Clear The Records

Built from hospitality · Works for every trade

Know whatthey reported.Learn how tofix it.

Your employer reports your wages and work history to databases you have never seen. Unemployment offices, landlords and new employers read those records. Clear The Records teaches you where your record lives, how to check it, and how to dispute what's wrong yourself.

Run the free self-check → See the five pillars

Free education. Not a law firm, and not legal advice.

What a mismatch looks like From the founder's own file
FieldWhat was reportedStatus
Employer of recordHudson Yards Catering LLC, a different FEIN than the company he worked forMismatch
Employee IDCarried over from a prior employer under the same parent companyMismatch
YTD wagesIncluded earnings from the job he had just leftMismatch
Background checkRun after termination, with no consent, while his records showed conflicting termination datesNo consent
Errors like these, plus a misconduct report later withdrawn, held up his benefits for months. He found each one by comparing the official record line by line against his own pay stubs.

Why this exists

"After reporting discrimination, I was suspended, terminated — then found my wages reported under the wrong company and my benefits held up for months. No firm would take the case, so I learned the system myself."

Read Anthony's story →
$50BWages stolen from U.S. workers each year, at the high end of estimatesEconomic Policy Institute, 2014
3M+Employers that report data to The Work NumberEquifax, 2024
144MIncome and employment verifications it fulfilled in one yearEquifax, 2023 figure
$0What workers are paid for their own employment dataYour data, their product

How one error starts

One worker.Three company names.One record that doesn't add up.

Large hospitality employers often run payroll through subsidiaries, each with its own name and FEIN. Your badge says one thing, your paycheck says another, and your record says a third. When those don't match, benefits get denied and job checks fail, and nobody tells you why.

Illustration. Company names, IDs and people are made up.

The five pillars

Everything we teach comes back to five ideas. Learn them in order and you can read your own record, spot what's wrong, and push back on your own terms.

  1. 01

    Know who you work for

    The name on your paycheck may not be the brand on your uniform. Large companies run payroll through subsidiaries with their own FEINs.

  2. 02

    Know what they reported

    Your wages and dates sit in databases you can request for free. Learn which ones exist and how to get your copy.

  3. 03

    Document everything

    Pay stubs, W-2s, schedules, emails. Put issues in writing with a timestamp. Your own records are your evidence.

  4. 04

    Know your deadlines

    Agencies and courts run on clocks. Most claims are lost to a missed date, not to weak facts.

  5. 05

    Dispute and escalate

    Learn how to write a dispute, who to send it to, and where to go when nobody answers.

Where your record lives

Five places hold a version of your work history. They are supposed to match. Often they don't, and you are the only one in a position to notice. Here is how to request each one yourself.

New York only. Starting November 8, 2026: request your personnel file up to twice a year, get a free copy within 5 business days, and add a written rebuttal to anything you dispute.

Your employer · New in New York · Nov 8, 2026

Your personnel file

The file your employer keeps on you: pay, start date, evaluations, write-ups and termination notices. False information often starts here and spreads to other records.

Starting November 8, 2026, New York Labor Law § 210-b lets current and former employees request a free copy, up to twice a year. The employer has 5 business days to provide it. If something is wrong, you can ask for a correction or attach a written rebuttal that goes with the record.

Sample request · not legal advice

To: Human Resources,  

Re: Request for my personnel record under New York Labor Law § 210-b

I am a current or former employee, employed from   to  . I request a free copy of my complete personnel record, including pay records, evaluations, disciplinary documents and termination notices.

Please send it to me within 5 business days, by email or mail at the address below.

Name, date, signature, contact information

Equifax

The Work Number

Employers send payroll data here, and verifiers such as lenders, landlords and agencies pay to read it.

You can request a free copy of your Employment Data Report and dispute errors under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Your state labor department

Unemployment wage records

Your benefits are calculated from the wages employers report each quarter. A wrong employer or FEIN can make you look ineligible.

