Does Your Company Owe You Lost Wages? Learn How to Collect Owed Wages
The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor ensures that all companies are in compliance with the labor standard to protect employees. The WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping, and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. It also helps former employees collect on owed wages.
When the WHD finds a violation or wage theft and a judgment is entered against the employer, WHD hold funds for employees for three years. In order to determine if you are owed wages by a former employer, you must begin at the Workers Owed Wages (WOW) database and follow these steps:
-
Find Your Employer: In the WOW database, search for your company and select it.
-
Find Yourself in the System: Enter your full name, and the application will determine whether or not you have wages owed to you.
-
Contact Information: Fill out your contact information so WHD can send you your Back Wage Claim form and instructions on how to proceed.
-
Upload Signed Claim Form: One you receive your forms via email, fill it out, sign it, and then follow the instructions to create a login.gov account. Upload the form with supporting documents that verify your identity.
-
Processing: Once your Back Wage Claim Form is sent back, it will take WHD six weeks to process it and send you a check for your owed wages.
Only prior violations evaluated by the DOL are on the WOW database. If your company is not on the database, but you know that wage theft or labor violations occurred, you may choose to report them to the DOL, the state DOL, or contact an employment lawyer for help.
Get in touch with the Ellenberg Law Group for help with filing lawsuits for lost or stolen wages or to learn about your options. Our Philadelphia lawyers are experienced and skilled advocates for clients and help our clients get their owed wages. Contact our law firm now to arrange your completely confidential initial legal consultation. With a legal office in Philadelphia, we provide legal services to businesses throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, including in Montgomery County, Chester County, and Bucks County.
