What happens after I start a claim with the Ministry of Labour?

After you send in your claim, the Ministry gives you a “claim submission number”. Use this number if you have to contact the Ministry to find out what's happening with your claim.

If you send your claim in online, you get the number right away. Otherwise, the Ministry mails it to you.

The Ministry looks at your claim form and contacts you if you didn't include all the basic information. They won't deal with your claim until you give them the missing information.

Investigating your claim

Once the Ministry reviews your claim form and you have given them all the information that it asks for, your claim goes to an Employment Standards Officer (ESO).

The ESO's job is to investigate, or look into, your claim. They contact you, usually by telephone, and ask you questions about your claim. They also ask you to send in documents that relate to your employment.

For example, the ESO might ask for any proof you have of things you said in your claim, such as pay stubs or notes you made of the hours you worked.

The ESO contacts your employer and asks your employer to explain what happened. The ESO can also ask your employer to send in copies of their records, such as time sheets and proof of how much they paid you.

The ESO may ask you and your employer to come to a meeting to try and settle your claim.

If you and your employer can agree on what needs to happen to settle your claim, you both sign a document that says what you agreed to.

If you can't agree, the ESO decides and sends that decision to you and your employer.

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