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Code of Virginia§ 40.1-29. Time and medium of payment; withholding wages; written statement of earnings; agreement for forfeiture of wages; proceedings to enforce compliance; penalties.
A. All employers operating a business or engaging an individual to perform domestic service shall establish regular pay periods and rates of pay for employees except executive personnel. All such employers shall pay salaried employees at least once each month and employees paid on an hourly rate at least once every two weeks or twice in each month, except that (i) a student who is currently enrolled in a work-study program or its equivalent administered by any secondary school, institution of higher education, or trade school, and (ii) employees whose weekly wages total more than 150 percent of the average weekly wage of the Commonwealth as defined in § 65.2-500, upon agreement by each affected employee, may be paid once each month if the institution or employer so chooses. Upon termination of employment an employee shall be paid all wages or salaries due him for work performed prior thereto; such payment shall be made on or before the date on which he would have been paid for such work had his employment not been terminated.
B. Payment of wages or salaries shall be (i) in lawful money of the United States, (ii) by check payable at face value upon demand in lawful money of the United States, (iii) by electronic automated fund transfer in lawful money of the United States into an account in the name of the employee at a financial institution designated by the employee, or (iv) by credit to a prepaid debit card or card account from which the employee is able to withdraw or transfer funds with full written disclosure by the employer of any applicable fees and affirmative consent thereto by the employee. However, an employer that elects not to pay wages or salaries in accordance with clause (i) or (ii) to an employee who is hired after January 1, 2010, shall be permitted to pay wages or salaries by credit to a prepaid debit card or card account in accordance with clause (iv), even though such employee has not affirmatively consented thereto, if the employee fails to designate an account at a financial institution in accordance with clause (iii) and the employer arranges for such card or card account to be issued through a network system through which the employee shall have the ability to make at least one free withdrawal or transfer per pay period, which withdrawal may be for any sum in such card or card account as the employee may elect, using such card or card account at financial institutions participating in such network system.
C. No employer shall withhold any part of the wages or salaries of any employee except for payroll, wage or withholding taxes or in accordance with law, without the written and signed authorization of the employee. On each regular pay date, each employer, other than an employer engaged in agricultural employment including agribusiness and forestry, shall provide to each employee a written statement, by a paystub or online accounting, that shows the name and address of the employer; the number of hours worked during the pay period if the employee is paid on the basis of (i) the number of hours worked or (ii) a salary that is less than the standard salary level adopted by regulation of the U.S. Department of Labor pursuant to § 13(a)(1) of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 213(a)(1), as amended, establishing an exemption from the Act's overtime premium pay requirements; the rate of pay; the gross wages earned by the employee during the pay period; and the amount and purpose of any deductions therefrom. The paystub or online accounting shall include sufficient information to enable the employee to determine how the gross and net pay were calculated. An employer engaged in agricultural employment including agribusiness and forestry, upon request of its employee, shall furnish the employee a written statement of the gross wages earned by the employee during any pay period and the amount and purpose of any deductions therefrom.
D. No employer shall require any employee, except executive personnel, to sign any contract or agreement which provides for the forfeiture of the employee's wages for time worked as a condition of employment or the continuance therein, except as otherwise provided by law.
E. An employer who willfully and with intent to defraud fails or refuses to pay wages in accordance with this section or § 40.1-29.3, unless the failure to pay was because of a bona fide dispute between the employer and its employee:
1. To an employee or employees is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if the value of the wages earned and not paid by the employer is less than $10,000; and
2. To an employee or employees is guilty of a Class 6 felony (i) if the value of the wages earned and not paid is $10,000 or more or (ii) regardless of the value of the wages earned and not paid, if the conviction is a second or subsequent conviction under this section or § 40.1-29.3.
For purposes of this section, the determination as to the "value of the wages earned" shall be made by combining all wages the employer failed or refused to pay pursuant to this section and § 40.1-29.3.
F. The Commissioner may require a written complaint of the violation of this section and, with the written and signed consent of an employee, may institute proceedings on behalf of an employee to enforce compliance with this section, and to collect any moneys unlawfully withheld from such employee that shall be paid to the employee entitled thereto. In addition, following the issuance of a final order by the Commissioner or a court, the Commissioner may engage private counsel, approved by the Attorney General, to collect any moneys owed to the employee or the Commonwealth. Upon entry of a final order of the Commissioner, or upon entry of a judgment, against the employer, the Commissioner or the court shall assess attorney fees of one-third of the amount set forth in the final order or judgment.
