Tools
8 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. One to four questions produce a…
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, subject to…
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 $130,000 at the post-reform $100 default — $260,000 at the $200 subsequent rate that applied before June 19, 2024 — and that is 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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