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Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

Division of Employer Accounts

Wage Violation Watchlist

When employers don’t pay their workers the wages they’ve earned, they are violating the law. This harms workers financially and robs them of the dignity of honest pay for honest work. It also makes it harder for honest businesses to compete. The Wage Violation Watchlist tracks employers that have violated NJ wage and hour laws.

The Wage Violation Watchlist names employers against which a wage claim has been filed where the employer was found to have been in violation of a State wage and hour law.  The list includes employers that have:

  • Not paid employees their wages, including when the employer fails to pay employees the required state minimum wage, and when the employer fails to pay employees one and one-half times their regular hourly wage for overtime.
  • Retaliated against employees who complain about not being paid.

When the employer pays the entire amount due after a final determination has been made by the Commissioner finding that the employer violated a NJ wage and hour law, NJDOL will note this on the Watchlist, but the employer’s name will remain on the list.  NJDOL updates the Wage Violation Watchlist monthly.

  • For questions about the Watchlist, email OSECInquiries@dol.nj.gov.
  • To download the dataset as an MS Excel document, click here.
  • To learn more about the Wage Violation Watchlist, click here.

The Wage Violation Watchlist was last updated on July 30, 2025.

Name of Employer/DBA Employer Address Nature of Claim Affected Employees Final Wages Assessed Fee and Penalty Assessed Status Date of Final Order

The Wage Violation Watchlist is a list developed by NJDOL and published on its website. This Watchlist names employers that have violated NJ wage and hour laws. NJDOL is required to publish the Watchlist by law under N.J.S.A 34:11-58.5. Employers on the Watchlist have all been given due process. They’ve had a chance to defend themselves against claims that they didn't pay their employees fairly and were given the opportunity to appeal any decision before a final order or judgment was entered.

The New Jersey wage and hour laws include the Wage Payment Law, the Wage and Hour Law, and the Wage Collection Law. Anong these laws’ requirements are the payment of the State minimum wage and the payment of one and one-half times an employee’s regular hourly wage for every hour worked in excess of 40 in a week.  They also prohibit the taking of deductions from an employee’s wages except for certain permissible reasons, and they prohibit retaliation for complaining to one’s employer or NJDOL about violations of these laws.

Retaliation can take different forms. Sometimes employers may fire, demote, or discipline workers for raising their concerns, but sometimes retaliation is more subtle, such as assigning workers less favorable job duties, isolating them, or harassing them.

When employers do not pay their workers correctly or when they retaliate against their workers, it means they are keeping money from their workers’ pockets while making it harder for law-abiding businesses to compete.

The Watchlist shows businesses who have been found liable for unpaid wages, fees, and penalties under NJ wage and hour laws, including the following types of violations:

  • Unpaid wages (under the NJ Wage Payment Law or the NJ Wage Collection Law)
  • Failure to pay the NJ state minimum wage (under the NJ Wage and Hour Law)
  • Failure to pay required overtime (under the NJ Wage and Hour Law)
  • Unlawful deductions from pay (under the NJ Wage Payment Law)
  • Retaliation against an employee for complaining about violations of any of the above NJ state wage and hour laws

Employers who have been found in violation of the New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act or The Public Works Contractor Registration Act are not included on the Watchlist. However, some of those employers may be named on the New Jersey Prevailing Wage Debarment List, which can be viewed here.

NJDOL posts the name of any employer who has violated one or more NJ state wage and hour laws against which the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development has issued a final determination.

Employers are not removed from the Watchlist. However, every month, NJDOL will update the Watchlist, including any changes to the status of an employer that has now paid their employees in full if they were previously unpaid.

The Watchlist is available on the NJDOL’s website at nj.gov/labor/ea/osec/wageviolationlist.shtml (viewable as a web page or downloadable as an Excel file).

The Watchlist is updated monthly, by the last day of each month. 

Employees who believe their employer has violated State wage and hour laws can file a complaint with NJDOL’s Division of Wage and Hour Compliance. Complaints can be filed online through a secure system or by mail or fax.

A trusted person, including a representative from a union or community-based organization, can help file a complaint or e-mail NJDOL on a worker’s behalf.

See NJDOL’s helpful guide for information on filing wage and hour complaints. | Haz un clic aquí por nuestro guía para presentar reclamos por salarios no pagados o violaciones de esta ley.

For more details, contact us. NJDOL has resources in multiple languages and multilingual staff who can help. We will work with all workers who come forward with a complaint and will make sure workers feel safe to fully engage with us during the entire process.

Yes. NJDOL assists and treats all workers equally and maintains their privacy to the maximum extent provided by law:

  • NJDOL serves all workers regardless of their immigration or citizenship status.
  • We do not ask workers about their immigration or citizenship status.
  • NJDOL is a state department. We are separate from the federal government.
  • We have strong regulations to protect the personal information of workers.
  • NJDOL does not voluntarily share workers’ personal information with federal immigration authorities.
  • If federal immigration authorities request the personal information of workers from NJDOL, they must present a valid subpoena or warrant signed by a judge.

The Watchlist provides job seekers with important information about employers who have violated NJ state wage and hour laws. Having this information may help them make informed decisions when choosing which employer to work for by highlighting employers with a history of not paying their workers or retaliating against them.

It is in the public’s interest to know which employers have violated NJ state wage and hour laws, such as not paying their workers properly or not following rules about work hours. Being on the Watchlist can harm an employer’s reputation. When workers, job seekers, consumers, and other businesses find out that an employer is on the Watchlist, they may make personal and professional decisions based on that information.