99 Cents Only Stores wage and hour record at a glance
99 Cents Only Stores appears in 6 concluded Wage and Hour Division investigations in California, closed between Sep 18, 2004 and Dec 3, 2019. 5 of them found violations, 19 in all, and the employer agreed to pay $45,243 in back wages to 14 workers, plus $2,014 in civil money penalties. Of the back wages, $45,243 was unpaid overtime and $0 unpaid minimum wage under the federal standard. The largest single case closed Aug 26, 2016 in San Bernardino with $31,263 for 7 workers. The Division flagged 3 cases as repeat or willful. That places the employer at #2,148 of 23,910 California employers in the database by back wages. The same employer has 16 WARN layoff notices on file with the EDD.
Industry as coded by the Division: All Other General Merchandise Stores. Laws involved: FMLA, FLSA.
Every case, newest first
| Case closed | Period investigated | City | Findings | Back wages | Workers paid | Penalties | Laws |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 3, 2019 | Dec 2017 to Dec 2019 | San Jose | 2 violations | 0 | 0 | 0 | FMLA |
| Aug 7, 2018 | Aug 2016 to Aug 2018 | Sacramento | 2 violations repeat | $3,276 | 2 | $2,014 | FLSA |
| Jan 8, 2018 | Jan 2016 to Jan 2018 | Redding | no violations found | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Aug 26, 2016 | Jul 2014 to Aug 2016 | San Bernardino | 8 violations repeat | $31,263 | 7 | 0 | FLSA |
| Aug 26, 2016 | Aug 2013 to Aug 2016 | Riverside | 6 violations repeat | $10,704 | 5 | 0 | FLSA |
| Sep 18, 2004 | Jul 2003 to Sep 2004 | Huntington Bch | 1 violation | 0 | 0 | 0 | FLSA |
Also filed as: 99 Cent Stores Only Stores, LLC; 99 Cents Only Stores, LLC.
Local pages: San Jose employment lawyer, Sacramento employment lawyer.
How to read this record
Each row is one federal investigation. Period investigated is the span of payroll the Division reviewed, usually two years back from the complaint. Back wages is what the employer agreed to pay for that period at the federal rate; penalties went to the government, not to workers.
Back wages computed under the federal law are usually a fraction of the California number for the same hours: the state minimum is $16.90 in 2026, overtime starts after 8 hours in a day, and each missed meal or rest period adds an hour of pay. Workers paid in these cases may still be owed that difference, and the federal release form covers only the federal claim.
Full explainer: what a Labor Department case is, and what it is not.
If you work, or worked, at 99 Cents Only Stores
Pull together your pay stubs and your own record of hours for the last three years, request your pay records in writing (the employer has 21 days under Labor Code 226), and keep any WH-58 receipt from a Labor Department payment. A free review tells you in one call whether the California numbers exceed what was paid, whether break premiums and waiting time penalties apply, and whether anything that happened after you complained counts as retaliation. Call (800) 371-3088 or send your stubs.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement database, California cases. Record last checked Oct 30, 2026. Back to the wage theft tracker.
About this data: Cases come from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division enforcement database (WHD compliance actions concluded since fiscal year 2005, California employers only), published by the Department of Labor and reloaded here every month. "Back wages" are amounts the employer agreed to pay at the close of the investigation; "penalties" are civil money penalties assessed. An investigation that found no violation is listed as such. The database does not include California Labor Commissioner cases or private lawsuits. This page is general information, not legal advice about your situation.