Too many employers illegally force employees to pay for work related expenses. For example, some workers must pay for mileage, tolls, a car or truck, travel expenses, cellphones, tools, equipment, dues, promotional expenses, and they aren’t reimbursed. Even worse, some companies require workers classified as independent contractors to sign exclusive multi-year contracts that contain oppressive terms, such as a power of attorney clause, giving a company the ability to negotiate rates of pay, deposit checks, and deduct expenses on behalf of a worker. Under federal law, it’s illegal if these expenses bring your pay below the minimum wage in any week or cause a deduction to your overtime wages. In addition, shifting any work-related expenses onto workers is illegal in many states, regardless of whether the result brings wages below the minimum or overtime wage.

Some common jobs where workers must bear their employer’s business expenses are workers misclassified as independent contractors, merchandisers, pizza delivery drivers, service technicians, and mortgage brokers. If your job requires you to shoulder work-related expenses, call us to determine if the practice is legal. If the expense deductions are illegal, we can help you get your money back.

If you weren’t reimbursed for business expenses and would like to speak with us about whether you have a claim, please fill out the Industry Inquiry form.