Employment
Demand Letter
Washington
Can a demand letter be used to recover unpaid wages from an employer?
I worked for a small business for several months and during that time, my employer consistently paid me less than the agreed-upon wage. Despite multiple conversations and promises to rectify the situation, they have failed to pay me the remaining amount owed. I am considering sending a demand letter to formally request payment of the outstanding wages, but I am unsure if this is an appropriate course of action or if there are any legal limitations to using a demand letter in this context.
1 Attorney answer
Answer
Employment
Washington
Merry A.
ContractsCounsel verified
You can always write a letter and ask politely and professionally, and send the letter certified, return receipt, and keep copies of everything. If you pay an attorney to do this for you, it could cost $1000 or more. Or, for free, you can file a wage complaint for free with the state, here: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/wagecomplaint/#/ You are protected from retaliation from doing so (at least, in theory - there are ways that employer can subtly retaliate).