Boss withholds $700 check after employee quits with short notice, purposefully dodges his calls: 'My boss was clearly salty about me leaving'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 13, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

It's always a little bit awkward to leave a job. You try your best to tie everything in a nice bow, but it's ultimately like a breakup. You're telling someone who you usually see all the time that you don't want to see them anymore. And it's awkward. You have to navigate it delicately or else things might backfire. The key thing to remember, though, is that when you're the employee, you're in the right. You have the right to leave your job whenever you want for whatever reason, and there's not much stink your employer can make about it. 

That doesn't stop certain employers from trying to punish you for leaving, though. They might get petty and try to make you feel bad for something you should have never felt bad about. It's just in some people's nature to do that. That's what happened in this situation, to an extreme degree. 

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    via Unsplash+ (Diana Light)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Besides just getting at them emotionally, they got at them financially, which is even worse. What their employer did was almost certainly against the law, but the employee was unsure what kind of recourse they were going to be able to have. Read on for the story and see what you think.

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    Boss Withheld My $700 Final Paycheck for 4 Months - Why Isn't This Considered Theft?

    I quit my job on short notice back in January, and ever since then, I've been chasing down my final paycheck of $700 that I rightfully earned. My boss was clearly salty about me leaving, so he disabled my direct deposit and never sent the physical check, claiming there was a "mail delay." That was four months ago.
    via u/Pure_Milk1706
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    I live four cities away with no car, so I've tried calling and texting. No response. I even sent a formal demand letter asking for the check to be mailed or deposited - still nothing.
    via u/Pure_Milk1706
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    I'm in Florida, and the Department of Labor referred me to a nonprofit legal aid group, but they've been slow to act. Meanwhile, I'm stuck trying to recover money that's mine, while he just gets to carry on like nothing happened.
    via u/Pure_Milk1706
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    What blows my mind is this: if I walked into Target and took a $700 item, I'd be arrested. But if an employer withholds $700 in wages, they just get a polite call from some agency telling them to "please pay up," and life goes on. How is that not criminal?
    via u/Pure_Milk1706
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    Commenters came in with ideas on how to help.

    Grand_Stranger_... 47m ago It is. Go to the Fed dept of labor. And the media.
    via u/Grand_Stranger_3262
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    Murse_1.44m ago In some states, there is a rule that if they withhold your final paycheck, they have to pay you One day's pay for every day they withheld it. You might call your labor board end inquire.
    via u/Murse_1
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    Laleaky • 42m ago Why is a federal agency referring you to a nonprofit? | would go in person and try again, while the DOL still exists. And try the social media/local news route.
    via u/Laleaky
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    P 1139
    via sarah b

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    ThatWideLife • 38m ago You can go to small claims court and ask for double.
    via u/ThatWideLife
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    VergilArcanis • 31m ago News outlet and call them out by name. It is not defamation of character if it is the truth. If their business tanks, that is on them
    via u/VergilArcanis
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    shadho 46m ago • There should be some punitive penalty, but that's wishful thinking on my part. Good luck.
    via u/shadho
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    BisquickNinja . 14m ago Boeing did something similar to me. Essentially stole 6 weeks of paid vacation PTO. It was approx 11k. Northrop Grumman did similar also. Didn't pay out my PTO, withheld my last check
    via u/BisquickNinja
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    4 weeks and then locked my 401k and stolen their "matching" contributions. It was approx. 40k. I wrote a complain and the state did nothing.
    via u/BisquickNinja
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    KidenStormsoarer 11m ago it is. they don't get a polite phone call, they get a massive fine, and depending on state owe YOU a lot of money, too.
    via u/KidenStormsoarer
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    Leading Region7183 • 10m ago Wage Theft. Report the boss and business to the IRS. Your money wound up in his pocket as unreported income.
    via u/LeadingRegion7183
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    Guilty Objective4602 34m ago • Florida doesn't have a state Department of Labor (the only state that doesn't ), so OP would have been dealing with the federal one anyway.
    via u/Guilty_Objective4602
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    AnamCeili 30m ago • As others have said, it is theft. Keep contacting the federal DOL (while it still exists) until you get someone who will do her/his job.
    via u/AnamCeili
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    Pure_Milk1706 OP · 23m ago Funny you mention "while it still exists" cause I had a wage theft issue years ago and it was solved within 2 days with no back and forth. So something is definitely happening. Quality has dropped.
    via u/Pure_Milk1706
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    -cmram28 • 24m ago Eat the rich &$!#%
    via u/-cmram28
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    urbisOrbis 2m ago • Call your state representative
    via u/urbisOrbis

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Tags

salary boss antiwork workplace-stories wage theft toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working wages reddit story toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment
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