Your monetary determination lists the wages on file. If it is short, you can submit pay stubs and W-2s to correct it.

Checkr and other screeners

Background checks

Every report shows who pulled it. An employer needs your written authorization to run one for employment purposes.

Ask the screening company for a copy of your file, including the list of who requested reports on you.

Social Security Administration

Earnings record

Your lifetime earnings history, built from W-2s. Missing years lower future benefits.

View it free with a my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount.

Paid as an independent contractor (1099)? Your income usually doesn't appear in state wage records or The Work Number. It's reported to the IRS and Social Security instead, so check your Social Security earnings record and keep your own 1099s and payment history.

How one error spreads

Where your data goes

Your employer enters your information once. Every other system copies it from there.

1 · The source

Your employer's payrollName, FEIN, dates, pay rate, wages and why you left. Entered once, by them.

2 · The records

The Work NumberEquifax's employment database
State wage recordsQuarterly reports to your labor department
IRS and Social SecurityBuilt from your W-2
Background screenersCheck court records and verify past jobs

3 · Who reads it

Unemployment officeDecides if you qualify and how much
Landlords and lendersVerify your income
Your next employerChecks your dates and title
Your retirementSocial Security benefits are based on reported earnings

One wrong entry at the source shows up in every record downstream. Fix it at the source, and dispute it everywhere it landed.

Why errors don't fix themselves

Nobody in the system is paid to catch a mistake in your favor. Follow the incentives.

Employers

Unemployment taxes rise when former workers collect benefits. A record that makes you look ineligible saves them money.

Data companies

Employers supply payroll data for free, and verifiers pay to read it. Some of the same companies also sell employers services to manage and contest unemployment claims.

The state

Benefits are calculated from what employers report. Unless you prove otherwise, the employer's version is the default.

You

You're the only one with the pay stubs, and the only one with a reason to compare.

Follow the incentives

Who works for whom

The company that holds your employment record also sells employers a service to manage and contest unemployment claims. Red arrows show where money moves.

The incentives don't reward fixing your record.

01

The employer

Pays less when less is charged

  • In New York, an employer's unemployment tax rate rises with the benefits charged to its account.
  • Fewer benefits charged means a lower rate.
  • That's a financial reason to contest claims, not to correct records.

02

The verifier

Hired by the employer

  • Verification and claims-management firms, including Equifax, are paid by employers, not workers.
  • Equifax markets a "35% higher win rate" at hearings it attends (Equifax's own claim).

03

The Department of Labor

Works from what employers report

  • The Department of Labor relies on employer-reported data.
  • If that data is wrong, the worker is usually the only one positioned to notice.
  • The Department can't act on what never reaches it.
Your recordYou're the one with the most reason to check it. So document it yourself.
35%
"Hearings that Equifax attends have a 35% higher win rate than hearings that Equifax doesn't attend."
Equifax, citing its 2021 client data
18%
"18% Reduction in charge amounts compared to non-Equifax clients."
Equifax, citing 2018 client data
3M+
Employers that report data to The Work Number.
Equifax, 2024

The track record

Jan 17, 2025 · CFPB$15 million

The CFPB ordered Equifax to pay a $15M penalty for improperly investigating consumer disputes over credit-report errors.

Source: news report, Jan 17, 2025
July 2019 · FTC, CFPB, states$575M+

Equifax agreed to pay at least $575 million, potentially up to $700 million, over its 2017 data breach affecting about 147 million people.

Source: FTC press release
New York lawLabor Law § 581

Each employer's account is contributions paid minus benefits charged, divided by average payroll. The lower that balance, the higher the tax rate.

Source: NYS DOL
  • Check the employer address on your unemployment paperwork. If it isn't your employer's, ask the state who it belongs to.
  • Request your free Work Number report and compare it with your pay stubs and W-2s.
  • If someone other than your employer appears at your hearing, note who they are and who they represent.
  • Put every dispute in writing, and keep the receipts.