G. In addition to being subject to any other penalty provided by the provisions of this section, any employer who fails to make payment of wages in accordance with subsection A shall be liable for the payment of all wages due, and an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, plus interest at an annual rate of eight percent accruing from the date the wages were due.
H. Any employer who knowingly fails to make payment of wages in accordance with subsection A or § 40.1-29.3 shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each violation. The Commissioner shall notify any employer that the Commissioner alleges has violated any provision of this section or § 40.1-29.3 by certified mail. Such notice shall contain a description of the alleged violation. Within 15 days of receipt of notice of the alleged violation, the employer may request an informal conference regarding such violation with the Commissioner. In determining the amount of any penalty to be imposed, the Commissioner shall consider the size of the business of the employer charged and the gravity of the violation. The decision of the Commissioner shall be final. Civil penalties owed under this section shall be paid to the Commissioner for deposit into the general fund of the State Treasurer. The Commissioner shall prescribe procedures for the payment of proposed assessments of penalties that are not contested by employers. Such procedures shall include provisions for an employer to consent to abatement of the alleged violation and pay a proposed penalty or a negotiated sum in lieu of such penalty without admission of any civil liability arising from such alleged violation.
I. Final orders of the Commissioner, the general district courts, or the circuit courts may be recorded, enforced, and satisfied as orders or decrees of a circuit court upon certification of such orders by the Commissioner or the court as appropriate.
J. In addition to any civil or criminal penalty provided by this section, and without regard to any exhaustion of alternative administrative remedies provided for in this section, if an employer fails to pay wages to an employee in accordance with this section, the employee may bring an action, individually, jointly, with other aggrieved employees, or on behalf of similarly situated employees as a collective action consistent with the collective action procedures of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 216(b), against the employer in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover payment of the wages, and the court shall award the wages owed, an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, plus prejudgment interest thereon as provided in subsection G, and reasonable attorney fees and costs. If the court finds that the employer knowingly failed to pay wages to an employee in accordance with this section, the court shall award the employee an amount equal to triple the amount of wages due and reasonable attorney fees and costs.
K. As used in this section, a person acts "knowingly" if the person, with respect to information, (i) has actual knowledge of the information, (ii) acts in deliberate ignorance of the truth or falsity of the information, or (iii) acts in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of the information. Establishing that a person acted knowingly shall not require proof of specific intent to defraud.
L. An action under this section shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued. The period for filing is tolled upon the filing of an administrative action under subsection F until the employee has been informed that the action has been resolved or until the employee has withdrawn the complaint, whichever is sooner.
Code 1950, § 40-24; 1962, c. 66; 1966, c. 88; 1968, c. 262; 1970, c. 321; 1972, c. 848; 1977, c. 308; 1979, c. 50; 1989, c. 583; 1991, c. 499; 1993, c. 600; 2002, c. 321; 2003, c. 638; 2004, c. 358; 2005, cc. 595, 851; 2009, c. 728; 2016, c. 593; 2019, cc. 836, 845; 2020, cc. 202, 868, 1038; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 445, 513; 2022, cc. 461, 462.
§ 40.1-29.1. Investigations of employers for nonpayment of wages.
If in the course of an investigation of a complaint of an employer's failure or refusal to pay wages in accordance with the requirements of § 40.1-29, the Commissioner acquires information creating a reasonable belief that other employees of the same employer may not have been paid wages in accordance with such requirements, the Commissioner shall have the authority to investigate whether the employer has failed or refused to make any required payment of wages to other employees of the employer as required by § 40.1-29. If the Commissioner finds in the course of such investigation that the employer has violated a provision of § 40.1-29, the Commissioner may institute proceedings on behalf of any employee against his employer. Such proceedings shall be undertaken in accordance with the provisions of § 40.1-29, except that the Commissioner shall not require a written complaint of the violation or the written and signed consent of any employee as a condition of instituting such proceedings.
2020, cc. 205, 206; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 445; 2022, cc. 461, 462.
