Published date: 01/22/2026
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced that it recovered more than $259 million in back wages for nearly 177,000 workers during fiscal year 2025—an average of $1,465 per employee. This marks the agency’s highest annual back‑wage recovery since 2019, highlighting its continued commitment to enforcing federal wage‑and‑hour protections and supporting a fair competitive environment for employers.
Alongside enforcement results, WHD also emphasized its expanded compliance‑assistance initiatives designed to help employers better understand and meet their obligations. Key Updates include:
- An enhanced compliance assistance hub
- Refreshed Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) compliance videos
- A new YouTube series focused on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- The relaunch of the opinion letter program
- The reinstated Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, offering a voluntary pathway for employers to self‑report and resolve certain wage‑and‑hour issues
Read more: U.S. Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Division news release (January 8, 2026)
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