While it is thankfully rare, some workers receive paychecks that bounce from their employers. It can be insulting to be given a check that bounces by your employer. Receiving a check that bounces might mean that you have trouble taking care of your family or paying your bills.
Some employers habitually write bad checks to pay their workers. The workers may then be forced to go to check-cashing places. When this occurs on a regular basis, it is not uncommon for workers to accumulate hundreds or even thousands of dollars in back pay that is owed to them. If your employer writes checks that bounce to you for your work, the attorneys at Swartz Swidler might help to recover the money that you are owed.
What rights do you have when your paycheck bounces or you are paid late?
Federal law mandates employers to have enough money in their bank accounts to cover the money that they owe to their employees. Employers are also required to pay you on time for the work that you perform. In nearly every state, it is illegal for employers to bounce checks to their employees on purpose.
Some employers will routinely do this because their employees simply accept that they will eventually be paid what they are owed. Employers who engage in this type of practice may also engage in other practices that are shady, including the following:
- Keeping track of work hours by hand;
- Erasing some of the hours that you have worked;
- Changing your time sheet frequently;
- Routinely paying you late; and
- Giving you check stubs that are inaccurate.
Inaccuracies on your check stubs
By law, your employer must keep accurate records of the time that you have worked and the amounts that you have been paid. You have the right to demand that you are paid what you are owed if the information is wrong. Your paycheck stubs should include all of the following information:
- The dates of your pay period;
- The total number of hours that you worked;
- Your gross pay amount;
- Your rate of pay;
- If applicable, your overtime hours and overtime rate;
- If applicable, your vacation pay; and
- All deductions.
What you can do
If your employer is paying you late or bouncing your checks, start documenting all of the hours that you work and the days that you work them. Bring this information together with your paystubs to Swartz Swidler. We are normally able to discover when your employer has done something wrong. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.
