What should you do when your employer pays you late?

For the last few pay periods, you received late payments from your employer. Federal law mandates that companies establish regular paydays, so you suspect you may have a legal case. What steps should you take to protect your rights?

Chron provides tips for navigating late wages. Take steps to protect your livelihood and peace of mind.

Understand legal obligations

Contact Arizona’s department of labor to learn more about the latest payday requirements. That way, you know for a fact whether your company may violate such requirements. You must do your due diligence in case requirements differ for exempt, commissioned and non-exempt employees. Regular payday obligations could also depend on whether payday falls on a non-work day.

Meet with your manager or supervisor

Schedule a meeting with your supervisor or manager to discuss the issue. You may receive late pay because of a payroll mix-up or something similar. A quick and simple conversation could clear everything up. If you received late payments multiple times, the fault could lie with your employer rather than the payroll department.

Explore employer penalties

While researching your employer’s legal responsibilities for paying you on time, look into state penalties for late payments. The law penalizes companies for not paying workers or not paying their workforce a fair wage, but those penalties may not apply to late payments. Did you pay your bank overdraft fees because you did not receive your wages on time? If so, state law could state that your company does not have to reimburse you for those fees, so look into that, too.

You deserve to receive your full and fair wages on time. By understanding more about state and federal requirements on the matter, you know how to respond to the situation.