Can we withhold pay if employees are late in completing and submitting time cards?

Q. We have two employees who regularly fail to turn in their time cards on a timely basis. Can we hold off on paying them until they submit their time cards? Can we delay payment until the next pay period?

A. No. Employers must pay employees on the established payday, regardless of whether they submit time cards. There is no exception that lets you wait until time cards are turned in or until the next payday.

If you don’t have a time card on which to base pay calculations, pay the wages you reasonably expect are due for the employee’s regularly scheduled work period.