Lawsuit Investigation: NJ Payroll Laws, Wage Payment Frequency
Last Updated on March 4, 2025
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Employees in New Jersey who were not paid at least twice a month, or who worked in executive or supervisory positions and were paid less frequently than monthly.
- What’s Going On?
- Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are looking into whether certain employers have violated New Jersey labor laws by failing to pay employees frequently enough. If so, it’s possible that class action lawsuits could be filed on behalf of workers.
- How Could a Lawsuit Help?
- A class action lawsuit could help workers recover money for any late paychecks and potentially force their employer to change its pay practices.
- What You Can Do
- If you were employed in New Jersey in the past six years and were paid less frequently than twice a month, or if you worked in an executive or supervisory position and were paid less frequently than monthly, fill out the form on this page to help the investigation.
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are looking into whether class action lawsuits can be filed against employers in New Jersey over potential violations of the state’s payroll laws.
With only a few exceptions, the New Jersey Wage Payment Law specifies that:
- Employees must be paid at least twice a month
- Employees must be paid within 10 days of the end of a pay period
- Employees who are fired, laid off or quit their position must be paid all wages due by the next regular payday
Under New Jersey employment laws, workers whose rights are violated could be owed up to three times the amount of their late or unpaid wages.
Were you employed in New Jersey in the past six years and paid less than twice per month? Or did you work in an executive or supervisory position in the state and get paid less frequently than monthly? Fill out the form on this page to learn more about how you may be able to help get a class action lawsuit started on behalf of yourself and other workers.
More Detail – New Jersey Payroll Laws: Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Weekly?
New Jersey labor laws specify how frequently employees must be paid. The payroll rules allow for weekly or bi-weekly (every two weeks) wage payments, but employers are required by law to pay “the full amount of wages due” to employees at least twice per calendar month, i.e., semi-monthly.
The only exception to the semi-monthly wage payment requirement is for bona fide executive, supervisory and “other special classifications” of employees, who can be paid less frequently as long as they are paid in full at least once per calendar month on a regularly established schedule.
The New Jersey Wage Payment Law also states that employees must be paid no more than 10 working days after the end of each pay period. In most situations, if an employee’s regular payday falls on a day that the workplace is not open, they must be paid on the immediately preceding workday.
If an employee is terminated or quits their job, New Jersey employment law requires that they receive their final paycheck with all wages due no later than the regular payday for the pay period during which their termination or cessation of employment took place.
How Could Class Action Lawsuits Help?
If class action lawsuits are filed and successful, affected employees may be able to recover money for any late or unpaid wages. Under New Jersey payroll laws, workers whose rights are violated could be owed up to three times the amount of their wages due.
What You Can Do
If you worked in New Jersey during the past six years and were paid less than twice per month, or if you were paid less frequently than monthly while working in an executive or supervisory position, fill out the form on this page.
After you get in touch, an attorney or legal representative may reach out directly to ask you some questions about your employment experience and explain how you may be able to get a class action lawsuit started over potential violations of New Jersey payroll laws. It doesn’t cost anything to fill out the form or speak with someone, and you’re not obligated to take legal action if you decide you don’t want to.
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