On February 11, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to support childcare providers impacted by the recent wildfires in Los Angeles. This order ensures that those affected are aware of their eligibility for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) and receive the necessary support to apply.

In addition to supporting individual workers, the EDD offers several

With a state as large and diverse as California, it appeals to businesses. However, the state’s unique employment law requirements can pose challenges to employers new to the state. The following are some action items employers need to complete before their first employee starts working in California.

California Employer Identification Number (EIN)

All employers in

The State of California recently updated two pamphlets that must be provided to new hires.

The California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Workers Compensation updated its “Time of Hire” Pamphlet.  Employers must provide this document to newly hired employees. The document explains what workers’ compensation is, how to file a claim in

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released the 2024 Voluntary Plan Employee Contribution and Benefit Rate.

Employers with employees located in California are generally required to withhold and send state disability contributions to the EDD.

Of note, Senate Bill (SB) 951, which was signed in 2022, eliminated the Maximum Contribution and Taxable

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released the Voluntary Plan Employee Contribution and Benefit Rates for 2023.

Employers with employees located in California are generally required to withhold and send state disability contributions to the EDD.

The 2023 rates are as follows:

“Employee Contribution Rate”0.9%
“Taxable Wage Ceiling” (per employee per year)

After vetoing a similar bill last year, on September 30, 2022, California Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 951, which increases wage replacement rates for lower wage earners under the state Paid Family Leave program (PFL) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) programs.

Starting in 2025, workers who earn 70 percent or less than the

On September 29, 2022, California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1601, which requires an employer of customer service employees in a call center to comply with the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (Cal/WARN) requirements prior to a mass layoff, relocation, or termination of employees. Under this bill, a call center employer is prohibited from

In 2020, California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1731, which created an alternative process for employers to submit and be approved for work-sharing plan programs. Previously some employees would be eligible for unemployment benefits if they were working less than their usual weekly hours and their employer was participating in a work-sharing plan that met

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) has released the Voluntary Plan Employee Contribution and Benefit Rates for 2022.

Employers with employees located in California are generally required to withhold and send state disability contributions to the EDD. The 2022 rates are as follows:

“Employee Contribution Rate” 1.10%
“Taxable Wage Ceiling” (per employee per year)

Recently, the Biden administration announced plans for a federal paid family leave program – something that has been available to California employees for over a decade.

California’s Paid Family Leave (“PFL”) program, which is administered by the California Employment Development Department (“EDD”), provides eligible employees with up to 8 weeks of wage replacement benefits when