Complaint Filing Procedures

When you contact the WHD office to file a complaint, you will be asked to provide specific information that will help us to help you. The complaint will be reviewed, and you will be contacted for follow-up.

Necessary Information

When filing a complaint, you will be asked to provide specific information including:

• Your name
• Your date of birth (if under 19)
• Your address and phone number
• The name of the company where you work or worked
• Location of the company (this may be different from where you worked)
• Phone number of the company
• Manager or owner's name (who should we ask to speak to?)
• Type of work you did
• How and when you were paid (i.e. cash or check, every Friday)

Any additional information that you can provide such as copies of pay stubs, personal record of work hours, or other information about your employer's pay practices is helpful.

What happens when a complaint is filed?

Wage and Hour Division staff will review the complaint and contact the complainant if the information provided is insufficient or if permission to use the complainant's name during an investigation is required to pursue the investigation.

If the review provides a reasonable belief that a potential violation has occurred, which the WHD can rectify, an investigation of the employer will be scheduled.

If the WHD is unable to conduct an investigation or secure back wages as a result of an investigation, the employee retains the right to bring a private lawsuit in federal court to recover back wages.

More information on filing a complaint with WHD and the investigation process