Question: What pay records is my employer required to keep?
In Arizona, employers must retain payroll records showing the hours worked for each day worked, and the wages paid to all employees for a period of four (4) years. Failure to do so shall raise a rebuttable presumption that the employer did not pay the required minimum wage rate. ARS 23-364
Employers must also keep the following records:
All time and earning cards or sheets on which are entered;
the daily starting and stopping time of individual employees, or of separate work forces, or
the amounts of work accomplished by individual employees on a daily, weekly, or pay period basis (for example, units produced) when those amounts determine in whole or in part: (1) those employees’ pay period wages; and (2) those employees’ earned paid sick time or equivalent paid time off;
From their last effective date, all wage-rate tables or schedules that provide the piece rates or other rates used in computing wages; and
Records of additions to or deductions from wages paid and records that support or corroborate the additions or deductions.
Employers must include the following information in the records of each employee who is subject to Arizona’s minimum wage requirements (i.e. non-exempt employees):
Full name, and on the same record, the employee’s identifying symbol or number if it is used in place of the employee’s name on any time, work, or payroll record;
Home address, including zip code;
Date of birth, if under 19;
Occupation;
Time of day and day of week on which the employee’s workweek begins.
If the employee is part of a workforce or employed in or by an establishment all of whose workers have a workweek beginning at the same time on the same day, then a single notation of the time of the day and beginning day of the workweek for the whole workforce or establishment is permitted;
Regular hourly rate of pay for any workweek and an explanation of the basis of pay by indicating the monetary amount paid on a per hour, per day, per week, per piece, commission on sales, or other basis, including the amount and nature of each payment;
Hours worked each workday and total hours worked each workweek;
Total daily or weekly straight-time wages due for hours worked during the workday or workweek, exclusive of premium overtime compensation;
Total premium pay for overtime hours and an explanation of how the premium pay was calculated exclusive of straight-time wages for overtime hours recorded pursuant to the immediately preceding requirement;
Total additions to or deductions from wages paid each pay period including employee purchase orders or wage assignments, including, for individual employee records, the dates, amounts, and nature of the items that make up the total additions and deductions;
Total wages paid each pay period;
Date of payment and the pay period covered by payment;
The amount of earned paid sick time available to the employee;
The amount of earned paid sick time taken by the employee to date in the year;
The amount of pay the employee has received as earned paid sick time; and
The employee’s earned paid sick time balance.
The employee’s earned paid sick time balance is the sum of earned paid sick time or equivalent paid time off that is: (1) carried over to the current year; (2) accrued to date in the current year; and (3) provided to date in the current year as required by law.
For an employee who is compensated on a salary basis at a rate that exceeds the minimum wage required under the Act and who, under 29 CFR 541, is an exempt bona fide executive, administrative, or professional employee, including an employee employed in the capacity of academic administrative personnel or teachers in elementary or secondary schools, or in outside sales, an employer shall maintain and preserve:
Records containing the information and data required under subsections (B)(1) through (B)(5), and (B)(11) through (B)(16) of this Section; and
Records containing the basis on which wages are paid in sufficient detail to permit a determination or calculation of whether the salary received exceeds the minimum wage required under the Act, including a record of the hours upon which payment of the salary is based, whether full time or part time.
For employees working on fixed schedules, an employer may maintain records showing instead of the hours worked each day and each workweek as required under this Section, the schedule of daily and weekly hours the employee normally works, provided:
In weeks in which an employee adheres to this schedule, the employer indicates by check mark, statement, or other method, that the employee actually worked the hours; and
In weeks in which more or fewer than the scheduled hours are worked, the employer records the number of hours actually worked each day and each week.
For an employee who customarily and regularly receives tips, the employer shall ensure that the records required under this Article include the following information:
A symbol, letter, or other notation placed on the pay records identifying each employee whose wage is determined in part by tips;
Amount of tips the employee reports to the employer;
The hourly wage of each tipped employee after taking into consideration the employee’s tips;
Hours worked each workday in any occupation in which the employee does not receive tips, and total daily or week straight-time payment made by the employer for the hours;
Hours worked each workday in occupations in which the employee receives tips and total daily or weekly straighttime wages for the hours;