As most employers in California know, employees must be reimbursed for any necessary expenses they incur in carrying out their job duties.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many organizations to allow their employees to work remotely, and many companies continue to allow portions of their workforce to work remotely on a part-time or full-time basis. Employees who work remotely often use personal cell phones and home internet connections in the course of performing their work. Do employers have to pay for some or all of employees’ cell phone and/or internet plans?

In California, even when employees do not incur additional expenses associated with working remotely (i.e., when the employee pays a flat rate for internet and/or cell phone usage, and business use does not increase the employee’s costs), employers still must reimburse their employees for a reasonable percentage of the employee’s cell phone and/or internet plans.

The duty to reimburse employees for a portion of their personal cell phone and internet charges exists when the employees have no practical alternative to using their personal resources for business purposes, even if the employer does not maintain a policy specifically mandating the use of the personal resources or devices.

Source: California Employers: Reimburse Workers for Use of Personal Cell Phone and Internet Plans