One thing that many new workers face is difficulty understanding their paychecks. It is sometimes hard to know when pay periods start and when they end. It is because of this that it’s easy for people to make mistakes and claim that they have not received the correct wages.
It is always good to understand how your paycheck works at each new place of employment. Questions about your paycheck should be directed at your employer or manager. If they explain more wages and you still think there is a discrepancy, ask again. If you still cannot determine why there is a difference in what you see versus what they do, you may want to start taking notes.
Why should you keep track of your schedule?
Many people don’t believe that it is necessary to keep track of their schedules. There are computers and time cards for that. However, it is always wise to maintain a schedule of your hours on your own. Losing a time card, computer glitches or even logging in under the wrong date could result in discrepancies on your paycheck. You want to make sure that you have the exact dates and times that you worked to compare your paycheck against.
What should you do if there is a wage discrepancy?
If there is a discrepancy, you should wait two weeks or until your next paycheck. Make sure that you did not miscalculate the pay period by adding up the next pay period’s work hours along with your missing wages. If there is a discrepancy again, you should take this to your employer to ask about what you are seeing. If they brush you off or do not want to talk to you about it, then you may wish to consult with your attorney.
Don’t assume your employer has the wages right
Keep good documentation on your paychecks and the times you worked. Showing your schedule over time and the amounts you were paid will help your attorney determine if there were errors over which you should take your employer to court. The error may be that you were paid too little each hour, that you did not receive overtime or that your employer tried to round down to the half-hour when you worked. Whatever happened, it’s important that you get the appropriate paycheck for the hours you worked. It is against the law not to pay employees what they’re owed.
