Most people are familiar with the Social Security, FICA, state and federal taxes that many of us see taken out of our paycheck each pay period is simply a normal part of the working world are taken out of paychecks. Those deductions are lawful and expected.
But not all deductions are.
Wage theft sometimes occurs when employers deduct or dock certain expenses from our paychecks that are unlawful. For example, some employees have deductions taken from their paychecks for uniforms, the use of company cell phones, property damage, parking tickets, insurance, and so on. In the restaurant industry, many employers deduct from employees’ wages or tips for cash register shortages, glassware breakage, and credit card processing fees.
But docking employees pay for such things is illegal.
If your employer is docking your pay or making deductions from your pay for these or any other reason, we encourage you to reach out to our team to talk about what has happened.