If you want to contact the U.S. Department of Labor about a wage complaint, gather your employer's details and an account of how you were paid. Call the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) at 1-866-487-9243. The agency will discuss your questions and decide whether an investigation is the best course of action.
Prepare the work and payment details
WHD's complaint information page[1] lists these useful details:
- Your name, address and phone number.
- The company's name, location and phone number. Its location may differ from the place where you worked.
- The manager's or owner's name.
- The type of work you performed.
- How and when you were paid, such as by cash or check and on which payday.
Copies of pay stubs, personal records of hours worked and other information about the employer's pay practices are helpful additional records. WHD describes these as useful information; it does not present each document as a prerequisite for contacting the agency.
Call WHD about the complaint
The WHD complaint page[2] directs readers to the phone number above to file. It also links to an online contact route for general questions. Callers with questions or concerns can be directed to the nearest WHD office.
WHD says its services are free and confidential whether a person is documented or not. It also says employers cannot retaliate against workers for exercising their rights, filing a complaint or cooperating with an investigation.
What can happen after an investigation begins
A typical WHD investigation includes a conference with the employer, a tour of the establishment, private employee interviews and a review of the employer's records. At a final conference, the investigator discusses any violations found and how to correct them.
If employees are owed back wages, the investigator will request payment. Filing a complaint does not itself establish that wages are owed or guarantee that money will be recovered.
