General information to help you ask better questions — not legal advice. Wage and labor rules vary by country and state; the specifics below are examples — look up your own.
Tick what's true about your job and pay
The read
What to do
- Keep your own records — starting now. Note your hours, your pay, and what you were promised. Your own log (even a phone note) is powerful evidence, especially when the employer's records are wrong or missing.
- Learn the basics for where you work: the minimum wage, the overtime rule, and break rules. Wage theft is illegal almost everywhere — searching your country or state's labor department gives the real numbers.
- Raise it in writing first (if it's safe). Sometimes it's a genuine payroll error fixed by asking. A dated email also starts a paper trail if it isn't.
- File a wage claim. Labor / wage-and-hour agencies let you claim unpaid wages — usually free, without a lawyer (US: Dept of Labor or your state agency). Back pay is common.
- "Independent contractor"? It's about control, not the label. If they set your hours and how you work, you may legally be an employee owed overtime, minimum wage, and more — regardless of what the contract says. Agencies decide this.
- Retaliation for asserting pay rights is itself illegal in many places — if you're punished for asking, document that too; it can be its own claim.
- Get free help. Legal aid, a local worker center, or your labor department can guide you. Don't sign a "quit" letter or a release you don't understand under pressure.