File an Unpaid Wage Claim Before the State Deadline

Build the inventory on paper or in a spreadsheet, one row per missing payment. Five categories can be owed: regular pay, overtime, tips, commissions, and the final paycheck. For each row, write the exact pay period (for example 07/16/2026–07/31/2026), the gross amount that should have been paid, and what you actually received. Federal overtime is 1.5 times your regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek, so check each week that passed 40 hours.

Where you cannot confirm a figure from a document yet, write it down anyway and label it “estimate” — you can firm it up later from pay records and messages. End with one list you can add up into a single total.