PRACTICAL GUIDE SAVE WHAT YOU HAVE, CHECK THE CLOCK

Save the details before they disappear.

A useful record does not need to be complete. The law puts the record-keeping duty on the employer; what you save makes your account easier to confirm. Below is a checklist that stays on your device, a clock that shows how far back a claim can reach, and rough overtime math on your own numbers.

A phone showing a calendar next to a notebook of handwritten hours and a cup of tea on a kitchen table.

DEVICE-SAVED CHECKLIST

Build your first record.

0 of 6 saved

Check items as you gather them. Progress stays only in this browser; nothing is sent to the firm.

01Your scheduleDays and hours per week, period by period. Photos of posted schedules, your own calendar or notebook.

02Pay recordsPay stubs, W-2s or 1099s, bank or payment-app history, cash envelopes, and dates your rate changed.

03MessagesTexts, WhatsApp, and emails with the boss about hours, pay, schedules, or complaints. Screenshot them with the dates showing.

04Employer detailsLegal name and any “doing business as” name, address, owner and manager names, and whether the business changed names or owners.

05CoworkersNames and numbers of people who worked with you or were paid the same way. Do not pressure anyone; just keep the contact.

06Anything you signedOffer letter, handbook, contractor agreement, pay-rate notice, or an arbitration agreement. These change how a case is handled.

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE

Protect your claim.

A few habits keep a good claim from getting smaller.

Do not sign a release, a “final pay” form, or a new contract without a lawyer reading it.
Do not accept a Department of Labor check for back wages before asking a lawyer; accepting it can end your right to sue.
Do not take documents that belong to the business. Photograph what you are allowed to see.
If you still work there, tell us before you complain at work, so the timing can be planned.

Tell us what happened

IN-BROWSER TOOLS

Two quick checks. Nothing you type leaves your device.

Both tools run entirely in your browser. They are arithmetic, not legal advice, and not a prediction of what any case is worth.

TIME-LIMIT CLOCK

How far back can a claim reach?

Enter your last day of work, or leave it blank if you are still employed. The clock assumes a case filed today.

What the dates mean. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act reaches back two years from the day a case is filed, or three if the violation was willful. New York Labor Law and New Jersey’s wage laws reach back six years, and Florida’s minimum-wage law four, or five if willful. Each paycheck is its own claim. Some events can pause or extend these periods; only a lawyer can tell you which apply to you.

ROUGH OVERTIME MATH

What might a shorted week add up to?

Type your usual week. The tool applies the basic overtime rule to your own numbers and checks them against the 2026 minimum wage.

What is left out. Minimum-wage rates that were lower in earlier years, tips and tip credits, spread-of-hours pay, deductions, liquidated damages, interest, statutory damages for missing pay notices, time limits, and any defenses the employer may raise. Minimum wages used, as of January 1, 2026: $17.00 for New York City, Long Island and Westchester; $16.00 for the rest of New York; $15.92 for New Jersey. Florida: $14.00, and $15.00 from September 30, 2026. For a flat weekly amount the main figure uses the New York restaurant-and-hotel rule (weekly pay divided by 40); the lower figure uses the rule that applies in New Jersey, under federal law, and in most other New York jobs.