California New-Hire Onboarding & Compliance Checklist

• Form I-9 (employment eligibility). Complete within the federal deadlines; review documents without over-documenting (USCIS).
• Federal W-4 and California DE 4. Withholding elections.
• Wage Theft Prevention Act notice (Labor Code §2810.5). A written notice of pay rate, payday, employer info, and more, given to non-exempt hires at the time of hiring.
• Required pamphlets/notices— including State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave information (EDD), the sexual-harassment information pamphlet, workers' compensation rights, and your workplace postings.

Report every new employee to California's New Employee Registry (EDD) within 20 days of their start date.

• An at-will offer letter stating pay, status (exempt/non-exempt), and start date.
• If you advertised the role, the posting must include a pay scale for employers with 15+ employees (Labor Code §432.3) — and don't ask for salary history.
• Confirm the classification (exempt vs non-exempt) is correct before the first paycheck.

• Provide the employee handbook and collect a signed acknowledgment.
• Review meal/rest, timekeeping, anti-harassment, and complaint-reporting policies.
• Schedule harassment-prevention training — employers with 5+ employees must train new hires within six months (Gov. Code §12950.1).

Beyond compliance, a strong first 30–60–90 days — payroll and benefits enrollment, equipment, introductions, role expectations, and early check-ins — is what turns a new hire into a retained, engaged employee.