California Employer Compliance Kit 2027: State Checklist, Deadline Calendar and Excel Tracker

Who it is for

Owners, office managers and bookkeepers who run payroll for employees working in California, from the first hire to the year-end forms.

Not the right fit if

Your employees work outside California: get that state's kit, or the 2027 Employer Compliance Bundle for several states. Not a payroll service, and not a legal review of your policies.

Why it is different

• Built only from our California data files, checked November 2026 against 13 official pages, among them California Employment Development Department (EDD); California EDD: Contribution Rates, Withholding Schedules, and Meals and Lodging Values; Official page; California EDD: Required Filings and Due Dates; California Department of Industrial Relations: Workplace Postings; AB 622 (2015), enrolled bill text and Legislative Counsel's digest; California DIR: minimum wage set to increase to $17.40 on January 1, 2027 (release 2026-66); U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (revised July 1, 2026).
• 1 item the official pages didn't state is marked "not confirmed" with the page to check, never guessed.
• The workbook recalculates with zero formula errors and dates the California new-hire steps for you.

What is inside

• Start here. How to use the kit, the 17 confirmed California rules at a glance and the 1 items to confirm, each with the official page to check: breaks for workers under 18 (California DLSE: Meal periods FAQ).
• California 2027 checklist. Eight steps from unemployment tax registration to year-end filing, each confirmed rule with its source link and check date, from California Employment Development Department (EDD), EDD e-Services for Business, California Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC). What it confirms: open a state unemployment tax account: Enroll in EDD's e-Services for Business to register and file (EDD Required Filings and Due Dates page); taxable wage base for 2027: $7,000 per employee in 2027 ($7,000 in 2026); new employer tax rate: 3.4% for a new employer; quarterly wage reports and payments: EDD: the DE 9 and DE 9C are due the first day of the month after the quarter and are delinquent if not filed by the last day of that month (April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31); a weekend or legal holiday moves the last day to the next business day; state income tax withholding: State income tax applies; report each new hire to the state: Within 20 days of the start-of-work date (the first day services were performed for wages); e-Verify for private employers: No state rule requires it; minimum wage now (2026): $16.90 an hour; minimum wage change in 2027: Rises to $17.40 an hour on Friday, January 1, 2027; tipped employees: No tip credit: tipped staff get the full minimum wage before tips; paid sick leave: Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (Labor Code 245-249), as amended by SB 616; meal breaks for adults: A 30-minute meal period when the workday runs more than 5 hours, and a second one past 10 hours; rest breaks for adults: A paid 10-minute rest period for each 4 hours worked or major fraction of 4 hours; workers' compensation insurance: Required for every employer, even with only one employee; final pay when you let someone go: Immediately, at the time of discharge, including accrued vacation; final pay when an employee quits: Within 72 hours of quitting; state copies of W-2s and 1099s: FTB's guide to information returns lists 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC with state filing dates (paper February 28, electronic March 31).
• 2027 deadline calendar. 12 dates our California files state: 4 quarterly due dates from California Employment Development Department (EDD); January 1, 2027: minimum wage rises to $17.40 an hour; 2 state W-2 and 1099 filing dates from Franchise Tax Board (FTB) and Employment Development Department (EDD), with weekend dates flagged and a month-by-month planner for your own.
• New hire and pay change checklist. One page per hire, with the report to EDD e-Services for Business (new hires reported in 20 days) and the I-9 steps, and one per pay change against the $17.40 minimum wage from January 1.
• California compliance workbook (Excel). The California dates in a deadline tracker with days left and status, a new-hire sheet that dates each step from the start date (new hires reported in 20 days), and a pay-change sheet that flags any rate below the 2027 floor.