When payday rolls around, your boss tells you that they’re just short by a little bit and they will pay you in the next few days. You don’t want to cause a scene, so you say that it’s fine.
But then the next alleged payday comes and goes, and they still tell you that they’ll pay you soon. You start to wonder if they are ever going to pay you, and you’re worried about losing wages that you’re due – along with continuing to work for a company that has stopped paying for those services. But how long is your employer allowed to wait and procrastinate? How often do they have to pay you?
Manual labor jobs
The rules do depend somewhat on the type of job that you carry out. If it is a manual labor job, then you need to be paid once a week. In the hypothetical situation described above, it’s very likely that your employer would have already violated the law if they put off payment for more than seven days. They have to pay with consistency and on time.
Twice a month
For most other jobs, the stipulation under New York law is that workers need to be paid twice a month. This is why many companies simply issue paychecks every other week. This does result in some months where employees would be paid three times, but it also ensures that the business always adheres to the twice-a-month rule.
If you haven’t been paid properly, your rights may have been violated. Be sure that you know what legal options you have.
