PAID is a voluntary DOL Wage and Hour Division program that lets covered employers self-audit and self‑report potential Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) minimum‑wage, overtime and tip‑retention issues and certain Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations, then work with WHD to correct them and provide remedies (e.g., 100% back wages or FMLA remedies). Employers must be covered by FLSA and/or FMLA, meet program eligibility rules (no recent WHD/court findings, no ongoing litigation/investigation on the issues, etc.), and certify compliance steps to participate.
No. PAID can lead to WHD‑supervised payments and a limited release of the specific federal claims for employees who accept settlement forms, but it does not automatically bar private lawsuits or state/local claims, and WHD retains discretion over admission to PAID and enforcement. Employees may decline payments; participation does not guarantee immunity from other enforcement or legal actions.
For FLSA issues PAID focuses on employer self‑audit and payment of calculated back wages (WHD reviews calculations, issues a summary of unpaid wages, and employers must pay within 15 days); for FMLA PAID requires employers to identify and propose appropriate non‑monetary or monetary FMLA remedies (WHD reviews and confirms adequacy) and those remedies must be implemented within 15 days of WHD’s finalization. FMLA remedies can include reinstatement, payment of lost wages/benefits, and restoration of benefits per FMLA rules.
Key steps: (1) confirm you are covered by FLSA/FMLA and complete the PAID Compliance Assistance review to get a Certificate of Completion; (2) conduct a self‑audit identifying affected employees, timeframes and calculate back wages and/or FMLA remedies (lookback limited to the prior two years); (3) contact your WHD district office with the concise scope statement, employee lists, calculations, payroll/records and certifications; (4) WHD evaluates and, if accepted, provides settlement/release language and a summary of unpaid wages; (5) employer pays back wages and/or implements remedies within 15 days and submits proof to WHD.
There is no public registry of participating employers. Employees who want to know or to report violations should contact WHD confidentially at 1‑866‑4US‑WAGE (1‑866‑487‑9243) or file a complaint online; complaints and complainant identities are treated as confidential and retaliation is prohibited.
Register via the event/registration link provided in the DOL news release for the Jan. 22, 2026 virtual seminar (registration is required). The DOL release does not list a public deadline—register as soon as possible; contact the listed media/WHd contact for registration details if the link is inaccessible.
The panel will include regional and national experts from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and attorneys from the DOL Office of the Solicitor (the release lists the agencies but not individual panelist names).