Holding Wages: "One Pay in the Hole" - The Maryland Guide to Wage Payment and Employment Standards

An employer may not keep any part of the wage of an employee, either by withholding an entire paycheck, part of a paycheck, or by way of incremental wage deductions from several paychecks, as security against some future or contingent occurrence. This practice amounts to a confiscation of pay and is a direct violation of the law requiring timely payment of earned wages.

[Note: This section concerns the indefinite holding of wages as security, not the short-term delay of pay for payroll processing purposes].

Updated Februar 18, 2010