A recent amendment to North Carolina’s Wage and Hour Act (N.C.G.S. § 95-25.13) now requires North Carolina employers to provide written notice to new hires of:
- promised wages
- day and location of wage payment (if wages are delivered in person)
- method of payment (e.g. direct deposit or mail).
Prior to the amendment, N.C. employers were permitted to notify employees of their wages in writing or verbally. Verbal notice is no longer permitted under the statute.
Additionally, North Carolina employers must notify employees in writing at least one pay period prior to any changes in promised wages. This is a longer notice period than was previously required.
Finally, the amendment requires employers to send final paychecks through regular pay channels or by trackable mail if requested by the employee in writing. The time period to pay final wages is unchanged, and final wages must be paid on or before the next regular pay date following separation.
Employers who operate in North Carolina but do not have a practice in place ensuring that new hires are provided with a written offer letter or employment agreement setting out the required wage information should do so immediately.