Identify the employer and the working arrangement

Record the employer’s legal and trading names, work location, supervisor, and the type of work performed. Keep the offer letter, employment agreement, pay notices, or messages discussing compensation. Explain whether a staffing company or another business issued your paycheck. A label such as contractor or salaried employee does not, by itself, resolve every wage-and-hour coverage question.

Create a dated record of the work

Gather schedules, time entries, personal calendars, and work messages you may lawfully retain. Note start and finish times and breaks as accurately as possible. Separate contemporaneous records from later estimates and explain how you reconstructed missing information. Do not take unrelated confidential business material or access an account without permission. If records are incomplete, tell the agency or lawyer what you still have.

Compare statements with money actually received

Match each pay period to the pay statement and the corresponding deposit or payment. Record the stated rate, hours, deductions, reimbursements, and any adjustment made later. Keep your calculation transparent enough that another person can follow it. Federal and state rules can differ, and overtime eligibility or the treatment of particular payments may need professional analysis rather than a simple multiplication.

Choose the appropriate route for help

A payroll question may clarify an error, but you can also seek information from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, an appropriate state agency, or a lawyer. The Department identifies employer details, pay information, pay stubs, and personal hour records as useful complaint materials. Different agencies enforce different laws. Ask about filing periods promptly instead of assuming an internal discussion preserves them.

Keep track of responses and later events

Record whom you contacted, when, and what response or correction was provided. Keep subsequent schedules, pay records, and communications that may relate to your complaint. The Department of Labor explains that retaliation for filing a WHD complaint is prohibited under the laws it enforces. If treatment changes, describe the facts accurately and seek advice about the protections and remedies relevant to your situation.

Your preparation list

Bring these records together.

  • Employer identity, work location, and compensation documents.
  • Hours and schedules, with estimates clearly distinguished.
  • Pay statements matched to deposits and explained deductions.
  • A dated log of complaints, responses, and later changes.

Reference points: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Information You Need to File a Complaint and third-party complaint guidance. Federal coverage and state protections require case-specific review. Reviewed September 30, 2026.