This shows how the system is built, not the outcome of any individual case. Quotes are from Equifax's published materials: Control unemployment costs · Unemployment Cost Management. Clear The Records is not affiliated with Equifax, the CFPB, the FTC or NYS DOL. Equifax and The Work Number are trademarks of Equifax Inc. General education, not legal advice.

What to look for

Reported vs. real

Lay the employer's version next to your own paperwork. Each row is a place errors hide.

1Harbor Catering LLC
2FEIN 00-0000000
6Employee ID 004821
3Pay period 09/01/2026 – 09/14/2026Pay date 09/19/2026
EarningsHoursRateThis period
4Regular32.00$25.00$800.00
Overtime0.00$37.50$0.00
Gross $800.005YTD gross $14,400.00

Read your pay stub

  1. 1
    Employer of recordThe company actually paying you. It should match Box c on your W-2 and your Work Number report.
  2. 2
    FEINThe employer's tax ID. It should match Box b on your W-2.
  3. 3
    Pay periodCheck that your first and last periods match your real start and end dates.
  4. 4
    Hours × rateCompare the rate with your offer letter.
  5. 5
    Year-to-dateIf it includes pay from a different job, earnings are being combined.
  6. 6
    Employee IDIf the same ID followed you from another company, your records may be merged.

Sample stub. The company and numbers are made up.

FieldWhat gets reportedCheck it againstStatus
Employer & FEINA subsidiary you never heard ofThe company on your W-2, Box bMismatch
Start dateYour first job with the parent company, years earlierYour offer letter for this jobMismatch
End date & reason"Quit," on a date before your last shiftYour termination letter or layoff noticeMismatch
Hourly rateLower than you were offeredYour offer letter and pay stubsMismatch
Quarterly wages$0, or split across several company namesYour W-2 total and pay stubs, added up by quarterMismatch
Who checked your recordBackground checks after you leftThe consent forms you actually signedNo consent
Common examples, not any one person's record. The self-check below walks you through each row.

Free · Private · About 10 minutes

Record self-check

Work through this list with your pay stubs and W-2s in front of you. Nothing you check is sent anywhere. Your progress stays in this browser on this device.

0 / 14

Gather

Request

Compare

Act

Found a mismatch? Do this next

The dispute path

Every step goes in writing. The record you build is what gets errors fixed.

Tap each step for the full playbook.

  1. One line per error: where you found it, what it says, what it should say, and the date. Gather your supporting documents — pay stubs, W-2s, termination letters — and slide them into view alongside each claim. A dispute with proof attached gets taken seriously; one without it gets filed away.

  2. Send your dispute to the reporting company and your former employer. Attach your proof. Never dispute only by phone — if it isn't in writing, it didn't happen. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you must dispute directly with the consumer reporting agency first.

  3. A reporting agency generally has 30 days to investigate, with a possible 15-day extension if you send additional relevant information during that window. Mark the date you sent your dispute — that date starts the clock. When the response letter arrives, read it carefully: if the error stands, a second dispute letter goes out.

  4. No fix or no answer? You can file with the CFPB, your state attorney general, your state legislator's office, or your state labor department. CFPB timing matters: do not file with the CFPB while your dispute with the reporting agency is still pending — wait until it is resolved or 45 days have passed since you filed it, or the CFPB will not process your complaint.

  5. Every letter, every tracking number, every date — stacked in one folder. Fax confirmations, email timestamps, certified mail receipts. They prove you asked, and when. If this ever reaches a courtroom or an agency hearing, your paper trail is your case.

    Document. Follow up. Get what you're owed.

Watch: the dispute path in 10 seconds.
Watch: unemployment hearing — 7 moves that protect you.

What it took to get an answer

One worker's timeline with the New York State Department of Labor.

  1. He files for unemployment and requests a hearing on the wage errors.

  2. He sends hearing requests on at least five dates, by fax, in person and online. In June the Appeal Board confirms it never received four of them from the Department.

