If you have a wage, overtime, tip, or family-leave problem at a Georgia job, the agency to contact is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The Wage and Hour Division in Georgia operates two offices — an Atlanta district office and a Savannah area office — and the Georgia Department of Labor directs workers with wage and hour complaints to the federal WHD rather than handling them at the state level.1Georgia Department of Labor. Obtain Information About an Employment Issue2U.S. Department of Labor. Wage and Hour Division Local Offices
You can reach the WHD nationally at 1-866-487-9243 or submit a complaint through its online contact form. The Georgia office addresses are:
- Atlanta District Office: 61 Forsyth Street SW, Room 7M10, Atlanta, GA 30303. Phone: 678-237-0521. District Director: Steven Salazar.
- Savannah Area Office: Oglethorpe Office Park, 450 Mall Blvd., Suite D, Savannah, GA 31406. Assistant District Director: Larry Benjamin.
Both offices share an outreach contact, Ashley Allen-Feliciano, for education and employer engagement. In-person availability varies, so call ahead before visiting.2U.S. Department of Labor. Wage and Hour Division Local Offices
Why You File With the Federal Government, Not the State
Georgia has a state minimum wage of $5.15 per hour under O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3, but it does not apply to any employer already covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.3Georgia Department of Labor. Minimum Wage The FLSA covers enterprises with at least two employees and $500,000 or more in annual sales, along with hospitals, schools, government agencies, and any individual whose work involves interstate commerce.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 14 – Coverage Under the FLSA That reaches most Georgia workers.
The state’s $5.15 rate is left to apply only to a narrow slice of small employers outside federal coverage, and the state law further exempts businesses with annual sales of $40,000 or less, employers with fewer than five employees, domestic workers, and farm owners, sharecroppers, and land renters.5Georgia Legal Aid. Wage and Hour Laws in Georgia For practical purposes, federal wage and hour law governs Georgia work, and the Georgia Department of Labor functions as an information resource rather than a complaint intake.1Georgia Department of Labor. Obtain Information About an Employment Issue
How to File a Wage Complaint
Complaints go to the WHD by calling 1-866-487-9243 or using the online complaint form.6U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint Before you contact the agency, gather:
- Your name, address, and phone number.
- Your employer’s name, address, phone number, and the name of a manager or owner.
- A description of the work you did, the dates at issue, and how and when you were paid.
After submission, the complaint is routed to the nearest WHD field office, and an official contacts you within two business days to decide whether to open a formal investigation.7Worker.gov. Actions for a WHD Claim
Your complaint is confidential. The WHD will not share your name, the nature of the complaint, or the fact that a complaint exists. Federal law also prohibits your employer from retaliating against you for filing or for cooperating with an investigation.6U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint
What an Investigation Looks Like
A formal investigation typically starts with an initial conference between the WHD investigator and the employer, followed by private interviews with employees and a review of payroll and time records. At a final conference, the investigator presents findings and sets out any required corrections, including back wages owed.
The Federal Standards the WHD Enforces in Georgia
Minimum Wage and Overtime
The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour applies to most Georgia workers. Nonexempt employees must receive overtime at one and a half times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek.8Georgia Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act FAQs The FLSA does not require premium pay for nights or weekends; any such premium depends on your agreement with your employer.
Executive, administrative, professional, and outside sales employees may be exempt from overtime if paid on a salary basis at or above the threshold. After a November 2024 court decision vacated the Department of Labor’s attempt to raise the threshold, the WHD currently enforces the 2019 standard: $684 per week, or $35,568 per year, with highly compensated employees required to earn at least $107,432 annually.9U.S. Department of Labor. Overtime Salary Levels Georgia has no separate state threshold.
Tipped Workers
Georgia employers may pay tipped employees a direct cash wage of $2.13 per hour and claim a tip credit of up to $5.12 per hour, as long as tips bring total pay to at least $7.25 per hour. If tips fall short, the employer must make up the difference. A tipped employee is defined as someone who customarily receives more than $30 per month in tips.10U.S. Department of Labor. Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees
Under the 80/20 rule in effect since December 2021, employers must pay the full minimum wage for time a tipped employee spends on duties unrelated to generating tips, and for tip-supporting work that exceeds 20 percent of the workweek or runs more than 30 consecutive minutes.11Georgia Restaurant Association. The DOL 80/20 Tip Rule Revision
Breaks, Paydays, and Final Paychecks
Georgia law does not require breaks, meal periods, vacation, sick leave, or personal leave.8Georgia Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act FAQs When an employer does offer short breaks of five to 20 minutes, federal law requires that time to be paid. Bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more need not be paid as long as the employee is completely relieved of duties.
Georgia requires wages to be paid at least twice per month, by cash, check, payroll card, or electronic transfer under O.C.G.A. § 34-7-2. The state has no law governing the timing of a final paycheck when an employee leaves a job.12Baker Donelson. Easy Guide – Georgia
Family and Medical Leave
The WHD also enforces the Family and Medical Leave Act in Georgia. The FMLA entitles eligible employees to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for qualifying family or medical reasons, or up to 26 weeks for military caregiver leave.13U.S. Department of Labor. Family and Medical Leave Act To qualify, you must have worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months, logged at least 1,250 hours in the preceding 12 months, and work at a site where the employer has 50 or more employees within 75 miles.14U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 28 – The Family and Medical Leave Act
FMLA complaints use the same WHD contact channels as wage complaints, or you can bring a private lawsuit. The statute of limitations is generally two years, extended to three years for willful violations.15Georgia Legal Aid. What Should I Know About the Family Medical Leave Act
If You Might Already Be Owed Money
As of January 2025, more than $1.8 million in recovered wages remained unclaimed by roughly 5,600 Georgia workers, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. These are funds the WHD obtained through investigations but could not deliver. The agency runs a “Worker Owed Wages” search tool, and if it cannot locate a worker within three years, the money is turned over to the U.S. Treasury. Workers in agriculture, construction, federal contracting, healthcare, and hospitality are most commonly affected.16Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Thousands of Georgia Workers Are Owed Wages From Businesses That Violated Labor Laws If you worked in one of those industries and left under disputed pay conditions, it is worth checking.
One Area Georgia Still Regulates: Child Labor in Entertainment
Child labor is the one wage-adjacent area where the Georgia Department of Labor runs its own rules. Under Subject 300-7-1 of the Georgia Administrative Code, infants under 15 days old cannot work in productions, minors face age-specific limits on lighting, atmospheric conditions, and work hours, no minor may start a workday before 5:00 a.m. or work more than six consecutive days, employers must provide a Child Labor Coordinator at a ratio of one per ten minors, and a parent or legal guardian must be present at all times.17Georgia Secretary of State. Rules of the Georgia Department of Labor – Child Labor in Entertainment Outside entertainment, the FLSA’s federal child labor provisions, enforced by the WHD, set the standards.