Domestic Workers and Wage Theft: The California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

California’s Domestic Workers Bill of Rights extended overtime protections to personal attendants — workers who had been excluded from California’s overtime law for decades. Many domestic workers still don’t know they’re covered.

Who Is Covered

The law covers personal attendants, including: nannies, caregivers, and housecleaners who work for private households. Workers who work more than 9 hours per day or more than 45 hours per week are entitled to overtime. Workers employed by a third-party employer (an agency) are covered by standard California overtime rules.

Most domestic workers who work full-time are owed overtime. A caregiver who works 10 hours per day, six days a week, has been working overtime for years. The three-year lookback applies. The calculation can be significant. The California Wage Theft Recovery System includes the framework for domestic worker claims.

The California Wage Theft Recovery System gives workers the exact tools and templates to document violations, calculate what they’re owed, and file the right claims at the right agencies — without paying an attorney to get started. Request your free evaluation here.