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File: PAGA-RISK 10 questions / Max 64

Free California PAGA risk assessment

Know if you're a PAGA target before the notice lands.

Ten operational questions. A scored risk level you can email to your team. Takes a few minutes, and documents that you looked.

Start assessment See how the $15 / $30 / $100 tiers work

Want the full compliance picture? Run the HR Risk Score

California employer reviewing wage-and-hour exposure materials

What you walk away with

Time
~3 minutes
Output
Risk level + score
Coverage
Breaks / OT / stubs / class
Next step
Email the file to your team

PAGA Lens

You took the risk assessment. This check goes deeper with findings, reasonable steps, and planning figures.

Find the gaps a PAGA claim would start from

Answer questions about how you pay and track your California employees. You get a report that shows where your pay practices, your records and your reasonable-steps file have gaps, in the same categories a payroll audit tests.

Start the check About 8 minutes. No account.

How it works

  1. 1 Answer the questions

    We ask how you pay, track time and document your steps.

  2. 2 Say where to send it

    Name, work email and company. That is all it takes to get your report.

  3. 3 Open your email

    A secure link opens your full report. A PDF copy is one click away.

  4. 4 Read it, then choose a next step

    Request a PAGA audit or book a 20-minute review. We ask a few more questions only then.

Your results arrive by email, not on this page, so you can open them again, forward them and share them with counsel.

Questionnaire

Answer one question at a time

Your score updates as you go. Finish all ten for the full result — or email a provisional score as soon as you have enough to act on. Directional only; not legal advice.

Answered 0 / 10 Score 0 / 64

01 · Company Size How many non-exempt (hourly) employees do you have in California?
02 · Meal & Rest Breaks How confident are you that every meal break starts before the 5th hour?
03 · Meal & Rest Breaks Are 10-minute paid rest breaks provided for every 4 hours worked?
04 · Wage Statements Do your pay stubs include all 9 required items under LC § 226?
05 · Overtime & RRC Does your overtime calculation include all non-discretionary compensation (bonuses, shift differentials)?
06 · Final Pay When an employee is terminated, how quickly is their final pay issued?
07 · Timekeeping How do you track employee time?
08 · Records How long do you retain payroll and timekeeping records?
09 · Classification Have you reviewed employee classifications (exempt vs. non-exempt) in the last 12 months?
10 · History Have you received any wage/hour complaints, demand letters, or PAGA notices in the past 3 years?

FAQ

About this risk assessment

01 How do I assess my PAGA risk as a California employer?

Assess your PAGA risk by evaluating compliance across key areas: meal/rest break procedures, wage statement accuracy, overtime calculations (including Regular Rate of Compensation), employee classifications, final pay timing, timekeeping systems, and record retention. A self-assessment can identify obvious gaps, but a forensic payroll audit using actual data provides the most accurate risk picture.

02 What factors make an employer a target for PAGA lawsuits?

Employers most targeted for PAGA claims tend to have: large non-exempt workforces (more employees = higher aggregate penalties), industries with shift work (manufacturing, healthcare, food service), manual or paper-based timekeeping, high turnover (more final pay events), and multiple California locations. Prior complaints or demand letters also indicate elevated risk.

03 Can a PAGA risk assessment help reduce penalties?

Yes. Conducting regular risk assessments and acting on findings constitutes 'reasonable steps' under AB 2288, qualifying you for up to 85% penalty reduction. The key is documenting both the assessment and the corrective actions taken. Courts look at whether the employer was proactively trying to comply, not whether compliance was perfect.

04 What is the HR Risk Score assessment?

The HR Risk Score is EaseWorks' comprehensive employment compliance assessment that evaluates your organization across multiple risk categories including PAGA exposure, safety compliance, HR infrastructure, and regulatory readiness. It provides a numeric score with specific recommendations and can serve as documentation of 'reasonable steps' for PAGA penalty reduction purposes.

Cluster

Next file

A score is a signal. An audit is the proof file.

Document reasonable steps before a notice arrives — or sprint within 60 days if one already did.

Start a PAGA audit Book a call Call (888) 843-0880