Attorneys Holding Businesses Accountable for Unreimbursed Employee Expenses
Workers sometimes have to pay out of pocket for work-related expenses. These may include goods or services necessary to carry out their job duties, costs associated with work uniforms, or expenses incurred for travel to client sites or business events. Because these expenses represent the cost of an employer’s operations, the law typically requires employers to reimburse their workers for work-related expenses they incur. When they fail to do so, the worker may have grounds for a claim for unreimbursed work expenses.
However, such claims often involve complex factual and legal issues, making it critical for employees to have knowledgeable legal representation. The legal team at Moon Law Group, PC, can assess your situation and help you pursue a financial recovery for your work-related expenses.
Contact Moon Law Group today to schedule your initial, confidential case evaluation with a Los Angeles failure to reimburse expenses lawyer. You’ll discover how our firm can help you demand a full financial recovery for unreimbursed work expenses you’ve incurred to perform your job.
For a free legal consultation with an expense reimbursement lawyer serving Los Angeles, call 213-320-0519
How Can a Los Angeles Employment Expense Reimbursement Lawyer Help with My Case?
Since 2007, Moon Law Group has focused exclusively on representing workers in employment law matters, successfully resolving numerous complex and fact-intensive cases across California.
Our team has a proven track record of success in state and federal courts, having recovered millions of dollars for tens of thousands of employees. We also hold extensive experience pursuing collective and class actions, which allows multiple employees with substantially similar claims against a specific employer to stand up for their rights and interests.
As one of the largest plaintiff’s employment law firms in California, Moon Law Group has the resources, legal knowledge, and dedication to take on businesses that cheat or mistreat their employees and hold them accountable. If your employer refused to reimburse you for work expenses, an attorney from our law firm can help you pursue a compensation claim by doing the following:
- Thoroughly investigating your claim to obtain evidence proving your right to reimbursement and establishing the value of your claim
- Explaining your rights under state law to reimbursement of your work expenses, which can include costs you incur in pursuing a legal claim to secure reimbursement
- Guiding you on your legal options, such as pursuing administrative or civil claims.
- Vigorously fighting for full compensation for the work expenses you’ve incurred, even when that means taking your claims to court to hold your employer accountable
- Never charging you anything to get started on your case, with no fees unless we successfully resolve your claim
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What Are My Rights for Reimbursement as an Employee in Los Angeles?
Under California law, employers must provide a business expense reimbursement to employees for all necessary expenses incurred by those employees as a direct consequence of performing their work duties or adhering to their employer’s instructions (unless the employee reasonably believed the employer had given an illegal instruction). Failure to do so is a wage violation.
Furthermore, the law states that any award of expense reimbursements issued by a court or the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement shall accrue interest at the same rate as a judgment in a civil action, from the date the employee incurred the expense. The law further defines “necessary expenditures or losses” as including all reasonable costs incurred by an employee to enforce their rights under the state statute, including attorney’s fees.
In addition, the law allows the commissioner of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement to issue a citation to an employer for violating their reimbursement obligations under state law, with any amount recovered from a citation paid to the employee. California law also prohibits employers from requiring employees to waive their rights to reimbursement under state law.
The law ensures that employers do not receive a windfall or improperly attempt to pass off business expenses to employees. At the same time, it protects employees from having to absorb their employer’s business expenses or the costs associated with performing their jobs.
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What Are Examples of Expenses That Should Typically Be Reimbursed?
Employees have the right to compensation for a wide variety of employment-related expenses. Types of expenses frequently reimbursed by employers include the following:
- Mileage traveled by an employee in their personal vehicle for work or reimbursement for fuel, tolls, and maintenance of wear and tear (excluding travel to and from work)
- Cell phone expenses for a personal cell phone used for work calls
- Purchases of supplies, consumables, equipment, or software
- Mandatory uniforms or personal protective equipment
- Work-from-home equipment mandated by an employer
- Training courses required or approved by an employer, or courses needed to help an employee perform their job requirements
- Expenses incurred during business trips, such as conference fees, airfare, hotel rooms, and meals
- Food and entertainment expenses incurred to solicit business from current or prospective customers/clients
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What Do Employers Usually Do to Underpay or Deny Reimbursements?
