Wage and Hour Division (WHD) |
Resources for Workers
The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is responsible for enforcing some of the nation’s most comprehensive federal labor laws on topics including the minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, child labor, family and medical leave, migrant and seasonal worker protections, lie detector tests, worker protections in certain temporary guest worker programs, and the prevailing wages for government-funded service and construction contracts. Collectively, these laws cover most private, state, and local government employment, and protect over 135 million workers in more than 7.3 million establishments nationwide. Linked below are many of the resources WHD offers to ensure that workers understand their rights under these laws and that they receive the wages and the protections to which they are entitled:
Wage & Hour Division Local Offices – There are over 200 WHD offices throughout the country with trained professionals to help you. Find the Wage & Hour Division office closest to you.
How to File a Complaint – information on filing a complaint with WHD.
- Check on the Status of a FMLA Question or WHD Case
- Third Party Complaints – This page lists detailed information that can help a third-party complainant to contact WHD on behalf of someone else.
- The Investigative Process - this page contains information on why and how WHD conducts investigations of employers.
- Frequently Asked Questions – some common questions and answers about filing a complaint
- 'How to File a Complaint' Card (PDF)
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Chinese Version (PDF)
- Korean Version (PDF)
- Polish Version (PDF)
- Tagalog Version (PDF)
- Thai Version (PDF)
- Russian Version (PDF)
- Vietnamese Version (PDF)
- Haitian Creole Version (PDF)
Mini Cards
- Apparel Workers (PDF)
- Break Time for Nursing Mothers (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
- Day Laborers (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
- Farm Worker Rights (English) (Spanish) (PDF)
- FMLA Mini Card (English), (Spanish)
- FMLA Mini Card - Military (English), (Spanish)
- Health Care Workers (PDF)
- Legal Protections for H-1B Workers (PDF)
- Legal Protections for H-2A Workers (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
- Minimum Wage Protections for Federal Contract Workers (PDF)
- Nail Salon Worker Rights (PDF)
- Reforestation Worker Rights Cards (PDF)
- Recordkeeper (PDF)
- Rights For Workers with Disabilities: Section 14(c) and Subminimum Wage Employment (PDF)
- Worker Referral Card: Section 14(c) and Subminimum Wage Employment (PDF)
- Work Hours Calendar (English) , (Spanish) (PDF)
State DOL Offices - a list of all states and their labor office contact information.
Resources in Other Languages
- Publications in Other Language
- En Español (In Spanish)
- (In Chinese)
- tiếng Việt (In Vietnamese)
- (In Korean)
- ภาษาไทย (In Thai)
Workers’ Rights – information on the rights of workers in specific industries
- Apparel Workers
- Day Laborers
- Farm Workers
- Health Care Workers
- H-2A Workers
- H-1B Workers
- Nail Salon Workers Rights
- Reforestation Worker Rights
Tools for Workers
- Recordkeeper (pdf)
- Work Hours Calendar (English) , (Spanish) (pdf)
Mobile Applications
- DOL Timesheet App - This is a timesheet to record the hours you work and calculate the amount you may be owed by your employer. Available in English and Spanish, you can track regular work hours, break time and any overtime hours for one or more employers. For workers without a smartphone, the Wage and Hour Division has a printable work hours calendar in English and Spanish to track rate of pay, work start and stop times, and arrival and departure times. The calendar also includes easy-to-understand information about workers’ rights and how to file a wage violation complaint.
Workers Owed Wages - Through enforcement and other administrative actions, WHD recovers back wages on behalf of employees. WHD makes every effort to locate and notify all employees due back wages. If WHD is unsuccessful in locating an employee, the back wages are held for three years before being sent to the U.S. Treasury.
Fact Sheets – an index of all Fact Sheets on WHD topics.
Frequently Asked Questions – links to questions and answers about topics and that are often asked of WHD.
Elaws Advisors - The elaws Advisors are interactive e-tools that provide easy-to-understand information about a number of federal employment laws. Each Advisor simulates the interaction you might have with an employment law expert. It asks questions and provides answers based on responses given.
“Know Your Rights” Video Series - The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has developed the “Know Your Rights” video series in English and Spanish to provide workers with useful basic information in different scenarios that workers encounter in the workplace.
YouthRules! - The YouthRules! website provides access to information about Federal and State labor laws that apply to young workers. The site includes information designed to educate teens, parents, educators, and employers about the hours youth can work, the jobs youth can do, and how to prevent workplace injuries.