What to Do If Your Employer Doesn’t Pay You

Every employee is entitled to a fair wage no matter their circumstance. According to the Employment Law Handbook, employers in Idaho must pay their employees at least once per month, no more than 15 days after the end of the pay period. If for any reason this does not occur, there are steps you can take to ensure you get the payment that you deserve. This is a brief guide to what to do if your employer doesn’t pay you.

Contact Your Employer

The first step in any dispute is to directly address the claim and attempt to get it quickly rectified. To avoid confrontation, contact should ideally be made in writing and only in person if it necessitates a direct response. Make sure your records are accurate with the payroll clerk so they can verify the claim. If this is the only time there has been a discrepancy, it is possible that the clerk made a clerical error or there was a snafu at the bank. If it happens more than once or if it continues, it’s probably best to consider a further option.

File a WHD Report

If nothing comes from the initial contact, one of the easiest steps you can take is to file a complaint with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. All complaints are anonymous unless it’s necessary to pursue an allegation with permission. You’ll need to include contact information, the name and location of the company, the name of the employer or manager, the number of hours you worked, and how/when you were paid. It also helps to provide pay stubs, a personal record of the hours you worked, or other details regarding pay practices. Many complaints lead to investigations by the WHD where they examine records and determine if any violations occurred.

Get Legal Help

If all else fails, or if this continues regularly, the best option for what to do if your employer doesn’t pay you is to get outside legal advice to directly address the situation. Finding an employment attorney in Boise, Idaho, can help you resolve the dispute with as much discretion as necessary. However, you can’t bring a lawsuit forward if you’ve already received back wages under the WHD’s supervision. Making a false claim for wages, according to the Idaho Department of Labor, is a misdemeanor criminal offense.

Disclaimer: The points mentioned in this article should not be considered as actual legal advice or a replacement for legal counsel. Contact an employment attorney for specific legal help.