Category: Paychecks & Work
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Laid off with no warning? A federal law may owe you up to 60 days of pay
A layoff that lands with no notice can knock a household budget flat before there is any time to react. For workers at larger companies, federal law tries to soften that blow by requiring advance warning, and when an employer fails to give it, the missing notice can convert into real money. Under the WARN…
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Misclassified as a contractor? You may be owed overtime you can reclaim for free
Plenty of workers are handed a 1099 form, told they are independent contractors, and quietly stripped of overtime pay they are legally owed. The paperwork does not decide it. Federal law looks at how the job actually works, and if your employer controls the way you do it, you may be an employee entitled to…
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Never got paid for overtime? You can file a free wage claim with your state
Being shorted on pay is more common than most people think, and getting it back does not require hiring a lawyer or filing a lawsuit. If an employer denied you overtime you earned, paid you under the minimum wage, or shaved hours off your check, you can file a free complaint with a government wage…
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Tipped workers are owed the full minimum wage, and the boss covers any shortfall
If you work for tips, there is a paycheck rule that a lot of workers, and some employers, get wrong. Under federal law your employer can count your tips toward the minimum wage, but it cannot use tips as an excuse to pay you less than the full minimum overall. If your tips plus your…
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The FTC is mailing $23.8 million to Grubhub drivers and diners
Some real money is going out in the mail this month, and it is not a scam. The Federal Trade Commission is sending payments totaling more than $23.8 million to people harmed by the food delivery company Grubhub, splitting the money among drivers the company misled about their pay and diners it treated unfairly. More…
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Pregnant workers have a federal right to job accommodations, and employers who refuse can be taken to court
A pregnant worker should not have to choose between a paycheck and a doctor’s advice to take it easier. Under a federal law now in force, most workers who are pregnant or recovering from childbirth have a right to reasonable accommodations on the job, and an employer that flatly refuses can end up in front…
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You can earn up to $24,480 in 2026 before Social Security trims your check
Plenty of people claim Social Security early and keep working, and that is perfectly allowed. But there is a threshold worth knowing before you pick up extra shifts: in 2026, if you are under full retirement age all year, you can earn up to $24,480 before Social Security starts holding back part of your benefit.…
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Florida’s minimum wage rises to $15 an hour on September 30
Florida’s lowest-paid workers are about to get their final scheduled raise. On September 30, 2026, the state minimum wage climbs from $14 to $15 an hour, the last of a series of $1 annual increases that voters set in motion six years ago. Tipped workers get a bump the same day. For someone working full…
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Misclassified as a 1099 contractor? You may be owed back overtime and minimum wage
Getting handed a 1099 at tax time can leave you feeling like you signed away your rights as an employee. You may not have. Whether you are truly an independent contractor or an employee who was labeled the wrong way turns on how you actually work, not on the form your company chose. And if…
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Employers must pay time-and-a-half past 40 hours a week, and unpaid overtime can be claimed up to two years back
Plenty of hourly workers put in more than 40 hours a week without seeing the extra pay the law requires, and when that happens the law is usually on their side. The Fair Labor Standards Act sets a clear rule for most hourly workers: past 40 hours, your pay rate goes up by half. When…