In California, employees who incur expenses as a result of performing their duties are entitled to monetary reimbursement from their employers. Specifically, under California Labor Code Section 2802, an employer must reimburse an employee for “all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee” as a result of discharging his or her duties.
The following will provide a non-exhaustive list of typical expenses that an employee incurs and which must usually be reimbursed by an employer:
- Mileage incurred for required use of a vehicle;
- Required use of a cellular phone;
- Required purchase of company supplies;
- Required travel on behalf of an employer;
- The costs of uniforms that are required to be worn as a condition of employment;
In regard to mileage reimbursement, the standard mileage rates announced by the IRS are as follows:
- 57.5 cents per mile for business miles drive, increased from 56 cents in 2014;
- 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, decreased half a cent from 2014; and
- 14 cents per mile driven in furtherance of service of charitable organizations.
California Labor Code Section 2802 allows an employee to bring a civil lawsuit for damages as a result of an employer’s failure to reimburse for business expenses. An employee is entitled to seek monetary damages for reimbursable expenses, interest from the date the expense was incurred, reasonable attorneys’ fees expended as a result of the lawsuit, and costs.
If you have incurred necessary business expenses that your employer has refused to reimburse, you should contact an experienced employment law lawyer in Los Angeles. The Law Offices can provide an experienced Employment Law Lawyer to represent an employee entitled to reimbursement for business expenses. Contact the firm today for your free consultation.
