates based on your entries, and using this tool does not create an attorney–client relationship. The Labor Commissioner will calculate final amounts, penalties, and interest. Laws and minimum wage rates change — verify current figures at dir.ca.gov. If your claim is large or complicated, a consultation with an employment lawyer is worth it — most take wage cases on contingency.
