WAGE THEFT CALCULATOR

Introductory questions

We’ll begin by asking you some questions about your salary and working hours. You can provide this information either for your current job, or for a past job where you no longer work.

Your answers will help us calculate approximately how much you should earn per hour and the amount of money that may have been stolen.

As a reminder, the answers you provide will be transmitted to the Georgia Fair Labor Platform for research and advocacy purposes. Your answers will remain anonymous, unless you choose to provide your name and/or e-mail address at the end of the questionnaire.

1. What is your usual net monthly salary, according to your contract or verbal agreement?

2. How many hours per week are you supposed to work, according to your contract or verbal agreement?

3. If your employer provides a special hourly wage for overtime, enter it below. If not, go to the next question.

4. How long have you held this job?

and

5. What is your gender?



6. What city do you work in?

7. What employment sector/industry do you work in?














8. What is your employer's name? (name of company)

Types of wage theft

We’ll now ask a series of questions to determine if you’ve been the victim of wage theft, and to calculate the amount of money you may have lost.

Note that these questions do not cover all of the possible forms of wage theft, but are meant to give an estimate of the economic impact of this crime.

Wage theft: Unpaid off the clock work

Unpaid off the clock work is one of the most common types of wage theft. It is defined as required work that’s not counted as part of your normal working hours. Employers often classify workers’ duties as “off the clock,” and refuse to pay for it – even if the work is an essential part of doing your job.

Note: If the time spent on any of these activities pushes you over your normal hours per week, the work constitutes overtime; the law requires that overtime be paid at a rate higher than your normal wage.

1. Do you have to change into/out of special clothing, a uniform or protective gear to perform your job?


2. Do you arrive to work early or stay late to perform any other functions which are necessary for your job but not counted as part of your shift? For example, if you are a cashier or bank teller, this could include preparing your cash drawer. It can also include duties such as opening or closing procedures.


3. Does your employer require certain travel in order to do your job, other than your normal commute to and from work? For example, if you are a miner, this could include transport into the mines. If you are a construction worker, it could include transport to a work site.


Wage theft: Unpaid off the clock work (cont.)

4. Are you required to attend meetings or training sessions which are not counted towards your normal working hours?


5. Are you required to work through meal breaks or other breaks?


6. Are you required to do any other off the clock work not covered by the questions above?


Wage theft: Unpaid overtime

Unpaid overtime occurs when your employer requires you to work beyond your normal working hours, but fails to pay you for that time. Under Georgian law, all overtime must be paid at a rate that is more than the worker’s ordinary hourly rate. However, it does not specify how much more, so this calculator uses the International Labour Organisation’s suggested standard: 1.25 x the normal hourly rate.

1. Are you ever asked to work beyond your normally scheduled hours per week?


Wage theft: Salary deductions

Unlawful deductions occur when an employer withholds money from your salary without a legal reason to do so. Employers withhold money for a variety of reasons: for alleged theft, for taking breaks that are too long, for failure to meet quotas, and so on. In most cases, these deductions are illegal and constitute wage theft.

1. Has your employer ever deducted money from your salary, other than for taxes?


Wage theft: Unpaid vacation time

After 11 months of working for the same employer, you are entitled to 24 days per year of paid leave time under Georgian law.

1. Have you worked for this employer for 11 months or more?


Wage theft: Sick leave

If you are sick or need to care for a sick family member, Georgian law requires that your employer pay you for any missed time at work, as long as you present a note from a doctor. Pay should be based on your average income over the last three months (not including overtime, bonuses, etc.).

While in this job, have you ever needed to take days off for being sick or to take care of a sick family member?


Wage theft: Unpaid tips & service fees

Many bars and restaurants add a “service fee” to customers’ bill or display a “tip jar” for gratuities. This money is supposed to be distributed to staff, in addition to their normal salary. But often it is not. Failure to pay this money to staff is a form of wage theft.

1. Does your employer collect service fees or tips from customers?


Wage theft: Missed paycheck

Sometimes employers fail to pay their employees at all – whether for one month or multiple months. This is one of the most obvious forms of wage theft, but it is shockingly common.

1. Over the last year, has your employer ever failed to pay you your salary at all?


Wage theft: Payment following termination

After terminating a worker, the law requires employers to pay the worker the salary due up to the point of termination.

1. Are you still working in the job for which you answered the questions above?


Re-thinking your working hours

Taking into account the answers you’ve provided, how many hours do you think you actually work per week (regardless of whether these hours are paid)?

Optional contact information

Would you like to share your contact information with the Georgia Labor Platform, so that we can get in touch with you about the results of our wage theft calculation?