Expense Reimbursements

Many employers require that their employees wear uniforms while on the job. While not all required apparel may be considered a “uniform” under California labor law, an employer may have to pay for any required apparel with a distinctive color or design, such as shirts that have the employer’s logo or emblem. Employers can also dictate the color, quality, style of the uniforms their employees wear, but in some cases an employer must also compensate employees for any out-of-pocket costs to clean and maintain the uniform, such as dry cleaning expenses.

The use of tools and equipment is often necessary in order to perform certain job functions. Generally, employers must supply the tools and equipment or provide appropriate reimbursement to the employee for any incurred expenses. If either the tools or the equipment require special maintenance the employer may also be required to pay for it or provide a full reimbursement.

Employers may be held accountable for reimbursing an employee for necessary and reasonable travel expenses. These types of expenses typically include meals, lodging, and other incidental expenses which are incurred when an employee travels away from home on business. The employee is generally responsible for providing receipts to verify their reimbursable expenses.

California labor law provides that driving and transportation costs must be reimbursed by an employer if an employee uses his or her personal vehicle to perform job related duties (i.e. travel from worksite to worksite). In the majority of instances, employers are not obligated to provide mileage expense reimbursements to employees for driving to and from work.

If you believe your employer has not fully compensated you for your business expenses please call (866) 981-4800 or fill out the form on the right for a free and confidential consultation with one of our employment lawyers.

Our California employment attorneys – with over 50 years of collective experience litigating under California employment law – know how to fight for employees’ rights and get them the money they deserve. We’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars for California employees and represent individuals as well as class actions in virtually every area of California employment and labor laws: California overtime law, off the clock violations in CA, breach of contract disputes, California independent contractor law, sexual harassment, employee misclassification, discrimination, as well as mass layoffs in violation of the California WARN Act. Our California employment lawyers are repeatedly recognized for their expertise litigating in California. Founding partner Eric Gibbs has been selected as one of the Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California. And seventeen of the firm’s attorneys were selected as Northern California Super Lawyers and Rising Stars, a distinction received by less than 5% of attorneys in Northern California.