(1)An employer
shall not make a deduction from the wages or compensation of an employee except
as follows:
(a)Deductions mandated by or in accordance with local, state, or federal law
including, but not limited to, deductions for taxes, Federal Insurance Contributions
Act (FICA) requirements, garnishments, or any other court-ordered deduction;
(a.5) Deductions for contributions attributable to automatic enrollment in an
employee retirement plan, as defined in section 8-4-105.5, regardless of whether
the plan is subject to the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as amended;
(b)Deductions for loans, advances, goods or services, and equipment or
property provided by an employer to an employee pursuant to a written agreement
between such employer and employe
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(1) An employer
shall not make a deduction from the wages or compensation of an employee except
as follows:
(a) Deductions mandated by or in accordance with local, state, or federal law
including, but not limited to, deductions for taxes, Federal Insurance Contributions
Act (FICA) requirements, garnishments, or any other court-ordered deduction;
(a.5) Deductions for contributions attributable to automatic enrollment in an
employee retirement plan, as defined in section 8-4-105.5, regardless of whether
the plan is subject to the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as amended;
(b) Deductions for loans, advances, goods or services, and equipment or
property provided by an employer to an employee pursuant to a written agreement
between such employer and employee, so long as it is enforceable and not in
violation of law;
(c) Any deduction necessary to cover the replacement cost of a shortage due
to theft by an employee if a report has been filed with the proper law enforcement
agency in connection with such theft pending a final adjudication by a court of
competent jurisdiction; except that, if the accused employee is found not guilty in a
court action or if criminal charges related to such theft are not filed against the
accused employee within ninety days after the filing of the report with the proper
law enforcement agency, or such charges are dismissed, the accused employee
shall be entitled to recover any amount wrongfully withheld plus interest. In the
event an employer acts without good faith, in addition to the amount wrongfully
withheld and legally proven to be due, the accused employee may be awarded an
amount not to exceed treble the amount wrongfully withheld. In any such action the
prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable costs related to the recovery of
such amount including attorney fees and court costs.
(d) Any deduction, not listed in paragraph (a), (a.5), (b), or (c) of this
subsection (1), that is authorized by an employee if the authorization is revocable,
including deductions for hospitalization and medical insurance, other insurance,
savings plans, stock purchases, supplemental retirement plans, charities, and
deposits to financial institutions;
(e) (I) A deduction for the amount of money or the value of property that the
employee failed to properly pay or return to the employer in the case where a
terminated employee was entrusted during the employee's employment with the
collection, disbursement, or handling of such money or property, but only after
providing notice of the deduction as specified in subsection (1)(e)(II) of this section.
(II) The employer has ten calendar days after the termination of employment
to:
(A) Audit and adjust the accounts and property value of any items entrusted
to the employee before the employee's wages or compensation shall be paid as
provided in section 8-4-109. This is an exception to the pay requirements in section
8-4-109. The penalty provided in section 8-4-109 shall apply only from the date of
demand made after the expiration of the ten-day period allowed for payment of the
employee's wages or compensation.
(B) Provide notice to the employee that the employer is deducting from the
employee's wages or compensation the amount of money or the value of property
that the employee failed to properly pay or return to the employer, which notice
must include a written accounting specifying the amount of money or the specific
property that the employee failed to pay or return, the replacement value of the
property, and, to the extent known, when the money or property was provided to the
employee and when the employer believes the employee should have paid the
money or returned the property to the employer.
(III) After an employer provides the notice required by subsection (1)(e)(II)(B)
of this section and makes a deduction from the wages or compensation of an
employee, if the employee, within fourteen days after the employer provides the
notice, pays the money or returns the property that was the basis for the deduction,
the employer shall pay the employee the amount of the deduction within fourteen
days after the employee pays the money or returns the property to the employer.
(IV) If, after auditing and adjusting the accounts and property value of any
items entrusted to the employee pursuant to subsection (1)(e)(II)(A) of this section
and providing notice pursuant to subsection (1)(e)(II)(B) of this section, it is found
that any money or property entrusted to the employee by the employer has not
been properly paid or returned to the employer as provided by the terms of any
agreement between the employer and the employee, the employee is not entitled
to the benefit of payment pursuant to section 8-4-109, but the employee's claim for
unpaid wages or compensation shall be disposed of as provided for by this article 4.
(2) Nothing in this section authorizes a deduction below the applicable
minimum wage.