Module 01
New Business Startup Kit
The sequence most California employers follow from "I'm hiring my first employee" to "I'm compliant." Check items off as you go — nothing here saves between sessions, so treat it as a working list for this session.
Before your first hire
Get a federal EIN
Required before you can run payroll or file federal payroll taxes.
Register for a CA Employer Payroll Tax Account Number
Required with EDD before your first payroll, regardless of headcount.
Get workers' compensation insurance
Mandatory in California from employee #1 — no minimum headcount exemption.
Post mandatory workplace posters
CA and federal posters (minimum wage, safety, harassment, leave rights) must be displayed before staff start work.
At the time of hire
Complete Form I-9 for every new hire
Within 3 business days of the start date; verify identity and work authorization documents.
Collect W-4 and DE 4
Federal and California withholding elections, both needed for payroll setup.
Issue a Wage Theft Prevention Act notice
Required at hire for most non-exempt employees, detailing pay rate, payday, and employer info.
Report the new hire to EDD
New Employee Registry report due within 20 days of the start date.
Within the first year
Write an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP)
Cal/OSHA requires a written IIPP for every California employer, regardless of size.
Set up harassment prevention training (5+ employees)
Supervisors need 2 hours, non-supervisors 1 hour, every 2 years.
Register for CalSavers (if no retirement plan)
Required for employers with 1+ employees who don't offer a qualified retirement plan.
Build an employee handbook
Not legally required at every size, but strongly reduces risk once you have several employees.
Module 02
Employee Handbook Builder
Build a real, section-by-section handbook from a California-specific policy library. Policies that are legally triggered by your headcount are pre-selected — review, adjust, and export.
Headcount determines which California-specific policies are legally triggered (CFRA, pregnancy disability leave, harassment training, etc.) — we'll pre-select them for you in the next step. You can still adjust anything manually.
Module 02
Compliance Center
A working library of the forms and policies California employers reach for most. "Draft with AI" opens the advisor with a preset prompt — review anything flagged before use.
Hiring & onboarding
Standard
Offer letter
CA pay transparency (SB 1162) requires a good-faith pay range in job postings — carry it into the offer letter too.
Attorney review
Background check authorization
Must satisfy both federal FCRA and California's ICRAA disclosure/authorization rules — easy to get wrong.
Standard
Wage Theft Prevention notice
Required for most non-exempt hires; must be updated within 7 days of certain pay changes.
Wage & hour
Standard
Meal & rest break policy
Written policy plus a practical acknowledgment process — premium pay applies when breaks are missed.
Standard
Timekeeping policy
Covers rounding rules, off-the-clock work, and remote/mobile timekeeping.
Attorney review
Exempt classification worksheet
Walks through the salary basis and duties tests California uses — misclassification is one of the biggest sources of exposure.
Leave & accommodation
Standard
CFRA / leave request form
CFRA applies at 5+ employees — broader than federal FMLA, which only kicks in at 50.
Standard
Paid sick leave policy
State minimum plus any city/county rules that exceed it (LA, SF, and others often do).
Discipline & termination
Attorney review
Performance improvement plan (PIP)
Documentation matters most here — clear, specific, and dated.
Attorney review
Termination & final pay checklist
Final pay timing is strict — immediate on involuntary termination, 72 hours on a quit without notice.
Safety
Standard
IIPP template
Required in writing for every California employer under Cal/OSHA.
Standard
Workplace injury report form
Feeds your OSHA 300 log and workers' comp claim process.
Module 03
Official Resources
Direct links to the state and federal agencies that actually set these rules. Bookmark this page — these are the sources to check when something needs to be current.
California state agencies
DIR — Department of Industrial Relations
Wage orders, Labor Commissioner, wage & hour rules
CRD — Civil Rights Department
FEHA, harassment training, discrimination complaints (formerly DFEH)
EDD — Employment Development Department
Payroll tax registration, new hire reporting, unemployment/disability insurance
Cal/OSHA
Workplace safety standards, IIPP requirements, injury reporting
CalSavers
State-mandated retirement savings program registration
CA Secretary of State
Business entity formation and filings
Franchise Tax Board
State business and payroll tax
Federal agencies
U.S. Department of Labor
FLSA, FMLA, federal wage & hour rules
EEOC
Title VII, ADA, ADEA — federal discrimination law
IRS
EIN registration, federal payroll tax, W-4
USCIS — Form I-9
Employment eligibility verification
NLRB
National Labor Relations Act, union/concerted activity rights
SBA — Small Business Administration
General small business startup guidance and funding resources