Doing Business In California

By California Labor and Workforce Development Agency

http://www.labor.ca.gov/faqindex.htm#BusinessOwnersandEmployers

FAQs for Business Owners and Employers wishing to do business in California

Q. How do I start a new business in California?
A. From finding small business loans to registering for permits to finding employees, the governor's eBusiness center gives you quick information and starts you on your road to owning your own business and being your own boss.

Two resources in the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency are the Employment Development Department Web site and the Department of Industrial Relations Web site. EDD will assist you with payroll tax reporting and payments, registering your business as a California employer, recruiting workers, training your workforce and provide free, on-line tax payment options. DIR offers free, online workplace health and safety recommendations to help you improve your workplace safety and minimize your risk to workers’ compensation claims.

**Other Resources**
For more information:	Contacts:
Taxes for small business owners	Striking Gold in California www.taxes.ca.gov/strikinggoldbus.html
Building a small business	Governor’s Office of Small Business www.sba.ca.gov/index.php
Business permit, license and registration requirements from all levels of government	CalGold www.calgold.ca.gov
Business counseling for small business owners	SCORE www.score.org
Federal, state, local tax information in one Web site	California Tax Information Center www.taxes.ca.gov
Financing options available for new businesses	Small Business Administration www.sba.gov
How to do business with the state of California	California Department of General Services www.dgs.ca.gov

Q. What are the competitive wages in my industry in my local area?
A. When you are working on your business plan, it may be helpful to have information on the current wages in your industry in your local community. EDD is your source for this free information at OES Employment & Wages by Occupation.
Q. Any help with recruiting workers?
A. California’s one-stop career center system is local to help you find the right workers for your job openings. Staff assist you with recruitment, screening and interviewing potential employees and offer many more services. Find the nearest one-stop career center .
Q. How about help when I need to reduce my workforce?
A. CalJOBS^SM is California’s no-fee Internet job listing database. Search over 800,000 prospective resumes across California for your job openings. Enter your job opening online for prospective workers to review.
Q. Is there assistance to retrain my workforce?
A. With today’s ever-changing technology, your workers need to refresh their skills. Your business may be eligible for grants to subsidize training for your employees. Go to the Employment Training Panel Web site.
Q. Is there assistance to help me understand workplace health, safety and fair labor practices?
A. Every year, there are new laws governing overtime pay, safety and health in the workplace. To help you weed through these changes, go to the Department of Industrial Relations for more information.

Free consultation services on health and safety practices in the workplace are available to you. To learn more about a consultation for your business, go to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) , call toll free at 1(800)963-9424, or visit a Cal/OSHA area office near you.
Q. Is there local assistance to help me with my payroll tax reporting?
A. Your business may keep up with the current employment laws, labor market conditions and labor laws through free EDD seminars. Go to www.edd.ca.gov/Payroll_Tax_Seminars/ to find the right seminar for you. For one-on-one consultations, you may also call the EDD Tax Call Center toll free at 1(888)745-3886 or visit your local EDD tax office.
Q. How do I report businesses that are not reporting payroll taxes?
A. If you have information on a business that may not be reporting payroll and payroll taxes, go to EDD's reporting fraud or call toll free at 1(800)229-6297. Information will remain confidential and EDD will protect the identify of the person reporting fraud.