New York's Wage Theft Prevention Act (WTPA) takes effect on Jan. 1, 2012, giving employers until Feb. 1, 2012, to provide their employees with the following information in writing:

  • Their wage rate, and how it is computed (hourly, salaried, commissioned, etc.)
  • Their overtime rate, if applicable
  • The company's pay dates
  • The company's name and DBAs, and its main physical address and phone number
  • The amount of any allowances for meals, tips and so on claimed by the employer

The notifications must be provided in English and in the employee's primary language if the State of New York has developed a template for that language. Thus far, templates are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Creole, Polish and Russian.

In addition to providing copies of the notices to their employees, employers must retain a signed receipt copy on file for six years. (Under some circumstances, this can be done electronically.) Failure to do so may result in a fine of $50 per week per employee notification violation.