Can a company take pay out of your check for a mistake you make(error)?

Question

Printing blueprints and a page was missed. Pure human error, but we are hourly employees and have no contract

Answer 1

Depends on state law and if the error causes a loss in income or is considered a loss of product/profit for the company.

For example, in Oklahoma where I am - STATE law allows for an employer to take deductions for genuine financial loss, product breakage/destruction (i.e. out of date grocery or beverage product, damaged or broken, etc... ) Companies have also pushed the line on deductions for deductions for costs incurred by the company on your behalf (i.e. a professional license, CDL) and even gone so far as to make deductions in billing errors...

HOWEVER - for MOST deductions, the company should have signed documentation from you that you acknowledge that if XYZ happens, that you are aware you may be deducted from your pay. If they don't do that, or a promissory note - they usually can't get away with it, even if its technically a legal deduction.

It sounds like in your case, however, they may be simply penalizing or "fining" you for your error and that is illegal.

If it turns out the deduction is illegal, then the DOL (state) will also fine the employer for every day they don't pay you the money which is owed to you.

You should check with your state department of labor. You can find a link to your state department of labor from the federal DOL website at

http://www.dol.gov/esa/contacts/state_of.htm

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Hard to address because you provided very little information...but lets say that you are a teller and you are short in your count that day...the answer is NO, and depending on your ''shortage'' it can go from managment counseling, re-training to getting fired...of course if it was because you took it then you violated the law and you have now committed a crime. On the other hand i do know that for example if you are working a beer stand you need to account for all the cash that was given to you when you started and they will add up the beer cases that they provide during a particular event...at the end it must balance out or it can, under certain circumstances come out of the bonus pay that is generally given or everyones payment for the event.
Hope it helps, best of luck to you......

Answer 3

Not to my knowledge. It does not sound as though the work you were performing would allow the employer to attempt to mitigate financial loss by causing you to pay for any error. I wonder if your employer would attempt to dock the pay of a cleaning staff person if he/she accidentally broke a broom.

Sounds to me like you work for a genuine cheapskate.

Answer 4

Yesssssss.....it's called garnishing.

There will be legal proceedings in order to have someone's wages garnished but you'd be surprised how frequently this happens.

Where I've seen it?

People with tax liens

People who fail to voluntarily pay child support.

People who sign promissory notes that go into default.

Subrogation claims.....

Of course - I'm assuming this is the kind of "take money out of your check" that you're talking about.

:-) ~jifr!

Answer 5

You'll have to check with your state department of labor to find out if your state allows it. Most don't.