Workers rarely ever have to pay for mistakes.

When employees make errors (say, a cash-register shortage at the end of the day), you may be tempted to make them pay for their mistakes. It's best to not ask for the payback.

Forcing employees to reimburse for such mistakes probably violates state or local employment laws. And if low-paid workers are involved, wage deductions may run afoul of federal minimum wage rules, too.

Recent case: A Florida gas station routinely deducted from employees' paychecks to make up for register shortages or cases in which customers drove off without paying. That caused some workers to earn below the minimum wage. The Department of Labor ordered the station to pay $28,000 in back pay for the deductions.

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