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Mailing address 

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development 
Division of Wage and Hour Compliance 
P.O. Box 389 
Trenton, NJ 08625-0389 

Fax: (609) 695-1174 

Paper forms: 

• Underpaid or unpaid wages:  MW-31A (English) or MW-31S (Spanish). If you are an employee working in New Jersey or you are working for a New Jersey-based company and you have a complaint about underpaid or unpaid wages. 

• Prevailing wage violations: MW-31B. If you are an employee working in New Jersey in a construction-related public works project, or if you provide building services (e.g. janitor, security guard, window cleaner, etc.) for a property owned or leased by the ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app. Learn more .   

• Other employment law violations: MW-31C. If you are an employee working in New Jersey or you are working for a New Jersey-based company and you have a complaint about an employment issue enforced by the Division of Wage and Hour Compliance. 
  
  
• Mandatory overtime in health care facilities: MW-31OT. If you are a health care worker who provides direct patient care (e.g. nurse, nursing assistant, home health aide, etc., but not a doctor) and you believe your New Jersey employer improperly required you to work overtime. Learn more here. 

• Provide contact information. It’s important we can get in touch with you so we can follow up on critical evidence.
  
  
• List every violation accurately. On the online complaint form, you’ll select the violations on a check list. Be sure to read the explanation of the types of violations carefully on the form. Only select the ones that apply to you.
  
  
• Include all useful evidence. Complaints need proof, like documents and statements from witnesses. We can’t prove a claim with second-hand information or speculation alone. See below for more information on types of evidence.
  
  
• A trusted person or agency can help you file or file for you. 

NJDOL serves all workers regardless of their immigration or citizenship status. We don’t ask workers about their immigration or citizenship status and have strong regulations to protect the personal information of workers. 

Learn more .  

We have strong regulations to protect the personal information of workers. If a worker files a complaint, NJDOL will not disclose their identity and other personally identifiable information (PII) to their employer and others without their written permission to do so. These rules were strengthened in 2020 to better protect workers. 

In rare cases, NJDOL may be required to disclose a worker’s identity and/or other PII. For example, a wage proceeding could end up in court and the judge could require it. Or another government agency could compel NJDOL to disclose PII. NJDOL cannot provide PII to a government agency if the complaint was filed against them. 

 A law enforcement agent could also request PII from NJDOL. They must show an official purpose. This could be a signed request on agency letterhead or showing a badge or warrant. They must certify in writing that they will keep the PII confidential.  

Someone can request case records, including witness statements through the Open Public Records Act. However, NJDOL will never release any PII of complainants or cooperating witnesses. Under the strengthened rules, PII includes anything that can help identify someone, either alone or when combined with other information. This includes name, Social Security number, home and work addresses, and email addresses. 

You can file an anonymous complaint online, over email, mail or fax. However, investigations work best when we have contact information. If we cannot contact you, we may not be able to start an investigation or follow up on critical evidence. You will also not be able to check on the status of your complaint. 

We also have strong confidentiality protections.  

It is against the law for employers to retaliate against you for filing a complaint or participating in an investigation. If this happens, you can file another complaint with NJDOL and share as much information as possible. Employers that break the law can face penalties.  

Retaliation can look like:  

• Firing, demoting, or denying a promotion to you 

• Reducing your salary or work hours  

• Increasing scrutiny or criticism of your job duties  

• Changing your responsibilities  

• Excluding you from meetings  

• Harassment  

• And more 

You can also take private legal action.  

Evidence is more effective if it contains dates, facts, or figures. These are examples of useful evidence.  

You don’t need to submit all of these, just submit what you have.  

Most helpful: documented evidence  

• Paystubs—hours worked and the rate of pay  

• Overtime documentation—dates, hours, worked, rate of pay  

• Checks or pay envelopes showing proof of payment 

• Calculations showing the amount of unpaid wages each week (spreadsheet showing the math if possible)  

• Employee logs of hours and pay 

• Any records of cash payments—receipts or employee journal with gross payments  

• Transportation receipts  

• Job description  

• Employer policies/employee handbook  

• E-mail communications or text messages the worker sent or received  

• Pictures, videos, screenshots 

Often helpful: Your firsthand account  

When you submit a complaint, you can provide us with a description of what happened. The investigator may still need to interview you at a later date. 

When possible, include:  

• Your name and contact  

• Details about the violation   

• Description of job and how long you’ve worked for the employer 

• Dates and times of key events  

• Name and contact information of other witnesses  

• Your signature and date 

You can see our webpage on the investigation process for more information.