The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has established record keeping requirements affecting employers. Among these requirements is the length of time an employer must keep payroll time cards.
Requirement
The FLSA requires that employers keep specific records for all non-exempt workers. The records must include information identifying the workers and data relating to the hours worked and income earned.
Method
Employers can use any form of time keeping system (for example, a time clock), as long as it is correct and complete.
Time Frame
Wage computation records such as payroll time cards, wage rate tables, piecework tickets, and records concerning additions or deductions from income must be retained for two years.
Inspection
Payroll time cards and other time keeping records must be available for inspection as required by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
Environment
Under the FLSA, payroll records can be kept at the workplace or in a central records office.
References
Writer Bio
Grace Ferguson has been writing professionally since 2009. With 10 years of experience in employee benefits and payroll administration, Ferguson has written extensively on topics relating to employment and finance. A research writer as well, she has been published in The Sage Encyclopedia and Mission Bell Media.