Are you owed pay from a Seattle job?
Unpaid overtime, missed meal or rest breaks, off-the-clock work and unreimbursed expenses may be unlawful. Retaliation after you asked about pay may be unlawful too.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue the wages you earned and, where the law provides, penalties and interest.
Not sure the math is off? You can request a review even without your pay records in hand.
What wage theft can look like, and what the law calls it.
Wage violations are usually quiet and routine, a timekeeping habit, a job title, a 'that's just how we do it.' What matters is whether you were paid what the law requires for the hours you actually worked.
I clock out when the schedule says, then keep working, because the work isn't done.
The law calls it → possible off-the-clock work
- I regularly work through breaks because there's no coverage. The law calls it → possible missed-break violation
- I'm salaried with a manager title, but I do the same work as the hourly crew. The law calls it → possible misclassification
- My hours changed after I asked about my pay. The law calls it → possible retaliation
- The badge log shows when I tapped in, but the pre-shift tool checkout and the after-line cleanup never make it onto my hours. The law calls it → possible off-the-clock work and unpaid overtime
These cover unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, missed meal and rest breaks, misclassification (exempt or contractor), unpaid final wages, retaliation for raising pay issues, in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations, not client accounts.
Most nonexempt Seattle employees must be paid for every hour worked, with Washington overtime after forty hours in a workweek, the state generally has no daily-overtime rule. State law also requires meal and rest breaks, prompt final pay, and can allow double damages for wages willfully withheld. Washington wage claims generally reach back three years.
What could taking action help you recover?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover unpaid wages, address missed breaks and off-the-clock work, and correct the practice going forward. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Unpaid wages or overtime
Hours worked but never paid, including overtime premiums, may be recoverable for the statutory period.
Missed-break and off-the-clock pay
Compensation may be available for missed meal or rest periods and for work performed before or after the clock.
Expense reimbursement and related pay
Necessary work expenses, and wages tied to them, may be reimbursable depending on the state and the facts.
Statutory relief where applicable
Some claims carry interest, statutory amounts, or fee-shifting; which apply depends on the claim and jurisdiction.
You do not need complete pay records, or certainty that your paycheck was wrong, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from workers about pay
I do not have complete time records.
Employers generally must keep time and pay records. Missing records are common in these cases, and schedules, messages, badge data, and coworker accounts can help reconstruct hours.
I was paid a salary.
A salary or job title does not by itself make you exempt from overtime. Exemption generally depends on your actual duties and pay, not the label.
I signed an arbitration agreement.
An arbitration agreement can change where a claim is heard, not necessarily whether you have one. It is worth reviewing before assuming it closes the door.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for asserting wage rights may itself be unlawful.
Some of the work happened before or after my shift.
Time an employer knows or should know is being worked, including pre-shift and post-shift tasks, may be compensable.
Avi Kreitenberg
Shareholder · Admitted in Washington
Avi Kreitenberg represents Washington workers in wage-and-hour class actions, including unpaid overtime and missed-break matters. He is licensed in California and Washington.
Read Avi's full bio →Selected wage-and-hour class and representative action results.
$17M
Health-care workforce · approximately 30,000 workers · Meal and rest break class action
Proposed settlement · preliminary approval granted
$16M
Health-care workforce · approximately 23,900 workers · Meal and rest break class action
Final approval
$14M
Grocery workforce · California · Rest break PAGA settlement
Final · co-lead counsel
$10.94M
Health-care workforce · approximately 11,600 workers · Meal break class action
Final approval
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different; the value and outcome of your matter will depend on its specific facts.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
Washington and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, for Washington wage claims.
Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Washington Minimum Wage Act, Wage Payment Act, Industrial Welfare Act, and Wage Rebate Act
RCW 49.46, 49.48, 49.12, and 49.52
Primary source, RCW 49.46, 49.48, 49.12, and 49.52 ↗Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in Seattle.
- Each underpaid paycheck can start its own clock, waiting does not merely delay the case; it can push the oldest weeks of unpaid work outside the recoverable period.
- Washington wage claims generally reach back three years, but the federal FLSA uses a shorter two-year period, three years only if the violation was willful. If federal claims matter, the shorter clock can control.
- Washington computes overtime after forty hours in a workweek and generally has no daily-overtime rule, do not assume California-style eight-hour-day overtime applies to work performed in Seattle.
- At the end of employment, Washington requires final wages by the next regular payday; wages willfully withheld can expose an employer to double damages under RCW 49.52.070.
- A salary, manager title, or independent-contractor agreement does not answer whether you were properly classified; the work actually performed and the governing legal test control.
Where do you file a wage and hour claim in Seattle?
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
Employment Standards OfficePO Box 44510
Olympia, WA 98504-4510
1-866-219-7321
Worker-rights complaints may be filed online, mailed to Employment Standards, submitted at an L&I office, or made by phone when the other filing methods are unavailable.
State wage-claim filing →U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Seattle District Office
Serves Washington statewide, except Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties in the southwest, which fall under the Portland District Office.
300 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1130Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 398-8039 WHD complaint / inquiry form →
King County Superior Court
King County Courthouse516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
The filing path, step by step
- 1Preserve schedules, time records, pay stubs, written pay and break policies, texts about work before or after a shift, and your own best estimate of the hours you actually worked.
- 2For a Washington wage claim, file a Worker Rights Complaint with the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Employment Standards program, online or on Form F700-148-000. L&I can address unpaid wages, overtime, missed breaks, and final pay, and complaints generally must be filed within three years.
- 3If you work within Seattle city limits, the Seattle Office of Labor Standards separately enforces the city's minimum wage, wage theft, and secure scheduling ordinances, a local route that can allow recovery of up to three times unpaid compensation.
- 4For a federal minimum-wage or overtime concern, contact the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division through its complaint and inquiry form, by phone, or through the Seattle District Office at 300 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1130.
- 5State, city, and federal wage routes have different coverage rules, remedies, and clocks. A lawyer can determine whether an agency complaint, an individual court case, or a class or collective action fits the pay practice affecting you and your coworkers.
Wage-and-hour information in other Washington cities
View all Washington wage and hour locations →Asked by Seattle workers.
I'm salaried at a Seattle tech company but do the same work as the hourly team. Can I still be owed overtime?
Possibly. A salary and a manager title do not by themselves establish an overtime exemption. Washington and federal law look at the actual duties, salary level, and discretion involved, and Washington generally computes overtime after forty hours in a workweek. Preserve your schedules and a description of a typical week.
My Seattle employer records a meal break even when I keep working. What should I save?
Keep time records, schedules, messages showing there was no coverage, and notes on the days you worked through or had an interrupted break. Washington provides meal and rest break protections for most nonexempt employees, subject to the governing rules and exceptions.
Should I go to Washington L&I, the Seattle Office of Labor Standards, or the U.S. Department of Labor?
It depends on the facts. L&I's Employment Standards program handles state wage claims, the Seattle Office of Labor Standards enforces the city's wage ordinances within city limits, and the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division enforces the federal FLSA. Some situations support more than one route, but their coverage, remedies, and deadlines differ.
My job just ended and my Seattle employer is holding my last paycheck. What are my rights?
Washington generally requires final wages by the next regular payday after separation. If wages are willfully withheld, state law (RCW 49.52.070) can allow recovery of up to double the withheld amount plus attorney's fees. Keep your final schedule, pay records, and any written pay policies.