ARTICLE 5. Uniform State Pay Roll System [12470. - 12482.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 5.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12470. Section 12470.

In conformity with the accounting system prescribed by the Department of Finance pursuant to Section 13300, the Controller shall install and operate a uniform state payroll system for all state agencies except the California Exposition and State Fair and the University of California. The Controller may provide for the orderly inclusion of state agencies into the system, and may make exceptions from the operation thereof for the periods as the Controller determines necessary.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12471. Section 12471.

The uniform state pay roll system shall provide adequate accounting procedures to enable each state agency to properly account salary and wage expenditures under the uniform state accounting system.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12472. Section 12472.

The uniform state payroll system may provide for the fixing of staggered payroll periods, and designated days of the month on which permanent monthly salaried employees shall be paid for the preceding payroll period. These pay dates shall not be more than 10 calendar days following the close of the payroll period for monthly salaried employees and not more than 15 calendar days following the close of the payroll period for semimonthly and biweekly payroll systems. No change shall be made pursuant to this section in the existing payroll periods of a bargaining unit unless the change is authorized or approved in the memorandum of understanding for that unit.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12472.5. Section 12472.5.

Notwithstanding any other law, on and after January 1, 2025, payments to employees made through the uniform state payroll system for master payroll paid on June 30 of each year shall be issue dated on July 1, provided that employees shall, in any event, be paid promptly.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12473. Section 12473.

The pay roll period of employees of a state agency shall not be changed by inclusion of the agency into the uniform state pay roll system or by any revision or modification of the system unless notice of the proposed change has been given to each employee who will be affected by such change in the form and manner prescribed by the Controller not less than 60 days prior to the effective date of the change.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12474. Section 12474.

The Controller shall establish and maintain a payroll roster of all persons employed by every state agency except the University of California and may establish and maintain a roster of all established positions. The payroll roster shall include both civil service and exempt employees, but shall not necessarily include emergency appointees or the equivalent. With the agreement of the Controller, any modification, addition, or deletion to the payroll roster may be done electronically and the data base entry shall be certified notification of the appointing powers’ action for disbursement, or other acts in reliance, by the Controller.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12475. Section 12475.

Each appointing power shall correctly and promptly certify to the Controller all changes, modifications, additions and deletions to the pay roll roster in compliance with all applicable civil service, fiscal, and other pertinent laws, rules, and regulations. The Controller shall disburse or otherwise act in reliance upon all pay roll roster certifications and attendance reports certified to the Controller by the respective appointing powers.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12476. Section 12476.

The Controller may audit the uniform state pay roll system, the State Pay Roll Revolving Fund, and related records of state agencies within the uniform state pay roll system, in such manner as the Controller may determine.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12477. Section 12477.

Rules and regulations adopted under this article or Section 1153 are excepted from the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act and shall be distributed in the form and manner as the Controller determines.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12478. Section 12478.

Upon receipt of proof, satisfactory to the Controller, that a payroll warrant issued by the Controller has been lost or destroyed prior to its delivery to the employee to whom it is payable, the Controller shall, upon certification by the payee’s appointing power, issue a replacement warrant in payment of the same amount, without requiring a bond from the payee, and any loss incurred in connection therewith shall be charged against the account from which the payment was derived. Without limiting the generality of the preceding sentence, a payroll warrant shall be considered to have been lost if it has been sent to the payee but not received by him within a reasonable time, consistent with the policy of prompt payment of employees or if it has been sent to a state officer or employee for delivery to the payee or for forwarding to another state officer or employee for such delivery, and has not been received within such reasonable time. A replacement warrant is void if not presented for payment to the Treasurer within the same time limit provided by law for the original warrant.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12479. Section 12479.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, an employee of the state may file with their appointing power a designation of a person or persons for receipt of employee warrants upon death. The designation shall control who is entitled to receive the warrants that would have been payable to the decedent had they survived. (b) An employee may designate a primary person and up to three contingent persons pursuant to this section. The first-designated person shall be the designated person that receives the warrants. If the first-designated person predeceases the employee, the next-listed designated person who survives the employee shall be the designated person that receives the warrants. (c) The appropriate designated person shall claim the warrants from the appointing power. Upon sufficient proof of identity, the appointing power shall endorse and deposit the warrants in the manner provided in Section 17051 and shall issue a revolving fund check in the original amount payable to the designated person. (d) The employee may change the designation from time to time. (e) For purposes of this section, “person” includes, but is not limited to, a corporation, a trust, or an estate.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12480. Section 12480.

Officers and employees of the state may authorize the direct deposit by electronic fund transfer of their salary or wages, after any withholding required by law and authorized deductions, into an account at the financial institution of their choice under a program for direct deposit by electronic transfer established pursuant to Section 12481. The direct deposit shall discharge the obligation of the Controller with respect to the drawing and issuance of warrants for the salaries or wages of the state officers and employees authorizing the direct deposit.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12481. Section 12481.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the Controller shall make an agreement with one or more financial institutions participating in the Automated Clearing House pursuant to the local rules, and shall establish a program, for direct deposit by electronic fund transfer of the salary or wages, after any withholding required by law and authorized deductions, of officers and employees of the state who authorize the direct deposit thereof by electronic fund transfer into the person’s account at the financial institution of the person’s choice. (b) The direct deposit of state payroll pursuant to this section shall be known as the State of California Sure Pay Plan.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 12482. Section 12482.

(a) On or before February 1, 2023, the Controller, in consultation with the Department of Human Resources, shall submit a report to each of the relevant budget subcommittees of the Legislature on the proposed California State Payroll System information technology project. The report shall include all of the following: (1) A detailed summary of project planning efforts up to the report’s publication, particularly project team outreach to state entities impacted by the future system to gather business and system requirements and design future business processes. (2) A complete governance plan for the project and future system, including all of the roles and responsibilities for each state entity in the governance plan. The plan shall identify all state entities in the governance plan with decisionmaking authority. Any state entity that is not included in the governance structure, but that is significantly affected by the development and implementation of the system, shall also be identified. The plan shall provide further detail on the project’s outreach to each of these affected state entities, including all training conducted with executive leadership or employees. (3) A comprehensive list of each state entity engaged by the project’s Department Agency Readiness Team (DART) up to the report’s publication, including the total number of DART engagements by state entity and a detailed summary for each engagement. Each engagement summary shall describe any resistance from state entity leadership or employees and outline the project’s next steps to mitigate resistance during development and implementation of the project. (4) A detailed summary of the activities of the Business Process Owners (BPO) Group up to the report’s publication. The summary shall include any business process modifications identified by the BPO Group as a result of new system requirements. (5) An updated version of the project’s risk register and issue log as of the report’s publication. (b) Any confidential procurement information that cannot be shared with the Legislature until the primary system integrator contract is awarded is exempt from the reporting requirements of this section.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026