Paycheck doesn't match hours worked? Fourteen plain answers on overtime, breaks, overnight shifts, premiums, what to say to payroll and who to call when nothing happens.
Read: What is the difference between gross and net pay? · How do I check my pay stub against my hours? · What do I say to payroll?
Read: What counts as overtime in the US? · What counts as overtime in Ontario? · What do I say to payroll?
Read: What is a shift differential or premium? · My shift crossed midnight. Which day does it count on? · What do I say to payroll?
Read: Are unpaid breaks supposed to come off my hours? · My shift crossed midnight. Which day does it count on? · Can my employer round my clock-in times?
Read: Can I get in trouble for asking? · How long should I keep my own records? · Payroll won't fix it. Who do I contact?
Usually one of five things: a shift that was never recorded or confirmed, an unpaid break deducted that you did not take (or took and forgot), overtime counted on a different workweek than you assumed, a premium (night, weekend, holiday) missing or applied to the wrong hours, or a pay period boundary that split a shift. Taxes and deductions are a separate question; compare gross with gross first.
Line by line, gross against gross. Add your confirmed shift hours for the period, split them into regular, overtime and premium hours under your employer's rules, multiply by the rates, and compare each line with the statement. EarnCheck does exactly this and marks each line Match, Difference to Review or Incomplete Information; deductions are kept separate and never counted as missing pay.
Source: EarnCheck listing, v1.1.0
Under the federal FLSA, non-exempt employees get at least 1.5× their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Some states add daily overtime (California, for example). Your employer defines the workweek; it does not have to match the pay period.
Source: US Department of Labor, FLSA overtime
Under the Employment Standards Act, most employees earn 1.5× after 44 hours in a work week, with exceptions by occupation and by written averaging agreements. The province's own page lists them.
Source: Ontario Ministry of Labour, overtime pay
If you actually took them. A 30-minute unpaid meal break deducted from a shift where you worked through is a difference to review. Record the break you took, not the one on the schedule.
That depends on your employer's rules, and it matters for weekly overtime and daily premiums. Keep the overnight shift as one shift with its real start and end; EarnCheck keeps it as one shift even across midnight, then applies the workweek you set.
Source: EarnCheck listing
Gross is what your hours and rates earn before anything is taken out. Net is what reaches your account after tax, benefits and other deductions. Hour disputes are gross disputes; if gross matches and net surprised you, the question is a deduction, not a missing hour.
Extra pay per hour for nights, weekends or holidays, set by your employer or agreement, not by federal law in the US. Check which hours qualify (often only hours between set times) before flagging a difference.
In the US, rounding is allowed if it is neutral over time (commonly to the nearest quarter hour) and does not consistently favour the employer. Consistent rounding against you across many shifts is worth raising.
Source: US DOL, Fact Sheet #21 (recordkeeping) and 29 CFR 785.48
Facts, not accusations. "For the period 13 to 26 July, my records show 84.5 hours (78 regular, 6.5 overtime). The statement shows 80 regular and 2 overtime. Could you check the overtime calculation for the week of 20 July?" Attach the shifts. EarnCheck drafts an editable, neutral message like this and never contacts your employer itself.
Source: EarnCheck listing
In the US, the FLSA prohibits retaliation against employees who assert their rights under the Act, including making a complaint. Ontario's ESA has a similar reprisal rule. Asking payroll to check a figure is a normal workplace request; keep it written and polite.
Source: US DOL, FLSA anti-retaliation; Ontario ESA reprisals
At least as long as the time limit to claim. US federal wage claims generally reach back two years (three for wilful violations); Ontario claims have their own limits. Keeping every pay period in a vault with notes costs nothing. EarnCheck's Record Vault keeps checked periods with their resolution history.
Source: US DOL, FLSA statute of limitations
In the US, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division takes complaints (1-866-487-9243). In Ontario, the Ministry of Labour's Employment Standards claim process. Bring your shift records, the statements and your written messages to payroll. Neither this page nor the app is legal advice; a difference is something to review, not proof of an error.
Source: US DOL WHD; Ontario Ministry of Labour
Free: one job, a complete first pay period with unlimited shifts, weekly overtime and a payday comparison; saved records stay viewable. Pro adds unlimited pay periods, multiple jobs, advanced overtime and premium rules, and full export and backup, with a 7-day trial on the annual plan for eligible customers.
Source: EarnCheck listing, v1.1.0
If you are paid a salary with no overtime entitlement, hour-by-hour checking does not apply. Your question is about classification, which is a labour authority or lawyer question.
No employer payroll to compare against. An invoicing tool that tracks jobs and payments fits better than a shift tracker.
EarnCheck ships Ontario and US federal overtime presets; elsewhere you enter your own rule. That works, but you have to know the rule, and the app does not check it for you.
Statement says $1,755.81. You expected a touch more because of the two Thursday nights. The app shows $1,867.81 expected and a $112.00 difference to review: regular hours match, the overtime line is $265.63 against $189.11, and the night premium is short by one shift. The draft message to payroll is four lines, names the week of 3 August, and asks them to check the overtime calculation. It took eight minutes, most of it reading.
Enter the period's hours and your rate. The result is an estimate of gross pay under a simple weekly overtime rule; your employer's agreement, premiums and state or provincial rules can change it.
Assumes hours are spread evenly across the weeks and overtime at 1.5×. Not legal or payroll advice; a difference is something to review, not proof of an error.
| What you need | Notes app or paper | Spreadsheet | Employer's scheduling app | EarnCheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real start, end, break per shift | If you remember | If you type it | Scheduled, not always worked | One-tap confirm after each shift; scheduled shifts never count until confirmed |
| Overtime by the employer's workweek | Mental maths | Formulas you maintain | Their rules, their maths | Preset (Ontario 44 h, US 40 h) or your own; Show the Math |
| Line-by-line comparison with the statement | No | Manual | No | Match / Difference to Review / Incomplete, gross vs gross |
| Independent of the employer | Yes | Yes | No | Yes; no employer login, no bank login, no account |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free to you | First pay period free; Pro subscription for unlimited periods and jobs |
Confirm shifts in one tap, see estimated gross build, compare payday line by line. No account, no employer login, records stay on your phone.
This page is general information, not legal or payroll advice. Your employer's payroll team or local labour authority can confirm what applies to you.