Work & Wages

When your hours and your pay don’t line up.

Start with the situation you recognize. Each guide helps you put what happened into plain words, without deciding anything about it.

ClearRecourse.com is not a law firm. These guides are information, not legal advice. There’s nothing to fill in or send. Updated September 2026.

Guides

Lunch time · 3-min read

For example:

You stayed on call, answered phones, or watched the floor during lunch, and the time was still deducted.
You couldn’t leave the station, the route, or the line during lunch, and the time still came off your hours.
You were pulled back to work during lunch, and the deduction stayed.

You’ll write down: time record · what you were doing · how often · who knew

Long workweeks · 3-min read

For example:

You worked more than 40 hours in some weeks, and your stub never showed overtime.
You were paid a salary, and your weeks often ran long.
You got a flat day rate no matter how long the week ran.

You’ll write down: how you were paid · your usual workweek · what your stub shows · what you actually did

Before or after your shift · 3-min read

For example:

You stayed to finish charting, cleanup, or a last customer after you punched out.
Opening or closing took time before or after you punched.
You answered work texts, calls, or emails after your shift.

You’ll write down: what you did · how long it took · who asked or knew · what your time record shows

There’s no separate guide for this one on this site. The note prompts in the guides above can still help you put the details in order.

Break time taken off your hours while you kept working: A break came off your recorded hours, but you kept working through it.

ClearRecourse.com is not a law firm, and this site doesn’t connect anyone with a law firm. That isn’t a judgment about your situation.

For pay questions, you can contact your state labor office or the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (both on dol.gov). You can also talk to a lawyer of your choice.

See how a connection with a law firm is designed to work, and what this site offers.