There are billions of dollars of earned wages stolen by employers every year. Unfortunately, many employees don’t realize that they are the victim of wage theft until a considerable amount of time has passed. It is your responsibility to be proactive and to regularly check your paycheck and paystub. You should compare your paycheck with your timesheet or timecard.
When you notice you are the victim of wage theft because your employer isn’t paying you, you should take action. You can file a claim and recover your lost wages. However, there is a time limit for pursuing a claim, so don’t wait too long to ask to be compensated for the wages that your employer failed to pay you for your hours.
You will need to do research to determine how long you have so you can recover damages for not being aid your earned wages. You need to determine what timeframe you can recover lost wages from and then calculate everything and determine the value of your claim and how much lost wages that are earned.
You will want to properly add up everything and determine how much you were to receive and then deduct how much you were paid so you can determine how much you were shorted from your pay.
What To Do If You Are Not Being Paid
If you are not being paid for the time that you have worked, then you will need to gather supporting evidence and documentation to pursue a claim against your employer. This means gather any written employee contracts or paperwork that detail your rate of pay, any timesheets or timecards, and then any paystubs or copies of paychecks to show any wages that you are paid – if you are paid any at all.
There is a process for filing a claim if you are not being paid, and that process could vary from one state to the next.
You will first contact your employer and notify them of your discrepancy. Depending on company policy, you may file notice with your supervisor or with your human resources. If the claim isn’t resolved at that level, then you will need to file a claim with the proper labor agency or labor board. After that, the claim may advance to court if the matter isn’t resolved.
Gather Evidence and Documentation
You will need supporting evidence and documentation to get your claim on track. You will need to gather supporting evidence to show that you were not fairly compensated and that you were not paid for all the hours that you worked.
You should gather your employee handbook, any employment contract, memos, emails, paystubs, copies of paychecks, timesheets, timecards, and other supporting evidence that show how much you were supposed to be paid, and how much you were paid – if you were paid at all.
You must provide documentation and evidence to show that you were not paid everything that you were entitled to receive. Without supporting evidence, you cannot prove that you were not paid for all the wages that you were entitled to receive.
You must have proof of your salary and your hours worked to recover compensation for your losses. If you don’t have proof, then you may not recover compensation because there is no guarantee of the wages that you were entitled to receive and what you did receive.
Enlist The Help Of An Employment Law Attorney
If you have not be paid for your work, you will need to enlist the help of an employment law attorney. An employment law attorney is familiar with the state and local laws that apply to your situation. An attorney will help you gather supporting evidence and show that you were the victim of wage theft.
An attorney will diligently work to ensure that you are treated fairly and recover the compensation that you are entitled to receive.
When you talk with an attorney, they will be able to provide details that pertain to your specific situation and how to proceed with your claim. Some employment law attorneys will take cases on a contingency basis, so if your lawyer handles cases like that you will not have to pay him or her until your claim has been won and you recover compensation for your claim.
To share the details of your claim with an employment law attorney who handles cases in your area, complete the Free Case Evaluation Form on this page.
