Hourly workers in Idaho who are paid less than the state’s minimum wage or denied overtime pay can file unpaid wages claims. Workers who have been denied wages usually have only two years to file a claim with the Idaho Department of Labor, but that time limit is extended to three years if employers have willfully violated Idaho’s wage and hour law. Employees who are denied wages or overtime pay can also file lawsuits against their employers to recover liquidated damages and legal fees as well as unpaid wages.
Idaho’s minimum wage and overtime rule
Idaho’s employment law sets the minimum wage in the Gem State at $7.25 per hour, which is the same as the federal minimum wage. However, tipped workers in Iowa must be paid at least $3.35 per hour, which is $1.22 per hour higher than the federal minimum wage for tipped employees.
New hires in Idaho who are under 20 years of age can be paid $4.25 per hour for their first 90 days of employment. The overtime rules in Idaho are in line with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which means hourly workers must be paid a rate of at least one and a half times their standard rate when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek.
Filing a wage claim in Idaho
Workers who have been underpaid or denied overtime pay can visit the Idaho Department of Labor website to file wage claims online. It takes about 30 minutes to complete and submit the online form. The form can also be printed and returned by mail.
Workers filing wage claims are expected to provide all of the needed information and submit a paystub or other record of the hours worked for the pay period in question.
False claims
Workers in Idaho who have been denied wages or overtime pay can file wage claims, but they should ensure that the information they provide is accurate. This is because filing a false wage claim is a misdemeanor in Idaho that is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