§ 40.1-29.2. Employer liability.
Any employer that violates the overtime pay requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., as amended, and any regulations, guidance, or rules adopted pursuant to the overtime pay provisions of such federal act or any related governing case law shall be liable to the employee for the applicable remedies, damages, or other relief available under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act in an action brought pursuant to the process in subsection J of § 40.1-29. For the purposes of this section, "employer" and "employee" shall have the meanings ascribed to them under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and all applicable exemptions, overtime calculation methods, methods of overtime payment, or other overtime provisions within the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and any attendant regulations, guidance, or rules shall apply. Any action brought pursuant to this section shall accrue according to the applicable limitations set forth in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 445; 2022, cc. 461, 462.
§ 40.1-29.3. Overtime for certain employees.
A. As used in this section:
"Carrier" means an air carrier that is subject to the provisions of the federal Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C. § 181 et seq.
"Derivative carrier" means a carrier that meets the two-part test used by the federal National Mediation Board to determine if a carrier is considered a derivative carrier.
"Employee" means an individual employed by a derivative carrier.
B. An employer shall pay each employee an overtime premium at a rate not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate for any hours worked by an employee in excess of 40 hours in any one workweek. An employee's regular rate shall be calculated as the employee's hourly rate of pay plus any other non-overtime wages paid or allocated for that workweek, excluding any amounts that would be excluded from the regular rate by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., and its implementing regulations for an individual covered by such federal act, divided by the total number of hours worked in that workweek.
C. If an employer fails to pay overtime wages to an employee in accordance with this section, the employee may bring an action against the employer in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover payment of the overtime wages, and the court shall award the overtime wages owed, an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, and reasonable attorney fees and costs; however, if the employer shows to the satisfaction of the court that the act or omission giving rise to such action was in good faith and that he had reasonable grounds for believing that his act or omission was not a violation of this section, the court may, in its discretion, award no liquidated damages or award any amount thereof not to exceed the amount of the unpaid overtime wages.
D. An action under this section shall be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrued, except that a cause of action arising out of a willful violation may be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrued.
§ 40.1-30. Registration of certain nonresident employers with Department.
(a) Any employer domiciled without this Commonwealth and performing any demolition, excavation, installation, paving, repair, maintenance, erection or construction work within this Commonwealth for a fixed price, commission, fee or percentage, when the cost of the undertaking, order, contract or subcontract is not less than $300 nor more than $60,000, shall, prior to the commencement of each such undertaking or the performance of each such order, contract or subcontract, register with the Department, at Richmond, on such form as may be prescribed by said Department, providing thereon the employer's name and address, the name and address of the employer's chief officer or owner, the name and address of the person in charge of the work being done, the type of work to be done, the date work will commence, the specific location of the work, the name of the person, firm, corporation, partnership or association for whom the work is being performed, the cost of the undertaking or the amount of the order, contract or subcontract and the approximate number of persons employed by the employer in said undertaking or performance, including the rates of pay and the number of persons employed at each rate and shall be submitted to the Department with a United States postal service money order or check drawn in favor of the State Treasurer in the amount of $100 for annual registration or $25 for registration for a specific job. Provided, however, nothing in this section shall apply to any such contractor who is registered under the provisions of Title 54.1, Chapter 11. Provided further, that any such employer may apply to the Department for annual registration which, if granted, shall relieve such employer from registration of each specific contract. Annual registration may be granted if the Department shall ascertain that such employer has a permanent and definite place of business outside this Commonwealth.
(b) Any employer failing to register with the Department as required by this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500. Each day's failure to register shall constitute a separate offense.
(c) This section shall be enforceable by the Commissioner and all officers empowered to enforce the criminal laws of this Commonwealth.
Code 1950, § 40-24.1; 1966, c. 614; 1968, c. 106; 1970, c. 321; 1972, c. 241; 1979, c. 484.
§ 40.1-31. Assignment of wages and salaries; requirements.
No assignment, transfer, pledge or hypothecation of wages or salary due or to become due to any person shall be valid and enforceable against any employer of the assignor, except with the express consent in writing of such employer given to the creditor or assignee, unless and until all of the following requirements have been fully met:
(1) Such assignment is printed in type not smaller than pica, is a separate instrument not incorporated in or made a part of any other contract or instrument, and is plainly designated "Wage Assignment."
