The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is responsible for enforcing some of the nation’s most comprehensive federal labor laws on topics including the minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, child labor, family and medical leave, migrant and seasonal worker protections, lie detector tests, worker protections in certain temporary guest worker programs, and the prevailing wages for government-funded service and construction contracts. Collectively, these laws cover most private, state, and local government employment, and protect over 143 million workers in more than 9.8 million establishments nationwide. Linked below are many of the resources WHD offers to ensure that workers understand their rights under these laws and that they receive the wages and the protections to which they are entitled:
Wage and Hour Division Local Offices – There are over 200 WHD offices throughout the country with trained professionals to help you. Find the Wage and Hour Division office closest to you.
AWARE: Alternatives for Worker Action, Rights, and Education
How to File a Complaint – information on filing a complaint with WHD.
- ' How to File a Complaint' Card (PDF)
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Chinese Version (PDF)
- Korean Version (PDF)
- Polish Version (PDF)
- Tagalog Version (PDF)
- Thai Version (PDF)
- Russian Version (PDF)
- Vietnamese Version (PDF)
- Haitian Creole Version (PDF)
- Somali Version (PDF)
- 'How to File a Complaint' Flyer (PDF)
- Spanish Version (PDF)
- Tagalog Version (PDF)
Mini Cards
- Apparel Workers (PDF)
- Break Time for Nursing Mothers (English), ( Spanish) (PDF)
- Rights Card: Consular Partnerships (English), ( Spanish) (PDF)
- Day Laborers (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
- Farm Worker Rights (English) (Spanish) (PDF)
- Farm Worker Rights Flyer (PDF)
- FMLA Mini Card (English), (Spanish)
- FMLA Mini Card - Military (English), (Spanish)
- Rights Card: Health Care Workers (English), ( Spanish) (PDF)
- Rights Card: Construction Workers under the Davis-Bacon Act (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
- Rights Card: H-2B Workers (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
- Legal Protections for H-1B Workers (PDF)
- Legal Protections for H-2A Workers (English), ( Spanish) (PDF)
- Minimum Wage Protections for Federal Contract Workers (PDF)
- Nail Salon Worker Rights (PDF)
- Rights Card: Workers on Federal Service Contracts (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
- Reforestation Worker Rights Cards (PDF)
- Recordkeeper (PDF)
- Rights For Workers with Disabilities: Section 14(c) and Subminimum Wage Employment (PDF)
- Worker Referral Card: Section 14(c) and Subminimum Wage Employment (PDF)
- Work Hours Calendar (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
State DOL Offices - a list of all states and their labor office contact information.
Resources in Other Languages
- Publications in Other Language
- En Español (In Spanish)
(In Chinese)- tiếng Việt (In Vietnamese)
(In Korean)- ภาษาไทย (In Thai)
Workers’ Rights – information on the rights of workers in specific industries
- Apparel Workers
- Day Laborers
- Farm Workers
- Health Care Workers
- H-2A Workers
- H-1B Workers
- Nail Salon Workers Rights
- Reforestation Worker Rights
Tools for Workers
- Recordkeeper (PDF)
- Work Hours Calendar (English), (Spanish) (PDF)
Mobile Application
- The DOL-Timesheet App just got an upgrade! Employees and employers can keep accurate records of hours on the job. The DOL-Timesheet App helps track regular work hours, break time, and overtime hours. The new version of the app also enhances the comments capability, offers multiple pay frequency options, and additional pay calculations.
Workers Owed Wages - Could you be owed back wages by the Wage and Hour Division as a result of investigation? Click here to find out.
Fact Sheets – an index of all Fact Sheets on WHD topics.
Presentations - an index of all PowerPoint presentation on WHD topics
Frequently Asked Questions – links to questions and answers about topics and that are often asked of WHD.
Elaws Advisors - The elaws Advisors are interactive e-tools that provide easy-to-understand information about a number of federal employment laws. Each Advisor simulates the interaction you might have with an employment law expert. It asks questions and provides answers based on responses given.
Did You Know? Booklet (English) (Spanish)
“Know Your Rights” Video Series - The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has developed the “Know Your Rights” video series in English and Spanish to provide workers with useful basic information in different scenarios that workers encounter in the workplace.
YouthRules! - The YouthRules! website provides access to information about Federal and State labor laws that apply to young workers. The site includes information designed to educate teens, parents, educators, and employers about the hours youth can work, the jobs youth can do, and how to prevent workplace injuries.