Depending on the type and nature of your job, your income may be partially or entirely commission based. When you work on commission, your pay structure will look different than the average employee, and you may depend on every penny of that income.
Tampa wage disputes for commission-based jobs often happen because employees engage in flagrant wage violations. You should not have to handle a commission dispute alone. The experienced wage and hour attorneys at Feldman Legal Group could help you get the money you earned as well as other financial remedies you may be eligible to claim.
Understanding Commission Disputes and Wage Violations
Many types of roles receive compensation on a commission basis. These workers may be full-fledged employees or contractors. Examples of roles jobs that are commonly commission-based include sales managers, real estate agents, insurance agents, advisors, and sales representatives.
A commission employee will not be paid hourly or salaried like a traditional employee. Instead, these jobs only pay a flat fee or portion of money derived from transactions the employee brings to their company. Sometimes, these workers will also have a base salary in addition to earnings from commissions.
Commission disputes can arise from a range of issues. The employer may refuse to pay a commission to the worker outright, which may represent a breach of contract. The dispute may occur because the employer pays part but not all of the commission due to the employee.
Another common situation where commission disputes occur is when the employee leaves the company but still has commissions pending. Even if the individual is no longer working for the employer, they are entitled to receive any and all commission money they earned in their time at the company. Late commission payments or unexplained changes in the commission structure could also trigger a dispute.
While the laws governing commission employees are different than for workers in a regular salaried or hourly role, there is no dispute that any worker, commission-based or not, is entitled to be paid compensation for the work they have performed. The way in which earnings are accrued for a commission-based job can make wage disputes complex, so it is advisable to work with a Tampa attorney from the earliest stages of the case.
Legal Recourse in Commission Wage Disputes
When a Tampa employee is facing a wage dispute for a current or former commission-based job, they will likely need a lawyer’s help. An attorney well-versed in both federal and state laws governing these cases could investigate the matter further and determine what legal recourse is available.
Failure to pay a commission-based employee the money due to them, withholding payment, paying less than what is owed, or other commission violations may breach the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Florida Minimum Wage Act. An attorney could guide an employee through the dispute process from start to finish, from launching a complaint to seeking full compensatory damages.
Multiple types of financial recovery may be available in a successful commission wage dispute. These forms of compensation could include the amount of bonuses or commission due, as well as additional financial damages above and beyond that amount. In some cases, it may be possible to claim punitive damages as well.
Get Help from an Attorney in Tampa With a Wage Dispute for a Commission-Based Job
Tampa wage disputes for commission-based jobs may occur from an oversight from your employer, but these issues may also arise because your employer is engaging in blatant wage theft. Regardless of the circumstances that result in your nonpayment of owed commission money, both federal and state laws protect you from these violations and compel employers to pay you for the work you have done.
Mitchell Feldman and our legal team habitually go to bat for workers facing commission disputes and other wage violations. While the goal is always to achieve a fair and full settlement, we have the knowledge, experience, and resources to take your case to court if it comes to that. To find out more about your legal rights and options, contact Feldman Legal Group today and set up your one-on-one legal consultation.
