On December 3, the U.S. Department of Labor announced via news release that about 15,000 Texans are owed more than $11 million in unclaimed wages. In Austin, approximately 450 still have unclaimed wages, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Austin community outreach and resource planning specialist, Rogelio A. Colón, who explained some details in a call with another regional representative and CultureMap.

Luckily, the Department of Labor has a new user-friendly program called Workers Owed Wages online tool (WOW), so you can easily find out if you're one of the Texans owed money. The tool works in both English and Spanish, and the release encourages users to submit their information before the end of the year. A step-by-step guide is available below.

When companies don't properly pay their workers’ wages, they may be investigated by the Department of Labor. If the Department of Labor finds that back wages are due, the company must generally resolve this by mailing out a check to employees' last known address. If they can't find a worker, though — maybe they moved — the money goes back to the Department of Labor to be held.

If the money isn't claimed within three years, it goes to the U.S. Treasury, and ultimately into the pockets of Congress to spend.

"We don't want this money," says deputy regional director of the U.S. Department of Labor Public Affairs Office Juan J. Rodríguez. "Let's be honest. This is a drop in the bucket for the Treasury Department. We don't want them to have it; we would rather the workers get it, because it's their money."

Across the nation there's more than $150 million in back wages due to about 145,000 workers, according to Colón. In the Austin area alone, about $550,000 still remains unclaimed.

"It's a lot of money," says Colón. He adds that many of the workers missing these wages are the ones who need it most. Oftentimes these are people in the construction or food industries, without a permanent residence.

"We really want to ensure that they hear about this, and they claim their money," says Colón. "They've earned it."

Here's how it works:

• Search for your employer: Enter your present or former employer's name in the WOW application to find your company. Note: Not all companies are going to populate here; just the ones who have paid back wages that weren't received.
• Verify your name: Type your full name into the system. WOW will confirm if wages are owed to you.
• Submit your contact information: Add your contact details and email address so the Department of Labor can send you the Back Wage Claim Form and instructions.
• Upload signed claim form and documents: Check your email for the Back Wage Claim Form (WH-60). Complete and sign it, then create a login.gov account to upload your form. You'll need to include a photo of one of the following to verify your identity:
  • Social Security card
  • Individual Taxpayer Identification (ITIN) card
  • Driver's license or State ID
  • W-2, pay stub or other documentation
• Processing and payment: After you submit your Back Wages Claim Form, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will process it and send you a check for your owed wages.

Even though the instructional video on the website indicates you may "find extra money just when your family needs it," it will likely take about six weeks to receive payment.