  3. He files a federal civil rights lawsuit against his former employers. A second federal case follows. He also asks his state legislators' offices for help, and a constituent case is opened with the Department.

  4. A misconduct determination, based on a former employer's report, cuts off his benefits.

  5. The Department withdraws the misconduct determination and pays his back benefits in a lump sum. Later that month he files an Article 78 petition in state court over how his claim and hearing requests were handled.

  6. His unemployment hearing finally takes place. He appeals the decision to the Appeal Board.

  7. His Article 78 petition is argued in state court.

What this teaches

Every request went in writing with a confirmation. Those receipts proved the requests existed.

Check the mailing address the agency has on file. An error there can stall a case for months.

When the agency goes silent, an elected official's office can get a case moving. Find your state senator and assemblymember at nysenate.gov and nyassembly.gov.

His state court case and appeal are still pending.

Last updated October 11, 2026

Where the cases stand

The founder is representing himself in every matter below. He filed charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before or alongside each case. Court filings are public record.

Federal court · S.D.N.Y. No. 1:26-cv-02950

DeCarlis v. Compass Group USA, Inc., et al.

Defendants
Compass Group USA, Inc.; Bon Appétit Management Company; Restaurant Associates, Inc.; Union Square Events, LLC; The Frick Collection; CultivatedNY; Intuit, Inc.; Hudson Yards Catering LLC
Claims
Employment discrimination and retaliation
Status
Filed April 9, 2026. Filing fee waived. Referred to a magistrate judge for pretrial matters. Service on defendants is in progress.

Federal court · S.D.N.Y. No. 1:26-cv-05490

DeCarlis v. Aramark Services, Inc., et al.

Defendants
Aramark Services, Inc.; The Solomon Page Group, LLC; JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Claims
Employment discrimination and retaliation
Status
Filing fee waived July 2, 2026. U.S. Marshals are serving defendants. The court has referred the case to its mediation program once defendants answer.

New York State Supreme Court · New York County · Index No. 100612/2026

Article 78 petition against the NYS Department of Labor

Respondent
New York State Department of Labor
Issue
How the Department handled his unemployment claim and hearing requests
Status
Argued in person September 8, 2026. Decision pending.

State agency matters

  • Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board: appeal of a July 2026 hearing decision. Awaiting decision.
  • Department of Labor, Division of Labor Standards: wage claim under investigation.

Claims described here are allegations in pending cases. No court has ruled on the merits. Federal filings are available on PACER; New York State filings on NYSCEF. This page is for education and is not legal advice.

Finding representation

He contacted more than a dozen firms and organizations. Here is what he learned.

Why firms say no

Most employment lawyers work on contingency, meaning they are paid from what you win. Cases with low back pay, several agencies involved, or messy records are hard for them to take on, even when the claims are strong. A "no" usually reflects their business model, not the merits of your case.

Where to start

  • Search for pro bono and legal aid in your areaTry "pro bono employment lawyer" or "free legal aid" plus your city. Many bar associations and law schools run free or low-cost clinics.
  • Try your local bar association's referral serviceMany offer a first consultation for a small fee or for free.
  • Ask the court's pro se officeIf you're representing yourself, most courts have a help desk or clinic that can explain procedures and point you to free legal help.
  • Look for worker-side lawyersSome attorney networks represent only workers, never employers. Search "employee rights lawyers" plus your state.

Already in federal court?

You can ask the judge to appoint a volunteer lawyer. It isn't guaranteed, but the request costs nothing.

Before any intake call

  • Have one folder ready with pay stubs, W-2s, termination letters, agency letters and a dated timeline. Firms ask for these first.
  • Ask whether the organization has ever represented your employer.
  • Keep going while you wait. Agency and court deadlines don't pause for an attorney search.

Your rights, fast

Deadlines decide most of these fights before the facts ever do. Know the clock you are on.

