If you think that an employer did not follow workplace laws, you may file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office (AGO).
- This page, File a workplace complaint, is offered by
- Office of the Attorney General
- The Attorney General's Fair Labor Division
File a workplace complaint
Contacts
Attorney General's Fair Labor Division
Phone
Fair Labor Hotline
Call Attorney General's Fair Labor Division , Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Online
The Details of File a workplace complaint
What you need for File a workplace complaint
When you fill out your complaint, provide as much information as you can. You may want to have pay stubs, handbooks, or other records related to your problem with you as you fill out the complaint form. If you have these documents, please keep them available in case someone from our office asks to see them. You cannot attach documents to your complaint. You do not need to have these documents in order to file a complaint.
How to file File a workplace complaint
Select the best option from the "About Your Request” section of our online form:
- Non-Payment of Wage
Choose “Non-Payment of Wage” for most complaints, including:
- Getting paid less than minimum wage
- Not being paid for hours worked
- Not getting overtime pay
- Being misclassified as an independent contractor
- Tips violations
- Earned sick time violations
- No meal breaks
- Child Labor / Youth Employment
Anyone with information about a possible violation of a child labor law may file a complaint.
- Domestic Violence Leave
Choose this option if you are complaining about a violation of the Domestic Violence Leave Act.
- Prevailing Wage Complaint
Choose this option if you believe that you were not paid the proper prevailing wage for work on a public project.
- Employment Discrimination
Choose this option if your case is about discrimination at work (like paying someone of a different gender more than you for comparable work).
- Online Form in Different Languages
- Please call the Fair Labor Division Hotline at 617-727-3465 if you need a wage complaint form in an accessible format other than filing online.
When you fill out your complaint, provide as much information as you can.
You can file your complaint anonymously.
More info for File a workplace complaint
Our office will review your complaint as soon as we can. We receive many complaints, so it may take several weeks to decide whether we will investigate your claim.
Every complaint is different. Not all complaints lead to an investigation. Depending on your information and our investigation, we may:
- send a warning to the employer
- penalize your employer with a civil citation that may require your employer to pay unpaid wages and a penalty
- file criminal charges against your employer
- give you a “private right of action” letter that allows you to sue your employer for your unpaid wages and other damages
- take some other action to resolve any violations we find
Contact for File a workplace complaint
Phone
Fair Labor Hotline
Call Attorney General's Fair Labor Division , Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.