Unpaid Wages
Unpaid Wage Specialists
If your employer has not paid your wages, expenses or other money owed to you then you may be entitled to make a claim against them.
You may have fallen out with them or recently lost your job. You may feel you have been put in an awkward position, but you earned the money in good faith and so deserve to be paid.
Click on the “Get me a Quote” button below to compare the prices and services of a range of specialist Employment lawyers. Once you’ve chosen your preferred solicitor, they will be able to help you get your unpaid wages back or act on your behalf if you need to take any further legal action.
Employees, workers and some other groups are protected from employers making unauthorised deductions from their pay and wages. Employers can only make a deduction in specific situations and they must follow your employment contract terms.
Your wages are slightly different to your pay. Wages are the amount you are paid by your employer in connection to your job. Pay is the basic amount you should be paid (for example your monthly or hourly pay rate).
You are protected against your employer making deductions from either your pay or wages. If your employer makes a deduction from something that does not count as your pay or wage (for example from your redundancy payment) you are not protected. However you may be able to make a claim for breach of contract if you are entitled to the payment under your employment contract.
Before making any deductions, your employer must tell you in writing the full amount you owe and make a demand for the payment. This must also be in writing.
Your employer is not allowed to make a deduction from your pay or wages unless:
- it is required or allowed by law, for example National Insurance, income tax or student loan repayments
- you agree in writing to a deduction
- your contract of employment says they can
- it is a result of any statutory disciplinary proceedings
- there is a statutory payment due to a public authority
- you have not worked due to taking part in a strike or industrial action
- it is to recover an earlier overpayment of wages or expenses
- it is a result of a court order or Employment Tribunal decision
If you didn’t receive your full pay you should check your payslip and contract of employment to see if they explain why.
If there does not seem to be a reason why your employer has not followed the rules for making deductions from your pay, speak to your employer. See if you can sort out the problem informally. If you have an employee representative or you are a member of a trade union you could ask for their help.
If this doesn’t work, you have the right to go to an Employment Tribunal to get your money. By making a breach of contract claim you can also try to reclaim any money you have lost (eg bank charges) by not receiving the money on time.
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