300

Days to file with the EEOC

From the last discriminatory act, in New York and other states with their own fair employment agency. Elsewhere it can be 180 days.

30

Days for a reporting agency to investigate

After you dispute an error with a consumer reporting agency, it generally has 30 days to investigate and respond.

CFPB

A federal record of your complaint

If a reporting agency won't fix your file, a complaint at consumerfinance.gov is forwarded to the company for a response.

IFP

Court without the filing fee

If you can't afford federal filing fees, you can ask the court to waive them with an in forma pauperis application.

General information only. Deadlines depend on your state and your facts. If a deadline is close, contact the agency or a legal aid organization now.

New York · fall 2026

New York just made worker power a priority.

Three City and State changes in three months put worker education at the center of how New York protects its workforce.

  1. Mayor's Office of Worker Power

    Created by executive order under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first office of its kind in the nation. It partners with worker centers and unions and works to strengthen the City's ability to identify and address violations of workers' rights.

  2. $131.5M DoorDash settlement

    DCWP's settlement covers more than 260,000 delivery workers. The City called it the largest worker settlement in NYC history.

  3. Personnel files open up

    Under New York Labor Law § 210-b, employees statewide can request a free copy of their personnel file and challenge false information in it.

Where Clear The Records fits: the City enforces. We teach workers to find, read and document their own records, so they arrive at an agency, a hearing or a worker center with the paper trail already in hand.

Clear The Records is an independent education provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of New York. Sources: Office of Worker Power · DoorDash settlement · § 210-b

For agencies & partners

We build plain-language education that helps workers understand wage reporting, employment verification and their dispute rights. Agencies, workforce boards and worker centers can bring these materials to the people they serve.

Core capabilities

  • Worker education workshopsSessions on reading pay stubs, W-2s and employment records, and on dispute rights and deadlines.
  • Plain-language guides and toolkitsWritten for workers with no legal background, built from firsthand experience with the system.
  • Interactive self-check toolsFree web tools that walk workers through checking their own records. No personal data collected.
  • Outreach contentShort-form educational content that helps agencies reach hospitality and gig workers.

Company data

Legal name
Clear The Records LLC
Primary NAICS
611710 · Educational Support Services
Secondary NAICS
813311 · Human Rights Organizations
SAM.gov
Not yet registered
Contact
anthony@cleartherecords.com

A full capability statement is available on request.

An open offer

To the Mayor's Office of Worker Power

New York just created the first office of its kind to proactively find wage theft and workplace violations. That mission needs workers who know how to read their own records — and right now, most don't.

What we bring

  • Free worker education, ready to deployPlain-language lessons on wage reporting, employment verification and dispute rights — built from firsthand experience fighting these exact records.
  • §210-b readinessStarting November 8, 2026, New York workers can demand their personnel file twice a year. Workers need to know this right exists before they can use it.
  • Built for every tradeHospitality, gig, warehouse, healthcare — every worker runs through the same wage-reporting and record systems.

The ask

Partner with us to bring record-literacy workshops to the workers you serve. We teach workers to spot what's wrong in their own files — which means better referrals, stronger cases, and violations caught earlier.

Start the conversation →

They can build a case against a version of you that doesn't exist. They cannot erase a paper trail.

Founder · Mx. Anthony J. DeCarlis

Anthony spent more than ten years in upscale New York hospitality after a career in professional dance. After reporting discrimination at work, he was suspended, terminated, and then found his wages reported under the wrong company, and his benefits were held up for months.

No firm would take the case, so he learned the system himself from pay stubs, emails and agency records, and filed in federal court on his own. Clear The Records turns what he learned into free lessons any worker can use.

DeCarlis v. Compass Group USA, Inc., et al. · S.D.N.Y. No. 1:26-cv-02950

Paper Trail: One Hospitality Worker vs. Industry Titan Compass Group USA — AlonePart memoir and part manual for workers. Available on Amazon.
Get new lessons on Substack ↗

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