When Is California Harassment Prevention Training Due?

California does not have just one harassment prevention training deadline.

Covered employees generally must be retrained once every two years. New nonsupervisory employees generally must be trained within six months of hire. New supervisors generally must be trained within six months of assuming a supervisory position. Certain seasonal, temporary, or other employees hired to work for less than six months generally must be trained within 30 calendar days after hire or within 100 hours worked, whichever comes first. California Government Code §12950.1 sets out those timing rules.

CRD's current employer guidance identifies January 1, 2027 as the next general training deadline. But CRD also warns that employers may not use that general deadline to extend the separate deadline for a new employee. CRD's October 2025 employer FAQ explains the current cycle.

California harassment prevention training is an employee-specific deadline problem, not just a company-wide calendar event.

The baseline rule is once every two years

For employers covered by Government Code §12950.1, California employees must generally receive harassment prevention training once every two years. Supervisory employees receive at least two hours, while nonsupervisory employees receive at least one hour. Government Code §12950.1(a) establishes the recurring requirement.

CRD says employees must be retrained every two years, either two years from the date the employee completed the last training or by the end of the next applicable training deadline under the employer's tracking method. CRD's October 2025 guidance summarizes those options.

For a small employer, the easiest mental model is often: what date did this employee last complete qualifying training? That date creates the next tracking event.

The next general deadline is January 1, 2027

CRD's October 2025 employer FAQ says the next general training deadline is January 1, 2027. CRD states the date here.

CRD specifically says employers shall not extend the training deadline for new employees simply because a later general deadline exists.

An earlier individual deadline can still apply to a newly hired nonsupervisory employee, newly promoted supervisor, or short-term employee.

The general cycle is not permission to ignore earlier employee-specific clocks.

New nonsupervisory employees generally have six months

Government Code §12950.1 says new nonsupervisory employees must be provided harassment prevention training within six months of hire. See §12950.1(a).

CRD's employer FAQ repeats that requirement. Operationally, this makes the hire date an important training field. Employees who start on different dates may not share the same initial training deadline.

New supervisors generally have six months from becoming supervisors

A new supervisor generally must receive the required supervisor training within six months of assuming a supervisory position. Government Code §12950.1(a) establishes that rule.

A promotion can therefore create a deadline even when the employee is not new to the company. Prior nonsupervisory completion is not the end of the analysis because California imposes a separate two-hour minimum for supervisory employees.

The operational field that matters is not only hire date, but also the date supervisory duties began.

For more detail, see California Supervisor Harassment Prevention Training Requirements.

Some short-term employees have a much faster deadline

California has an accelerated rule for certain seasonal, temporary, or other employees hired to work for less than six months. Those employees generally must receive training within:

• 30 calendar days after the hire date, or
• 100 hours worked,

whichever occurs first. Government Code §12950.1(f) contains the rule.

If a short-term employee works 100 hours before reaching day 30, the hours threshold arrives first. If the employee works fewer hours, the 30-day clock may arrive first.

The statute also says that, for a temporary employee employed by a temporary-services employer to perform services for clients, the temporary-services employer provides the training rather than the client. A company using temporary workers should identify who actually employs the worker before assuming the client owns the deadline.

Prior compliant training can affect the next due date

California does not always require an employee to begin a new two-year cycle when changing employers.

Government Code §12950.1 says an employee who received legally compliant training within the prior two years from a current, prior, alternate, or joint employer may be placed on a two-year tracking schedule based on the employee's last training, subject to statutory conditions. The employee must also receive and acknowledge the current employer's anti-harassment policy within six months of assuming the new position. Government Code §12950.1(m) contains the rule.

The current employer is responsible for establishing that the prior training was legally compliant.

If you plan to rely on prior training, capture the evidence and completion date when the employee joins.

Training can be completed in shorter segments

California does not require the full one-hour or two-hour training to be completed in one uninterrupted sitting. Government Code §12950.1 says training may be completed in shorter segments as long as the applicable total hourly requirement is met. See §12950.1(a).

Operationally, that creates another distinction: started is not the same as completed. A partial session should not be treated as a completed training event simply because the employee began the course.

The completion date matters after the deadline is met

The completion date is not merely historical evidence. It can affect future scheduling.

CRD's employer guidance says employees may be retrained every two years based on the prior training completion date. CRD explains that tracking approach.

A useful training record can answer:

• What training did the employee complete?
• When did they complete it?
• Was it supervisor or nonsupervisor training?
• What evidence supports completion?
• When are they due next?

A checkbox tells you the past. A completion date helps you manage the future.

What if someone misses a deadline?

Government Code §12950.1 authorizes the Civil Rights Department to seek an order requiring an employer to comply with the training requirements. See §12950.1(d).

The statute does not create a rule that the employer should abandon the assignment once a deadline has passed. Operationally, an overdue employee should remain visible as overdue until training is completed and evidence is retained.

A practical workflow is:

1. flag the employee as overdue
2. continue follow-up
3. complete the training as soon as possible
4. retain the completion evidence
5. determine the next tracking date

The precise consequences of a missed deadline can depend on the facts. Employers facing an actual missed deadline or enforcement issue should obtain advice appropriate to their situation.

Due dates should follow the employee, not just the company

The same employer can have several clocks running at once:

This is why harassment prevention training administration benefits from employee-level due dates. The law is recurring, but the recurrence is attached to people and events.

A simple deadline-tracking workflow

Record the trigger

Depending on the employee, that may be the hire date, date supervisory duties began, prior qualifying completion date, current completion date, or short-term hire date and hours worked.

Determine the applicable rule

Identify whether the person is a nonsupervisory employee, supervisor, newly promoted supervisor, short-term employee, or someone with prior qualifying training.

Calculate the due date

Use the rule that applies to that employee.

Remind before the deadline

Do not make the due date the first time anyone looks at the assignment.

Record actual completion

The completion date becomes part of the next tracking cycle.

Retain the evidence

CRD says employers must keep required training documentation for at least two years. CRD's employer FAQ summarizes that rule.

Practical checklist

1. Record the hire date.
2. Record supervisor status.
3. Record when supervisory duties began.
4. Check for prior qualifying training.
5. Determine whether a short-term-worker rule applies.
6. Assign the correct training.
7. Calculate the employee-specific deadline.
8. Do not substitute January 1, 2027 for an earlier deadline.
9. Send reminders before the due date.
10. Record actual completion.
11. Retain the evidence.
12. Set the next retraining date.
13. Keep overdue assignments visible until resolved.

How Beamly can help

California's timing rules are simple individually. The complexity comes from managing many employees with different trigger dates.

Beamly helps employers organize training assignments, track employee-specific progress and due dates, manage reminders, retain completion evidence and compliance records, review training status from an administrative workflow, and maintain audit-oriented records of training activity.

That makes it possible to manage training around each employee instead of relying on one company-wide calendar reminder.

Beamly does not provide legal advice, determine an employee's legally applicable deadline, guarantee compliance, or replace legal counsel.