The cheapest time to find a wage-and-hour gap is before anyone else is looking for it.
Wage-and-hour and classification problems grow quietly, one paycheck at a time, until an agency inquiry or a former employee brings them into the open. We audit your practices while fixing them is still a choice and not a settlement.
The audit follows the paycheck, not the org chart.
We start where claims start: how time is recorded, how people are classified, and how pay is calculated. Each area is reviewed against how work is actually done, not how the job description reads.
Exempt vs. Non-Exempt
Exempt status depends on both salary and actual duties, not the job title. A “manager” who spends the day doing the same work as the team may not qualify, which is why we interview for duties rather than read titles.
Employee vs. Contractor
A long-term contractor who works set hours under your direction looks like an employee to a regulator. We test each arrangement against how the work is controlled, because the label on the agreement does not decide it. Worker classification is a core part of any HR compliance audit.
Hours Worked
Pre-shift logins, unpaid meal breaks that get interrupted and after-hours email all count as time. We look at how time is actually captured, so off-the-clock work shows up in our review rather than in a complaint. Accurate time capture prevents wage and hour claims.
Regular Rate and Overtime
Nondiscretionary bonuses and some incentive payments must be folded into the overtime rate. Many payroll setups miss this, so we check how each pay element is treated before the gap compounds. Checking regular rate calculations prevents overtime underpayments. Nondiscretionary bonuses belong in the regular rate.
Exposure is measured backward, so every month you wait is added to the bill.
Federal back-pay claims generally reach back two years, and three years when a violation is found willful. A problem you find and fix today stops that clock; a problem someone else finds sets it.
Records Are the Defense
Employers must keep payroll records for at least three years and time cards for at least two. If records are thin, the employee’s account of hours often fills the gap, so we check the records before we check anything else.
Willful Is a Finding
Continuing a practice after you knew it was a problem can move a claim into the longer lookback. That is why our findings come with a correction plan, not just a list. Timely corrections limit wage and hour exposure. Fix it once you know.
State Law Can Reach Further
Many states have their own wage laws with different rules and remedies. We review state requirements alongside federal ones, because meeting one does not mean meeting both. State wage law review is essential in any HR audit. Meeting federal rules is not enough.
A finding is only useful if it comes with a decision.
We rank every issue by exposure and by how hard it is to fix, so you know which gaps to close this month and which can wait for the next payroll cycle.
Prioritized Findings
Each issue comes with the rule it touches, the practice that creates it and the correction we recommend. You decide the order; we make the trade-offs visible. Prioritized findings make HR compliance audits actionable, so the most significant exposure gets fixed first.
Where Counsel Decides
Whether and how to address past pay is a legal question. We bring in the attorneys and CPAs available through our firm at that point, so the correction is structured properly. Counsel involvement structures back-pay corrections properly and keeps the fix defensible.
Follow-Up Review
We recheck corrected areas after the next few pay periods, because a fix that lives in a memo but not in payroll is still a gap. Follow-up reviews confirm that HR audit fixes reached payroll, not just a policy memo.
How we bring in CPAs and attorneys →
What employers ask before an HR audit.
Does the audit look at every file?
We review the practices and pay elements that drive exposure across the whole workforce, and sample files where the question is documentation quality. The scope is set with you before we start. A defined scope keeps HR compliance audits focused.
Will an audit create a record that hurts us?
That is a fair concern, and it is one reason some reviews are run at the direction of counsel. We raise the question before the work begins, so you can decide how it should be structured. Structuring an audit with counsel can protect the findings.
How often should we audit?
A full review every few years, plus a targeted one when you add a state, reorganize roles or change pay plans. Those events are when classification and pay errors are introduced. Regular audits catch classification and pay errors early. Audit after each change.
Where the Rules Come From.
The laws and rules named on this page link to the statute or regulation they come from. This is general information, not legal or tax advice, and rules change, so check the current text.
ERISA (29 U.S.C. Chapter 18)
The federal law that sets reporting, disclosure and fiduciary rules for employer-sponsored benefit plans.
COBRA Continuation Coverage (29 U.S.C. 1161)
Requires many group health plans to offer temporary continuation coverage after a qualifying event.
Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148)
The 2010 health reform law, with later amendments, behind employer coverage, reporting and market rules.
HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR Part 164)
Federal privacy and security standards for protected health information held by health plans.
Plan Reporting (29 CFR Part 2520)
The Department of Labor rules for annual plan reports, including Form 5500.
Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. Chapter 126)
Prohibits disability discrimination in employment and other areas.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (42 U.S.C. Chapter 21F)
Limits use of genetic information by group health plans and employers.
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We’ll tell you whether it looks competitive, where we see opportunity, and the five questions we’d put to your carrier. No cost, and no obligation to move anything.
The renewal letter
Your current plan summary
Contribution split by tier
Enrolled counts by tier
Four documents — two more if your group is 50 or more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
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