What evidence helps with an unpaid-wage claim?
SHORT ANSWER
Keep the employment contract or offer, payslips, timesheets or rosters, bank records, commission or bonus terms, deduction records and messages about hours or pay.
Employer hasn't paid you?
Find the right unpaid-wages route.
If wages are missing, late, underpaid or deducted, the correct rule and complaint route depend on where the work happened. Choose the jurisdiction before relying on a deadline, wage rate, regulator or tribunal process.
What should I do if my employer has not paid me?
Check what you should have been paid, compare it with your payslips, hours and bank records, raise the problem promptly with the employer, and put the amount you believe is owed in writing. Keep the response. If it is not fixed, use the regulator, tribunal or court route for the place where you worked.
Do not wait for an internal complaint to finish before checking a legal deadline. Filing periods differ sharply by jurisdiction and forum.
Select your country first
Wage rules, regulators and claim procedures depend on where the work happened.
United States
Federal wage-and-hour law plus state wage rules and claim procedures.Start with federal coverage, then identify the state where the work happened.
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United Kingdom
Great Britain and Northern Ireland employment processes kept distinct.Acas and Employment Tribunals apply in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own LRA and tribunal route.
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Australia
Awards, agreements, minimum rates, hours and Fair Work pathways.Check the applicable award or agreement and reconstruct the hours actually worked.
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New Zealand
Minimum employment rights, pay records and Employment New Zealand guidance.Check the employment agreement, each hour worked and any deductions.
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English Canada
Federal, provincial and territorial employment-standards jurisdiction.First determine whether the workplace is federally regulated or governed by a province or territory.
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South Africa
BCEA, minimum-wage, contract and CCMA wage-claim pathways.The correct forum can depend on the source of the entitlement and current earnings threshold.
Open South Africa unpaid wages guide
Singapore
Salary-payment rules, TADM mediation and Employment Claims Tribunals.Check salary records and filing timelines before arrears accumulate.
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India
Code on Wages, notified rates and central or State/UT labour pathways.Select the State or Union Territory and identify the establishment before relying on a wage rate or process.
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Brazil
Federal labour protections with local labour-court and administrative routing.Identify the work location and employment facts before relying on a deadline, entitlement or filing route.
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Philippines
National labour standards with DOLE and region-aware enforcement or dispute routes.Identify the work location, employment status and records before relying on a wage or filing rule.
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Thailand
National labour protections with province-aware labour authority and court routing.Identify the work location and employment facts before relying on an entitlement or procedure.
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Germany
Federal employment protections with Land-aware labour-court and authority routing.Identify the work location, contract and pay records before relying on a deadline or claim route.
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Indonesia
National employment rules with province-aware manpower and court routing.Choose the work location and verify the current manpower authority or dispute pathway.
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Malaysia
Employment protections with Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak distinctions preserved.Identify where the work occurred before relying on the applicable labour authority or process.
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Vietnam
National labour framework with current official employment and local authority routing.Identify the work location and verify current official wage, labour and dispute procedures.
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Japan
National labour standards with prefecture-aware labour bureau and court routing.Identify the work location and pay records before relying on a wage, deadline or dispute procedure.
Open Japan unpaid wages guideBuild the pay record before escalating.
Keep the employment contract or offer, payslips, rosters or timesheets, bank records, commission or bonus terms, deduction records and messages about hours or pay. Write down how you calculated the amount owed.
Raise the issue clearly: say what pay is missing, why you believe it is owed, the amount, the pay period involved and the evidence supporting your calculation.
Deadlines can be short.
Great Britain is in a tribunal-deadline transition: Acas says most claims whose time limit starts on or after 1 October 2026 use 6 months minus 1 day, while earlier-starting limits can still use the previous 3 months minus 1 day rule. Other countries and forums use different periods, so always open the local guide and verify the current official deadline.
Start with evidence, not assumptions.
Across jurisdictions, pay disputes commonly depend on the employment relationship, agreed rate, hours worked, payslips, payroll records, deductions and the forum with authority to resolve the claim. GetInstantLaw.com provides general legal information, not legal advice, and links each country guide to authoritative sources.
Deadline reference: Compare US unpaid-wage claim deadlines by state.
Popular unpaid-wage guides: Employer hasn’t paid me — what next? · Texas TWC wage claims · California Labor Commissioner claims · Northern Ireland wage claims · Scotland unpaid wages
Related guide: Employment & workplace problems
QUICK PAY QUESTIONS
Common unpaid-wage questions
Start with the records that show what was agreed, what work was done and what was actually paid.
Which wage law applies to me?
SHORT ANSWER
That depends on where the work happened and sometimes on the industry, employment status or whether the employer is federally or locally regulated. Select the jurisdiction before relying on a wage rate or complaint route.
How long do I have to claim unpaid wages?
SHORT ANSWER
It depends on the jurisdiction and legal basis. A Texas Payday Law claim generally has a 180-day TWC filing deadline from when wages became due. California Labor Commissioner claims can use different 1, 2, 3 or 4-year periods depending on the issue. In Great Britain, most tribunal time limits starting on or after 1 October 2026 use 6 months minus 1 day, while earlier-starting limits can still use the previous rule. Always open the local guide and verify the current official deadline before waiting.
Why should I check the filing deadline early?
SHORT ANSWER
Wage claims can have different limitation or filing periods depending on the forum and jurisdiction. Internal complaints do not always stop a legal deadline, so use current official guidance before assuming how long you have.