Use the electronic Non-Payment of Wage eform if you can. You must file a complaint with the Attorney General's office before you take your employer to court.
1. Find the eform on the Attorney General's website. This eform is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. For Chinese, call the Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465. (Be aware that you will first hear a long message in English before someone answers.)
2. Read the entire form before you start to fill it out. Make sure you have all the information it asks for. Once you start to fill out the form, you cannot save it and come back to it.
3. Collect all the information you will need to fill out the form. When you fill out the form, you will need to put in information about:
- you (including your name, address, phone number and date of birth - you do not need to give a social security number),
- your employer (including name, address, phone number and name of supervisor).
- why you are filing the complaint,
- when you worked, and
- how much your employer owes you.
4. Attach documents like pay stubs and work charts to your electronic complaint. Or, you can mail copies to the Attorney General's office. Do not send original documents.
5. If you want to file your own lawsuit earlier than 90 days after the date you file your complaint, ask for written permission from the Attorney General's office. Use the comment section of the eform. Find out more information about how to do this on the Attorney General's website. See below, Why would I ask the Attorney General's office to allow me to take my employer to court in less than 90 days.
6. When you finish filling out the eform, remember to submit it. If you do not click the "Submit" button at the bottom, you will need to start over.
7. Make sure you print out a copy of your completed eform. Keep this copy for your records.
8. If you have any trouble filling out the complaint, call the Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465
Why would I ask the Attorney General’s office to allow me to take my employer to court in less than 90 days?
You only have a limited time to take your employer to court for wages they owe you. Find the time limits under Statutes of Limitations on the Attorney General's web page Private Right of Action.
If 90 days from the date you file your complaint is too late to take your employer to court, ask the Attorney General's office for permission to go to court earlier. You can ask for permission to start your lawsuit early when you file your complaint with the Attorney General.