4 Steps to Take if You Think Your Employer Hasn't Paid You What They Should

Confirm How Much You are Supposed to Receive

If you think you have received less pay from your employer than you typically get, your first step should be to confirm it. Even though you know how much you get paid each month, ensure the amount you received is less than usual.

Confirmation will give you solid grounds to stand on for your claim with your employer. Otherwise, you may raise an issue while it is a mistake on your part.

Check your employment contract and confirm the amount stated in the agreement. Checking your previous paychecks is also a good idea. Maintaining your work records is an excellent idea for this reason.

Recreate Pay Stubs to Check for Discrepancies

When you get paid, you will typically receive a pay stub alongside your paycheck. The pay stub outlines all the various deductions made to your payment to arrive at your take-home pay. It will have all the details related to your income and is hence excellent to use to check for underpayment.

You should keep your pay stub with you, but you can ask your employer for a copy if you lose it. They can use a check stub maker to recreate your pay stub. Evaluate every detail on the pay stub and ensure if it is correct.

Payroll departments have a lot to handle during payroll processing, so mistakes do happen. If there are any errors, you should ask your employer about them.

Report the Underpayment

If you receive less than you think you should, and it is clear on your paystub, your next step should be to report it. Your company's human resource department or payroll office should be where you report it.

As stated above, do not storm into your HR department's office angrily because they shorted your pay. Being calm and civil is the best way to ensure the matter is handled quickly and efficiently.

It will be a clerical error made by people doing their jobs in a hurry or under stress in most cases. On the other hand, if they refuse to resolve the issue and pay you what they should, you can take the next step.

Talk to a Labor Attorney

If your company does not respond to your claim or refuses to acknowledge it, you should consult a labor attorney. Set up a meeting and present the lawyer with your case. They will tell you about the legal repercussions of your case and the actions you can take going forward.

Bring all the necessary documents, including your employment contract and pay stubs, to the consultation. You may have to hire an attorney to represent you if you decide to file a lawsuit against your employer.

You should talk to your coworkers and find out if they have also been underpaid. If so, you can bring a class-action lawsuit against your employer, which is more potent than a single lawsuit.

Getting underpaid is a common occurrence that few employees do anything about. If you think you have been underpaid, the steps above should resolve the case. It may include going against your employer, but you deserve to be paid the right amount for your work.