I am over 25 and entitled to the National Living Wage, but I suspect I am being underpaid. How can I find out if I’m being paid the right amount, and claim what I am owed from my employer?
If you think you’ve been underpaid, you should act quickly because it’s harder to get your money back three months after the problem arose.
Check your payslip to see if there’s been a mistake. You’ll be able to see the number of hours you’ve worked, the rate you’ve been paid at, and if there have been any deductions.
Ask your employer to explain anything you don’t understand on your payslip. Tell them why you think you’ve been underpaid. If there was a genuine mistake, ask your employer to pay you straight away.
You shouldn’t have to wait until the next payday.
If your employer refuses to pay back your wages you can formally raise a grievance, either by writing a letter to your employer or following your company’s grievance procedure. Explain that you haven’t been paid enough and you want them to pay the difference.
If this still doesn’t work, you can take your employer to a tribunal. Contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) who will see if your employer will agree to a conciliation process, rather than go to court.
Otherwise you can take your employer to a tribunal. You don’t have to pay any fees to make an Employment Tribunal claim, but think carefully before starting a claim – there may be other costs and it can be expensive and stressful.
Check our online advice at www.carbs.org.uk on all work matters. Or better still give us a call. With the help of our trained advisers you can start to get things sorted out.
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