As an employee, you expect to get paid what you were told you were going to receive when you were hired or had a performance evaluation that resulted in a pay change. This is important because most employees count on their paycheck to pay for vital bills like shelter, utilities and food. Most of the time, there isn’t any issue; however, employers aren’t always upfront about pay. This can cause some issues with the employees.
When you are thinking about pay, you should make sure that you are making at least minimum wage. While there are some exceptions to the rule, you should typically be making at least the federal minimum wage or state minimum wage, whichever is higher at the time. If you aren’t making at least that amount, there might be an issue that you need to address. One job that often has an exception is a server who receives tips.
If you are working overtime, which is defined as more than 40 hours per workweek, you should remember that you should be getting a pay bump for those excess hours. This is at least 1.5 times your normal hourly pay.
Another consideration that you have is whether you are getting the breaks that you are supposed to get. There are minimum breaks that you are entitled to. These depend on the job duties you have and the number of hours you are working in your shift.
It might be possible for you to take action against an employer if you aren’t getting the pay that you are supposed to receive. The same is true if you aren’t receiving breaks and other things required by law.