Search for unpaid wages
If you need help sorting out a workplace wages issue, check Fixing a workplace problem.
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 on behalf of the employee. 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.
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 s.559 
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