Workers in California who want to make sure that their employers are complying with the state’s wage and hour law should check their pay stubs very carefully. Pay stubs also reveal how much of their pay is being withheld to pay state and local income taxes, make Social Security and Medicare contributions, pay wage garnishments and cover the costs of employee benefits like health insurance.
Wage and hour information
Employers in California are required to pay their hourly workers a rate no less than the state’s minimum wage, and they must pay them one and a half times their hourly rate when they work more than 40 hours during a workweek. Pay stubs should detail both the hourly rate and the number of hours worked, so checking for wage and hour issues is usually a fairly straightforward process. Pay stubs are normally attached to paper checks. When workers are paid by direct deposit, they receive their pay notifications by email or by visiting a secure website.
Deductions
When workers are paid for the first time, they are often shocked by how much of their earnings are withheld. Employers are responsible for collecting money for the federal government and state and local governments, and these deductions are itemized on pay stubs. Tax and Federal Insurance Contributions Act payments are mandatory, but other deductions, such as 401(k) contributions and union dues, are voluntary.
Checking pay stubs can prevent problems
Payroll departments often make mistakes, and these errors sometimes appear on pay stubs pay period after pay period until they are discovered. This is why you should check your pay stub every time you are paid. Your pay stub could reveal that you were not paid the proper rate, were not properly paid for the overtime you worked or are paying voluntary deductions that you have not consented to.