The numbers at a glance
- 4,750 charges filed in California with the EEOC in fiscal 2025
- 16,924 right to sue notices issued by CRD in 2024, plus 4,077 employment complaints investigated
- 300 days the EEOC filing deadline in California
- 3 years the CRD filing deadline
- 4.1 to 1 state employment filings to federal charges, 2024
Every California worker with a discrimination, harassment or retaliation claim can file with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, with the California Civil Rights Department, or with both through cross filing. In practice the state agency handles about four times as many employment filings. This page puts the two systems side by side.
The filings
| Measure | EEOC, California, fiscal 2024 | CRD, calendar 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Charges or complaints filed | 5,099 charges | 16,924 right to sue notices and 4,077 employment complaints investigated |
| Most common basis | Retaliation, 2,592 | Disability, 14,430 right to sue complaints |
| Sexual harassment | Not published by state | Hostile environment 6,787, quid pro quo 2,730 right to sue complaints |
| Sexual orientation, gender identity | Counted under sex | 2,231 and 2,456 right to sue complaints |
The rules
| Rule | EEOC (federal law) | CRD (California law) |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline to file | 300 days from the act | 3 years from the act |
| Deadline to sue after the notice | 90 days | 1 year |
| Employer size covered | 15 or more employees (20 for age) | 5 or more for discrimination, 1 or more for harassment |
| Damage caps | Compensatory and punitive damages capped at $50,000 to $300,000 by employer size | No caps |
| Personal liability of the harasser | No | Yes |
| Immediate right to sue | After 180 days, or earlier on request | Immediately, online |
| Protected characteristics | Race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information | Those plus ancestry, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, military status, reproductive health decisions and more |
| Single incident harassment | Depends on the circuit | Sufficient if severe, by statute |
The outcomes
The EEOC resolved 90,744 charges nationwide in fiscal 2025. 57,500 ended with a no cause finding, 63.4 percent. Merit resolutions, meaning settlements, withdrawals with benefits, cause findings and successful conciliations, were 15,869, 17.5 percent. The agency filed 107 lawsuits in fiscal 2025 and recovered 26.64 million dollars through litigation.
CRD closed 5,099 investigated complaints in 2024 and recorded 872 settlements worth $99,411,396, of which $85,767,631 came from 39 legal division matters. Neither agency's figures include what happens after a right to sue, which is where most California cases with a lawyer are resolved.
Which to choose
- Most California workers should file with CRD: the deadline is longer, the statute broader, the damages uncapped, and the right to sue immediate.
- File with the EEOC when the employer is the federal government, when the claim is under the Equal Pay Act, or when a federal forum is wanted for a reason a lawyer has explained.
- A filing with either agency is cross filed with the other, so the federal claim is preserved by a state filing made within 300 days.
- If the 300 days have passed but the three years have not, the state claim is still alive. That is the most common reason to file with CRD.
Deadlines that decide these cases
A California worker has three years from the last act of harassment or discrimination to file with the Civil Rights Department, and one year after a right to sue notice to file in court. The federal deadline is much shorter, 300 days to file a charge with the EEOC. The counts on this page only include people who filed inside those windows. Everyone who waited too long is missing from every table here.
Not sure where to file?
Tell us your dates. A free, confidential review will sort the deadlines and the forum in one call.
Sources
The figures on this page were taken from the following publications, as released by the agencies. Percentages, changes, sums and rates per 100,000 workers are our own arithmetic from those figures.
- EEOC, Table E1b, charge receipts by state and basis, FY 2009 to FY 2025, www.eeoc.gov
- EEOC, Table E1c, charge receipts and resolutions by type, FY 1997 to FY 2025, www.eeoc.gov
- EEOC, Table L1, litigation statistics, FY 1997 to FY 2025, www.eeoc.gov
- California Civil Rights Department, 2024 Annual Report (complaint tables and county appendix), calcivilrights.ca.gov
Frequently asked questions
Should I file with the EEOC or the CRD in California?
How many people file with CRD compared with the EEOC?
Can I file with both?
What happens if I miss the EEOC deadline?
Attorney advertising. The figures on this page come from the public sources listed above and are reproduced or computed as described. They are provided for general information and do not constitute legal advice, nor does reading this page create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different. If you believe your rights were violated, consult a California employment attorney promptly, filing deadlines apply.