Short-paid? Deducted? Final pay looks wrong?
Money claims need numbers and records. Start with what you were entitled to, what you were actually paid, and the documents that prove the difference.
Get the arithmetic and the legal basis right
Wage disputes can involve unpaid hours, unlawful deductions, commissions, notice, final pay, annual holidays, public holidays and other contractual entitlements. The first job is separating the amounts actually owed from broader workplace complaints.
- Collect payslips, bank statements, rosters, timesheets and the employment agreement.
- Build a simple schedule showing the amount claimed and how it is calculated.
- Separate wage/holiday claims from any personal grievance so each legal basis stays clear.
- Keep the final pay calculation if employment has ended.
Where the money goes wrong
Hours worked are missing or breaks are deducted when they were not actually taken.
Deductions are made without proper legal authority or valid written consent.
Final pay omits wages, notice, holiday pay or other contractual entitlements.
Payroll records do not match rosters, timesheets or actual work.
The employer changes pay or hours without agreement or lawful basis.
What actually matters here
01Unpaid hours and deductions
Common disputes include unpaid hours, automatic break deductions where the break was not actually taken, deductions for alleged damage or equipment, withheld commission, unexplained payroll adjustments and underpayment of agreed rates. The legal basis for a deduction or withholding matters.
02Final pay
Final pay can include ordinary wages through the end of employment, holiday entitlements, notice-related amounts and other contractual payments. The correct calculation depends on why employment ended, what the agreement says and the employee's leave and earnings history.
03Holiday pay
Annual holiday calculations can be technically difficult, especially for variable hours or variable remuneration. Do not rely only on the leave balance shown on a payslip. Gross earnings, relevant pay periods, leave records and the applicable Holidays Act calculation may need to be checked.
04Keep money claims separate from grievance claims
An employee may have both a wage claim and a personal grievance. They can be negotiated together, but the underlying legal issues are different. Identifying the exact arrears separately helps prevent a clear money claim being lost inside a much broader workplace dispute.
What a useful result can look like
A vague claim that payroll is wrong is hard to run. A reconciled schedule with records is much stronger.
Payment of wage or holiday-pay arrears.
Correction of unlawful deductions.
Resolution alongside a dismissal or disadvantage settlement.
Formal recovery proceedings where payment is not made voluntarily.