The clocks, complete
Law Office of Arthur Karadzhyan · California employment-law deadlines
Fifty articles on this site mention a deadline. This page is all of them, in one table — with the honest caveat up top instead of the fine print below.
The caveat, first. Limitation periods carry exceptions this table cannot hold: tolling, continuing violations, discovery rules, government-claim quirks. Treat every entry as the outer boundary and the shortest plausible clock as the real one — and treat this page as a map, not advice. When any date might be near, write to us with the dates in your first line.
Filing deadlines
| Claim | The clock | Covered in |
|---|---|---|
| FEHA (discrimination, harassment, retaliation) | 3 years to file with the CRD; then 1 year from the right-to-sue letter to file in court | The CRD complaint and the right-to-sue letter |
| Labor Code §1102.5 whistleblower; §§98.6, 6310 | Generally 3 years; no administrative exhaustion | How California’s retaliation framework actually works |
| Wrongful termination in violation of public policy (Tameny) | 2 years | What at-will does not mean |
| Unpaid wages, overtime, premiums, expenses | 3 years; a 4th via the Unfair Competition Law | The wage cluster, throughout |
| Wage-statement penalties (§226(e)) | 1 year (the underlying wages keep their own 3–4) | Reading your wage statement |
| Waiting-time penalties (§203) | 3 years, including a claim seeking penalties alone | Your last paycheck |
| Equal Pay Act (§1197.5) | 2 years; 3 if willful | Equal pay, salary history, and the pay scale |
| Defamation (references) | 1 year | What your old employer can say about you |
| Breach of contract | 4 years written; 2 oral | The firm’s contract analyses |
| PAGA | Generally 1 year; the specified §2699.3 administrative periods are excluded from the lawsuit limitations calculation | The ABC test; Adolph note |
| Public-entity claims (non-FEHA) | As short as 6 months under the Government Claims Act | Retaliation primer; Stone note |
Response deadlines you can trigger
| Request | Their clock | Covered in |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel file (§1198.5) | 30 days | Requests in writing |
| Wage statements (§226(b)) | 21 days | Requests in writing |
| Quota + work-speed data (§§2100–2112) | 21 days — with a 90-day retaliation presumption protecting the request | Warehouse field guide |
| Pay scale (§432.3) | Reasonable time on request | Equal pay primer |
| Background report (ICRAA/FCRA) | With any adverse action, before it is final | Fair Chance primer |
Windows that protect you before signing
| Moment | The window | Covered in |
|---|---|---|
| Any California severance offer | Not less than 5 business days, with written notice of the right to counsel | The severance guide; the annotated agreement |
| Age release, 40+ (OWBPA) | 21 days to consider (45 in group layoffs); 7 days to revoke after signing | The severance guide |
| Unemployment appeal | 30 days — short and strict | Your last paycheck |
The pattern
Read the three tables together and the design of the law becomes visible: long clocks for the claims themselves, short clocks the employer must obey when you invoke your information rights, and mandatory pauses wherever someone hands you a pen. The system assumes an informed worker who acts within windows — which is precisely what this library exists to produce. Calendar what applies, in red. Then, if any of it is running, write to us today rather than this quarter — the first thing we do with every matter is exactly what this page just did.
This page states California and federal law as of its revision date, at map-level generality — exceptions and tolling doctrines exist and matter. It is information, not advice.
This article states California law as of its revision date and is analysis, not legal advice. Reading this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney advertising.