By Victoria Ungvary and Emily Kimble
Update: The California Civil Rights Department has re-uploaded the Excel templates it previously removed from its site with no substantive changes.
BLOG OVERVIEW: The California Civil Rights Department has updated its Pay Data Reporting website for Reporting Year 2025, with the filing portal scheduled to open February 2, 2026. New Excel templates briefly appeared on the CRD site featuring updated fields for exemption status, employment type, and total annual weeks worked before being temporarily removed. The FAQs have been condensed from 60 pages to 11 pages with more explicit guidance on topics like remote employee reporting and integrated enterprises, though employers should expect additional materials as CRD finalizes resources.
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has updated its Pay Data Reporting website for Reporting Year 2025, which is to be filed in 2026. While the main landing page still reflects last year’s filing dates, several key sections have been refreshed for the upcoming cycle, including the Excel templates, FAQs, and Handbook. The Handbook confirms the filing period is scheduled to open on Monday, February 2, 2026.
NOTE: At the time of writing, the Excel templates were available but have since been removed from the CRD website. We expect them to return by the system opening.
Filing Templates Briefly Posted
New Excel templates, which will likely be used for uploading and filing for the 2025 reporting cycle, were available on the CRD site for a brief time. Previous versions of 2025 reporting year templates and FAQ document, which were released on November 25, 2025, have also been removed and are no longer accessible on the website.
While the new templates were live, the webpage warned employers that “the 2025 files will not be importable into the submission portal until February 2, 2026,” and “the 2024 files will not be importable into the submission portal after February 2, 2026.” Employers submitting retroactive reports will need to use the new data templates, consistent with prior year expectations when the data template changed.
There appear to be no major changes to the data templates aside from the newly added fields required for this year’s filing, which include reporting on exemption status, employment type, and total annual weeks worked. For additional details on these new requirements, please see DCI’s recent blog.
Although the Excel templates appear to be final, CRD has not yet posted updated instructions files for either the Payroll Employee or Labor Contractor Employee templates as it has in prior years. Notably, one of the largest updates to the Handbook is the addition of Appendix C: Data File Upload Specifications, beginning on page 27. Appendix C may function as the instructions’ replacement, but it is unclear whether CRD still plans to issue a separate instructions document.
Key Updates to FAQs and Handbook
DCI compared last year’s materials with the newly posted versions and found a few notable takeaways.
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First, the FAQs have been significantly condensed from roughly 60 pages to 11 pages. While the FAQs and Handbook have gotten more explicit in some of the guidance, the FAQs no longer include detailed examples.
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Updated guidance is also provided on topics including how to correct inaccurate reports when the filing deadline has passed and how employers report remote employees while removing references to EEO-1 filings. The move away from EEO-1 instructions is in line with the other changes coming next year.
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Information is provided surrounding what constitutes an integrated enterprise and directs employers to consult with an attorney. Previously, CRD provided examples of various structures; now, the FAQs instead include a more detailed list of factors to consider, but do not have examples.
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Notably absent from the FAQs is any additional guidance from CRD on reporting for the new data fields beyond what was provided in November 2025. DCI has reached out to CRD and was able to confirm that total annual weeks worked should “reflect the actual number of calendar weeks worked by the employee, regardless of the number of days worked within each calendar week.” No additional direction has been provided for employers who do not currently track this specific data point.
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Finally, the Handbook includes new definitions for various terms including FEIN, SEIN, SOS number, NAICS, private employer, and covered employer while also expanding upon some existing definitions. However, none of these changes are likely to substantially impact employers’ filings.
More Updates Anticipated
The User Guide remains unchanged from the prior reporting cycle; however, CRD has confirmed it is in the final stages of review and will be published “shortly.” Given the reduced volume of guidance and the partially updated website, employers should anticipate additional materials as CRD continues to finalize the 2025 reporting resources.
If you need assistance with filing the CA Pay Data Report, DCI is prepared to provide expert support and help clients streamline this process. We will continue to monitor the site and report on any additional updates.
