GetInstantLawYOUR LEGAL LIFELINE · YOUR CLEAR WAY FORWARDIf 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.
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.
Wage rules, regulators and claim procedures depend on where the work happened.
Start with federal coverage, then identify the state where the work happened.
Open United States unpaid wages guide
Acas and Employment Tribunals apply in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own LRA and tribunal route.
Open United Kingdom unpaid wages guide
Check the applicable award or agreement and reconstruct the hours actually worked.
Open Australia unpaid wages guide
Check the employment agreement, each hour worked and any deductions.
Open New Zealand unpaid wages guide
First determine whether the workplace is federally regulated or governed by a province or territory.
Open English Canada unpaid wages guide
The correct forum can depend on the source of the entitlement and current earnings threshold.
Open South Africa unpaid wages guide
Check salary records and filing timelines before arrears accumulate.
Open Singapore unpaid wages guide
Select the State or Union Territory and identify the establishment before relying on a wage rate or process.
Open India unpaid wages guide
Identify the work location and employment facts before relying on a deadline, entitlement or filing route.
Open Brazil unpaid wages guide
Identify the work location, employment status and records before relying on a wage or filing rule.
Open Philippines unpaid wages guide
Identify the work location and employment facts before relying on an entitlement or procedure.
Open Thailand unpaid wages guide
Identify the work location, contract and pay records before relying on a deadline or claim route.
Open Germany unpaid wages guide
Choose the work location and verify the current manpower authority or dispute pathway.
Open Indonesia unpaid wages guide
Identify where the work occurred before relying on the applicable labour authority or process.
Open Malaysia unpaid wages guide
Identify the work location and verify current official wage, labour and dispute procedures.
Open Vietnam unpaid wages guide
Identify the work location and pay records before relying on a wage, deadline or dispute procedure.
Open Japan unpaid wages guideKeep 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.
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.
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
Start with the records that show what was agreed, what work was done and what was actually paid.
Work out what should have been paid, compare it with payslips, hours and bank records, raise the shortfall promptly in writing and keep the employer response. Check the official wage-claim route and filing deadline for the place where the work happened before waiting on an internal process.
Keep the employment contract or offer, payslips, timesheets or rosters, bank records, commission or bonus terms, deduction records and messages about hours or pay. Write down how you calculated the amount you say is owed.
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.
A filing deadline can expire while an internal payroll query or grievance is still running, and the period differs by jurisdiction and claim type. Record the pay dates and any termination date, identify the correct forum, and verify the current official filing limit before delaying escalation.
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.
Published and maintained by GetInstantLaw.com. This is a multi-jurisdiction entry page, not a substitute for the country, state, province, territory or legal-system guide that applies to your situation. Guide reviewed . Trust standard updated .
Legal information only — not legal advice. GetInstantLaw.com is not a law firm. Specific rights, deadlines, penalties and remedies should be checked against the cited authority for the selected jurisdiction.