How and Where to File a Wage Complaint

The following complaints should be filed with the United States Department of Labor:

Minimum wage and overtime complaint flowchart
  • Government or Instrumentality of Government
  • Minimum wage
  • Overtime
  • Wages that include overtime
  • Wages involving tips

 

 

 

Complaints involving the following, must be filed with the US Department of Labor

  • Davis Bacon Act
  • Family Medical Leave Act
  • Employee Retirement Income Security Act

You may contact the US Department of Labor at 866-487-9243 or https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints.

NCDOL - Wage and Hour Bureau

If you have a wage complaint that violates the NC Wage and Hour Act to include a claim of unpaid wages (excluding overtime), final paycheck, vacation, unauthorized deductions, reduction in pay, failure to provide paycheck stubs you may file with the NC Department of Labor - Wage and Hour Bureau, if the work was performed in North Carolina.  Our bureau cannot investigate work performed outside of North Carolina.  

How to File a Wage Complaint

In order for the N.C. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Bureau to assist an employee with a wage dispute, a complaint must be filed with this office. Complaints are filed online or by contacting a representative in our call center. To file via phone, please call 1-800-625-2267 (1-800-NC-Labor).  A call center representative will take the complaint information over the telephone and enter it into our computer data intake system. To better serve you, we ask that you have the following information available when you call:

•    Your name
•    Your address, phone number (if cell phone we need your cell phone carrier)
•    Your email address
•    Your date of birth
•    Your Job description or Title
•    Name of the Employer/Company where you work(ed)
•    Employer’s Physical address (i.e. business location) (cannot accept P.O. Boxes)
•    Employer’s contact information such as:  phone number, email, or fax
•    First and last name of the contact person we need to speak with in regards to your wages (i.e. owner, manager or supervisor)
•    Business Nature (i.e. law office, home health care, restaurant, etc.)
•    Rate of Pay (i.e. $7.25 per hour, 25% commission)
•    Total amount you claim is owed to you by your employer
•    Pay periods you worked but didn't receive payment
•    Date(s) you should have been paid
•    Beginning date of employment
•    Ending date of employment

     Due to the high volume of complaints, our office will not accept complaints for wages due more than one year ago.

You must provide us with your name and contact information if you are filing a complaint for wages. We are unable to accept third party complaints for wages (i.e. girlfriend or wife filing for boyfriend or husband). Our Call‐Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday thru Friday.

Anonymous complaints can only be filed in the following circumstances:

An employee may also take legal action on their own, including small claims court if applicable, without first having to file a wage complaint with this office. However, an employee cannot come back to us to file a wage claim if they take their own legal action in court regardless of the outcome. If an employee files a wage complaint with us and we cannot resolve their complaint, they are still free to take their own legal action.

We do not take wage complaints for less than $50.00.

If your wage complaint deals with your last paycheck, you must wait 10 days after the payday in order to file a wage complaint with this office.

For more information about workplace rights, please contact our toll free number at 1-800-NC-LABOR (800-625-2267).