HN Explorer

Are Employers legally bound to payout outstanding PTO?

3 points by kishoredbn ↗ HN
My wife is in her last day of work and she came to know that her PTO hours earned are not getting converted into final settlement wages despite it was mentioned in her offer letter. What she should do in this case? We live in Florida.

4 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 21.8 ms ] thread
eschneider
Almost certainly. I'd suggest she call the state Department of Labor to confirm.
warent
Sadly this is not federal law and as far as I know Florida is not a state that honors paying out unused PTO. You're living in a deep red state so this is sadly unsurprising.

https://www.wenzelfenton.com/blog/2021/03/09/what-happens-to...

That being said if it was part of her employment agreement you may have a legal case. Consult a lawyer OR just take it to small claims court

giantg2
I agree. One possible reason it might not be the case is if they changed the policy. At lot of times I've seen stuff in the contract that basically says the company makes up all the rules and can change any time with or without notice. It could worth having your wife look up the current policy in the handbook and printing it out if it also states that unused PTO is paid out and how PTO is accrued.
codingdave
I'd recommend checking if her employment contract matches what was said in the offer letter. Many employment contracts will have a clause saying that it is the only agreement between you and the company, which in effect nullifies any promises made during recruiting or in the offer letter.

But either way, I'd ask a lawyer.