Tools
Eight tools. Each one models a specific dimension of PAGA exposure that carriers, mediators, and opposing counsel encounter in every case. All calculations run in your browser — no data is transmitted or stored.
PAGA Penalty Estimator
Models PAGA penalty exposure across seven violation categories with three output scenarios: plaintiff maximum, data-driven realistic, and defense best case. Supports pre-reform and...
Regular Rate Calculator
Calculates the correct regular rate of pay including all compensation components — hourly base, commissions, flat-sum bonuses, piece-rate earnings, shift differentials, and non-dis...
Penalty Cap Qualifier
Evaluates whether an employer's compliance documentation satisfies the 'all reasonable steps' standard for the 15% or 30% PAGA penalty caps under the 2024 reforms. Walks through th...
Statute of Limitations Calculator
Calculates the operative limitations periods for PAGA claims and underlying Labor Code violations. Distinguishes between the one-year PAGA statute of limitations (from LWDA notice ...
Recoverability Checker
Analyzes each alleged violation category to determine whether the associated monetary remedy is a 'civil penalty' recoverable through PAGA or a wage/damages remedy that PAGA does n...
Derivative Penalty Mapper
Maps how a single primary violation — such as a meal period violation — generates multiple derivative penalty streams through statutory interconnections. A single missed meal perio...
PAGA Reform Decision Tree
Guides employers through a structured decision framework based on their current PAGA posture — pre-notice, post-notice, or in active litigation. Five to eight questions produce a s...
Wage Statement Compliance Checker
Evaluates compliance with each of the nine required elements of a California wage statement under Labor Code section 226(a): (1) gross wages, (2) total hours worked, (3) piece-rate...
PAGA (Private Attorneys General Act, Lab. Code § 2698 et seq.) authorizes employees to sue employers for Labor Code violations on behalf of all "aggrieved employees." Penalties are calculated per employee × per pay period × per violation category. A single meal period violation across 50 employees and 26 pay periods generates $260,000 — before derivative penalties multiply the exposure. The 2024 reforms (AB 2288 / SB 92) introduced penalty caps, cure mechanisms, and manageability limitations that fundamentally changed defense strategy.
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