Can employer charge for employment verification?

RDW · February 2003

My company is proposing to charge employees $10 every time they have to verify employment (for a car loan, mortgage, apt rental, etc.) or issue a duplicate W-2 (unless the employee can prove it was returned by the post office). I've tried searching the Internet, but haven't been able to find a regulation regarding verifications and whether or not employers can charge for this. Does anybody know?

cebudragonlady · February 2003

Do you really want to do this? Just imagine the uproar! When the lower paid workers have to fork over ten dollars for each verification, their morale will go down and their resentment will rise. Word to the wise: forget it !

Chari

POPEYE · February 2003

I agree. Sometimes I fear, with budgetary concerns, we have lost sight of what HR should be. Charging for a couple of mouse clicks or pulling a filing cabinet drawer open and either a 1 minute phone conversation or fax sends the wrong message. Whomever in your company is suggesting the charge should be made to come and sit in the HR office and listen to conversations about employees not having the means to pay co-pays on Dr. visits or to get medication for ill children. Maybe, just maybe they would have a little understanding.

Wow. I've wanted to vent like that for several years. Thanks for the opportunity.

MrCreosote · February 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 02-13-03 AT 08:57AM (CST)[/font][p]For the W-2s I can understand some kind of step, but charging for the verifications seems like a terrible idea to me, like something a large, evil bank in Chicago might think up. If you do go through with it, though, be sure to charge the firm requesting the verification, too. Then you can collect twice as much. Next you could charge employees rent for their desks or charge them a toll to walk into the building or a user fee for their cash register.

RDW · February 2003

I agree that it's a terrible idea and have made the same arguments you all have. What I'm looking for is a legal basis to argue. I'm wondering if it's covered in any California regulation that I can site. I was hoping that it wasn't legally allowed, but I haven't been able to find a regulation anywhere. That's what I need help on.
Thanks for the input.

Gillian · February 2003

You may have to contact an attorney. There may be an obscure regulation somewhere but I can't find it in the California Labor Codes. The closest that the Labor Code gets is to talk about inappropriate deductions from wages - and you aren't doing that.

Devika · February 2003

Well they would need authorization from the employee in writing to make the deduction. If the employee did not provide the authorization, what would the company do, refuse to provide the verification? Is it legal for a company to refuse to provide verifications? I just think you might try looking at it from the angle of the company's obligation to provide verifications, if there is one, rather than their ability to charge employees.

Can employer charge for employment verification?

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