Search for unpaid wages

If you need help sorting out a workplace wages issue, check Help resolving workplace issues.

Why we collect unpaid wages for employees

Sometimes an employer owes wages to an employee who has left their business and can’t be contacted.

An employer might have to pay outstanding wages because:

  • we have contacted the employer as part of a campaign and:
    • completed an audit or helped them to do an audit of their records
    • found that one or more former employees have been underpaid
  • during an investigation we have found an underpayment.

What happens to the wages after we collect them

We hold the wages in a trust fund. When the employee is found and identified, we pay the wages to the employee.

Find out if we are holding wages for an employee

You might need to do a few separate searches if:

  • the employee has had more than 1 employer
  • the employee has changed their name since they started working.

Step 1

Enter the employee's family name (last name), for example, Smith.

Step 2

Enter at least one of the following, the Australian Business Number (ABN) or the business name (also called entity name) of the employer

Step 3

If errors are detected they will be listed above the form and the page will not reload.

How to claim unpaid wages

If your search shows we might be holding unpaid wages for an employee, the employee should Contact us to claim the wages as soon as possible.

All personal information is collected and handled in line with our Privacy policy.

Source reference: Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) section 559 external-icon.png

What to do next

Help for small business

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