(2) Such assignment is executed in triplicate and in person by the assignor, is dated on the date on which it is executed, one executed copy thereof is delivered to the assignor, and one executed copy is mailed to the employer therein named within fifteen days after the execution thereof; provided, however, that such copy mailed to the employer shall be for his information only, and shall not be construed as giving such employer legal notice of the assignee's intention to enforce the terms thereof or as constituting the notice referred to in § 8.01-13.
(3) The name of employer of the assignor is written therein before the signing thereof and the total amount, if any, which is to be secured thereby is plainly stated therein.
(4) The assignor is, at the time of the execution of the assignment, employed by the employer therein named.
(5) Ten days before any notice of the assignee's intention to enforce the terms of the assignment is served upon the employer, the assignee gives the assignor notice in writing sent by mail to his last known address that default has been made in his obligation.
(6) Notice of the assignee's intention to enforce the terms of an assignment has been served on the employer by an officer or other person authorized to serve civil process. Such notice shall be valid to make the assignment effective only from the time it is served.
(7) Whenever the assignor changes his employment after executing an assignment contemplated by this section then any assignee who has otherwise fully complied with the provisions of this section may enforce his assignment against the new employer of the assignor provided that he mails a copy of the assignment to the new employer within fifteen days after learning of such change of employment and gives the same notice or notices to the new employer as is required to be given to the original employer and complies with the conditions of subdivision (5) hereof.
Code 1950, § 40-30; 1970, c. 321.
§ 40.1-32. Partial assignments invalid.
No partial assignment of wages shall be enforceable at law or in equity; provided, however, that an assignment of all wages over and above the exemption provided in § 34-29 shall not be considered a partial assignment under the provisions of this section.
Code 1950, § 40-31; 1970, c. 321.
§ 40.1-33. Certain assignments not affected.
The two preceding sections (§§ 40.1-31, 40.1-32) shall not be construed to apply to assignments of salaries, wages and income for the benefit of creditors as provided for in Article 2 (§ 8.01-525.6 et seq.) of Chapter 18.1 of Title 8.01.
Code 1950, § 40-32; 1970, c. 321.
§ 40.1-33.1. Retaliatory actions prohibited; civil penalty.
A. An employer shall not discharge, discipline, threaten, discriminate against, or penalize an employee or independent contractor, or take other retaliatory action regarding an employee or independent contractor's compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment, because the employee or independent contractor:
1. Has reported or plans to report to an appropriate authority that an employer, or any officer or agent of the employer, has failed to properly classify an individual as an employee and failed to pay required benefits or other contributions; or
2. Is requested or subpoenaed by an appropriate authority to participate in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry by an appropriate authority or in a court action.
B. The provisions of subsection A shall apply only if an employee or independent contractor who discloses information about suspected worker misclassification has done so in good faith and upon a reasonable belief that the information is accurate. Disclosures that are reckless or the employee knew or should have known were false, confidential by law, or malicious shall not be deemed good faith reports and shall not be subject to the protections provided by subsection A.
C. Any employee who is discharged, disciplined, threatened, discriminated against, or penalized in a manner prohibited by this section may file a complaint with the Commissioner. The Commissioner, with the written and signed consent of such an employee, may institute proceedings against the employer for appropriate remedies for such action, including reinstatement of the employee and recovering lost wages.
D. Any employer who discharges, disciplines, threatens, discriminates against, or penalizes an employee in a manner prohibited by this section shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed the amount of the employee's wages that are lost as a result of the violation. Civil penalties under this section shall be assessed by the Commissioner and paid to the Literary Fund.
§ 40.1-33.2. Discriminatory actions prohibited.
A. An employer shall not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against an employee because such employee has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under § 40.1-29, or has testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding.
B. Any employee who is discharged or in any other manner discriminated against in a manner prohibited by this section may file a complaint with the Commissioner, and the Commissioner, with the written and signed consent of an employee, may institute proceedings on behalf of an employee for appropriate remedies for such action, including reinstatement of the employee and recovering lost wages and an additional amount equal to the lost wages as liquidated damages.
2020, cc. 950, 951, § 40.1-33.1.