Wage Guarantee Deadlines

You must apply for wage guarantee no later than three months after the due date of the receivable. This deadline is based on law, and the wage guarantee authority has no discretion to extend it. Exceptions to the deadline are only possible if the employer has committed a serious crime during the employment, such as human trafficking.

Receivables typically become due on payday or upon termination of employment. You should apply for wage guarantee as soon as it becomes clear that the salary could not be paid on the due date. Holiday pay can also be claimed during the employment if it cannot be granted as time off or paid as monetary compensation. If the employer later pays the receivables, the application can be easily cancelled.

If the deadline falls on a weekend, public holiday, or other non-working day, the application can be submitted on the next working day. To ensure equal treatment of applicants, electronically submitted applications must also be received by 4:15 PM on the final day of the deadline.
Late applications must be rejected according to law and legal practice.

• Example 1: Salary for the period 1 Feb 2024 – 29 Feb 2024 was due on 5 Mar 2024. The wage guarantee application must be submitted by Wednesday, 5 Jun 2024 at 4:15 PM.
• Example 2: Employment ends on 31 May 2024. If no agreement is made regarding final salary payment, the receivables become due on the last day of employment. Since 31 Aug 2024 falls on a Saturday, the application must be submitted by Monday, 2 Sep 2024 at 4:15 PM.

Extended Deadline for Victims of Serious Labour Exploitation. A longer application period applies to victims of serious labour exploitation. A victim may apply beyond the normal deadline if the employer or their representative has been convicted of

• human trafficking or aggravated human trafficking,
• extortion or aggravated extortion,
• employment discrimination or extortionate employment discrimination.

Wage guarantee may also be granted without a criminal conviction if the exploitation prevented the employee from applying within the normal deadline. In such cases, the employer’s actions must resemble the above crimes or be similarly serious.
Receivables must be claimed:

Within three months of the criminal conviction becoming final, or
If no conviction exists, within 18 months of the end of the employment.