Employers have various tactics they may employ in an attempt to refuse to compensate workers fully for work-related expenses, including the following:
- Deeming expenses as not work-related
- Imposing unreasonable documentation requirements
- Mandating pre-approval for any specific expense
- Setting unreasonably low expense limits (such as a $5 or $10 limit for a meal)
- Arbitrarily devaluing expense claims to “reasonable” limits
What Must I Prove in a Legal Claim for Failure to Reimburse Work Expenses?
To win a claim for unreimbursed work expenses, you must:
- Prove that you incurred an expense to fulfill your job duties or to comply with your employer’s instructions or requirements
- Have documentation proving the expense, such as invoices, receipts, or credit card statements
- Prove that your employer wrongfully denied or underpaid your costs, including by showing that you followed your employer’s reasonable reimbursement claim procedures
- Prove that the law does not bar you from recovering the expenses, such as transportation costs incurred traveling to and from work, or citations incurred for legal violations
If I Work from Home, Can I Still Claim Reimbursable Work Expenses?
Employees who work from home may have the right to claim reimbursement of work-related expenses, especially if their employers do not have office space where those employees can work or mandate that employees work from home (such as businesses that do not have a physical location).
Employees who must work from home may have a claim for reimbursement of such expenses as the following:
- A portion of the employee’s home internet and phone bills, utility bills, and rent/mortgage
- Office equipment and supplies, such as printers, ink, and paper
- Technology required by the employer for the employee’s work, such as computers with specific hardware requirements, webcams, or subscription software like antivirus programs
Can I Be Reimbursed for On-the-Job Traffic and Parking Tickets?
Employees typically cannot demand reimbursement for traffic or parking tickets they received while driving for work. The law does not require employers to reimburse employees for expenses they incurred due to illegal conduct, such as fines issued for traffic or parking violations.
However, an employee may have a claim for reimbursement of a traffic or parking ticket if their employer requires them to drive or park their vehicle in an illegal manner, resulting in the employee receiving a citation. For example, an employer may instruct an employee to exceed the speed limit to meet tight delivery deadlines or park in a handicapped space if they cannot find a non-handicapped space.
Employers can also voluntarily adopt policies under which they agree to reimburse employees for some or all types of traffic or parking fines.
Can I Be Reimbursed if I’m an Independent Contractor?
California’s laws mandating employer reimbursement of work expenses only protect employees. Independent contractors do not enjoy the same protections under state law. Instead, independent contractors who wish to be reimbursed for specific expenses should negotiate clauses providing for reimbursement in their independent contractor agreement. Thus, any right that an independent contractor has to reimbursement from a client would arise under their contract.
However, a worker may have a claim to reimbursement if they’ve been misclassified as an independent contractor when, under applicable law, they should be classified as an employee. As such, a misclassified independent contractor may have the right to claim reimbursement for work expenses if they can prove that they qualify as an employee under applicable law.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim for Recovering Unreimbursed Expenses?
Under California’s statute of limitations, the reimbursement deadline for filing legal action requires you to file any such suit within three years of an employer’s failure to reimburse. However, once you have filed suit, you can recover up to four years of unreimbursed work expenses.
You can protect your rights to compensation by contacting an employment law attorney at Moon Law Group as soon as possible, so that you file your claims on time.
Contact a Los Angeles Employment Expense Reimbursement Attorney Today
Has your employer failed to reimburse you for expenses you incurred in the course of your job duties? If so, you may have a legal compensation claim. We at Moon Law Group invite you to learn more about your rights and how we can help you enforce them. Reach out to us today for a free, confidential consultation with a Los Angeles failure to reimburse expenses attorney.
Call or text 213-320-0519 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
