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I'm 17 yrs old and i worked for a contractor under the counter, now hes refusing to pay me for nearly 500 of the hours I worked (nearly 2500 dollars) is there anything i can do?

2007-05-21 05:47:48 · 19 answers · asked by - - 1 in Politics & Government Law & Ethics

19 answers

Well first of all you are a minor at 17- so he's in big "doo- doo" and
Yes you can get your money...
report him to the Attorney Generals Office in your State.
They will investigate your claim and determine how he will pay you back.
The AG will also be VERY interested to know about you're Ex -employers "under the table" activity's, especially since your a "minor"

You may want to give him a call and let him know he has 2 Choices:
Pay You NOW
Or
Be expecting a visit from the Attorney Generals Office
Tell him he has a time limit - ( I suggest 2 weeks)
His Choice-
be Firm with him
and in addition report him to the Better Business Bureau in the city his Business is in.

2007-05-21 05:59:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Your first sentence tell a lot. The fact that you are working "under the table" indicates that your employer is trying to get as much work from you as he/she can without deducting tax and Ei premiums from you. Why is he doing this? Perhaps he is not registered with CRA as an employer. Also if you should get hurt on the job you probably could not get compensation as he may not be paying WCB premiums. If he has other employees and is in fact registered with CRA than he is also probably registered with WCB. If this is the case you may be covered in the event you should be injured.
Is your employer disputing the number of hours you worked? Do you have any witnesses (co-workers) that can verify the number of hours you worked and not getting paid? If you can prove these facts then a call to the Labour Standards Board in your Province would be your first step. Check your phone book under "Governments" (usually blue pages at the back or front of phone book) and get the phone number. If there is an office in your city there will be a local number to call, if not there should be a toll free number.
I hope you are successful. I despise employers who say they are going to pay you and then when the work is finished refuse to pay.
Also since you are only 17 you can not pay into the Canada Pension Plan. You would start paying into this plan on the month following your 18 birthdate.
Should you win your appeal to the labour board your employer will be required to deduct EI and Income tax from your wages. He also must pay his share of the EI premiums he deducted from you.

Peter

2007-05-21 06:29:25 · answer #2 · answered by Peter M 2 · 0 0

Sometimes all it takes is a letter from an attorney to get an employer to give you the money due. I left my job too without notice, and also had a problem getting my vacation pay.. We had a new manager and didn't know company policy on such matters, so it took me a month to get my last paycheck. So your best bet is to write down the times you did show up to the office and take it to an attorney. I guarantee in no time at all will you have that check. You can also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The last thing a company wants is bad publicity. Good luck!

2016-05-18 23:16:50 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0 0

500 hours is like twelve weeks of full-time work!! When did you get your first clue that you weren't going to get paid?

Anyway, you still have the right to be compensated. The fact of working under the table reflects more on him as your adult employer than it does on you the 17 year-old employee, and in no way exempts him from having to pay you.

Now, if the contract was for satisfactory completion of some project, and not for hourly labor, there might be a problem for you. If he has accepted the fruits of your labor as part of whatever job he's been doing, though, he has to pay you.

If you still think you have a case, look for a labor attorney who might be willing to accept your small-claims court case on a pro bono basis. Somebody would do it. It'll look good in the papers....

2007-05-21 06:00:17 · answer #4 · answered by oimwoomwio 7 · 1 0

There's no "easy" fix. Your boss is a crook and took advantage of you.

You can lodge a complaint with your State Attorney General office, and/or the IRS. He is obviously avoiding paying taxes. You should also have some kind of documentation as to the hours you worked. He won't have any payroll record for you, and would likely deny you worked the hours you are claiming, and say he paid you out-of-pocket for running errands or clean-up work. He'll be in a lot of hot water, which he deserves.

2007-05-21 06:01:35 · answer #5 · answered by OrygunDuk 3 · 0 0

Yes, you can still sue him. You were an independent contractor responsible for paying your own taxes. If you have proof of the number of hours you worked, take him to court. Then when you get your money, pay your taxes.

Good luck, and so sorry you worked for so many hours without getting paid. 500 hours is a long time.

2007-05-21 05:54:13 · answer #6 · answered by Lively 4 · 1 0

its a risky situation, the best advice i could give you is to contact the state labor dept. since you were working "under the counter" then that means no paper work for taxes got sent to govt, which means you technically werent working, and no hours were being punched in for you. try to get some of the people that worked with you to back you up when you go, kinda like having witnesses saying that yes you did in fact work for this man. you might not get all the money you earned but you could get some.

2007-05-21 05:54:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Why would you work for 500 hours and not demand pay? I would think after about two weeks anyone with a brain would have quit. You may be able to contact your state labor board and report him. Probably just threatning him with that will get you your pay.

2007-05-21 05:52:19 · answer #8 · answered by Sparky 3 · 0 2

Contact your local labor commission, they will go after your boss immediately for you money. Same thing happened to my son and as soon as I contacted the labor commission my son had his check within 2 days.

It is illegal to work under the table report them,

2007-05-21 05:51:59 · answer #9 · answered by stormey_84074 3 · 1 0

Call Labor relations boardl but if it's under the table, it's going to be hard to win, Take anything you have that might prove you actually did the work

2007-05-21 05:53:30 · answer #10 · answered by wizjp 7 · 1 1

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