Guide for Target Hourly Workers: Steps to Recover Unpaid Wages

When hourly team members suspect they were not paid for all hours worked, prompt documentation and clear escalation are the difference between recovering back pay and losing a claim. Unpaid work commonly involves security checks, pre-shift walking time from parking lot to register, mandatory meetings, or other tasks performed off the clock. This guide lays out practical steps Target team members can take to check pay, preserve evidence, raise internal complaints, and seek external enforcement.

Start by reviewing your pay stubs and any company payroll records available through your employee portal. Compare hours worked to hours paid and note specific dates and times. Record the nature of the unpaid work - for example security sweeps, pre-shift stocking, pre-shift walkthroughs, or unpaid meetings - and whether you were asked or required to perform the tasks. Accurate chronologies bolster claims and reduce ambiguity when discussing the issue with managers.

Preserve every piece of documentation that can corroborate your account. Keep schedules, paper or digital timecards, messages from managers or scheduling apps, photographed store clocks, and receipts that show when you arrived. If coworkers witnessed the unpaid work, ask them to document what they observed. Store a copy of any written correspondence you send or receive about the issue.

Raise the issue with store management and HR in writing as a next step. Describe the discrepancy, attach supporting records, and request an investigation and correction. Follow your store’s internal complaint process if one is required or available, and retain copies of any responses. Being professional and factual increases the chance of an internal resolution and creates a record that will be useful if external action becomes necessary.

If internal avenues do not resolve the problem, team members can file a wage claim with their state labor department or seek help from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Remedies available through these channels typically include back pay for unpaid hours and, in some federal wage claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, liquidated damages. Timelines for filing and the specific procedures vary by state and by whether the claim is brought under state law or federal law, so act promptly and check state-specific agency contact pages for forms, office locations, and phone numbers.

Unpaid wages affect workers’ finances and morale and can erode trust between team members and store leadership. For managers and district leaders, unresolved pay issues can increase turnover and invite regulatory scrutiny. For team members, the prospect of recovering wages depends on careful documentation, timely escalation, and use of both company and government remedies.

For hourly workers at Target, the practical takeaway is clear: document every incident, raise the issue in writing with management and HR, and if necessary pursue a formal wage claim with your state labor agency or the Wage and Hour Division. Acting quickly preserves options and strengthens the case for recovering pay owed.