Schedule-change premium calculation
Every schedule change event is reconciled against the statutory premium formula (e.g., $15–$75 per change in NYC), including timing and amount.
The most rigorous predictability-pay audit a multi-location employer can run.
PremiumTrace reconciles your scheduling, timekeeping, and payroll records against the specific Fair Workweek ordinance at each location — catching underpaid schedule-change premiums before they become six-, seven-, or eight-figure settlements, and producing an audit-ready evidence packet within days when an investigation or demand letter arrives.
Every applicable Fair Workweek ordinance12 record categories per NYC DCWP guidanceSchedule-change premium reconciliationSpecialist-reviewed exception queue5-business-day SLA
Why audits fail
A single underpaid premium can trigger a six-figure settlement.
Eleven U.S. jurisdictions now require large retail, hospitality, and food-service employers to post schedules 7–14 days in advance and pay statutory 'predictability pay' premiums whenever a posted schedule changes. The recordkeeping requirements are onerous and multi-category — and most multi-unit operators' scheduling stacks were never built to satisfy them.
Enforcement has produced settlements from hundreds of thousands into the tens of millions: Pizza Hut franchisee (~$3.3M, 2025), Getir (~$2.4M, 2025), AllSaints (~$473K, 2025), Uniqlo (~$330K, 2025), Chipotle ($20M, 2022), and Starbucks ($38.9M, 2022).
Existing scheduling software sells self-serve compliance features that the employer must configure and operate correctly every week, at every location, forever. None sell the outcome: an independently reconciled, audit-ready record proving you actually paid what you owed. PremiumTrace sells that outcome.
$38.9M
largest single NYC Fair Workweek settlement to date (Starbucks)
The benchmark
Measured against the letter of each ordinance — subsection by subsection.
We do not summarize the law and hope. Every audit is scored against a versioned rule pack tied to the exact text of each applicable Fair Workweek ordinance. These are the provisions each audit is held to.
12 record categories
All 12 categories of records NYC DCWP explicitly told employers to maintain are accounted for or exception-coded.
Advance notice windows
Posted schedules are verified to meet the 7–14 day advance notice requirement, with exceptions flagged.
Access to hours sequencing
Additional hours offers to existing employees before new hires are documented and reconciled.
Lateness/absence carve-outs
Statutory exceptions for lateness, absence, and voluntary shift swaps are applied correctly.
Posting and notice requirements
Workplace posting, written notice of rights, and record retention periods are verified per jurisdiction.
How an audit is built
Intake to specialist release, with deterministic gates the AI cannot overrule.
AI extracts and reconciles. Deterministic rules — running as code, outside the model — decide what is complete. A credentialed HR/wage-hour compliance reviewer validates every exception before it goes to the client. That order is never reversed.
01
Gap Scan
Upload your scheduling, timekeeping, and payroll exports. We return a free completeness read: which ordinance elements and record categories you already have, and which are missing.
02
Data ingestion & reconciliation
As your authorized clerical agent, we ingest your data from any source (Deputy, Workforce.com, Legion, Workstream, POS, payroll) and reconcile every schedule-change event against the applicable ordinance's premium formula.
03
Grounded exception flagging
Underpayments, documentation gaps, and timing violations are flagged with the specific statutory basis — no legal opinions, no invented facts.
04
Deterministic completeness gates
All 12 record categories are checked; premium amounts reconcile to the penny; advance notice windows are verified; any failure blocks release.
05
Specialist review
A credentialed HR/wage-hour compliance reviewer validates every exception and signs the release. High-value or multi-jurisdiction audits route to attorney review first.
06
Delivery
You receive the audit packet: reconciled premium report, evidence log, documentation gap checklist, and an audit-ready evidence packet — ready for your outside employment counsel to direct any agency response or litigation strategy.
The bar we hold
Rigor you can measure.
100%
Specialist-reviewed
No audit ships without a human signature.
5 days
Standard SLA
From complete intake to released audit.
<1%
Critical-defect target
Tracked against a gold-standard audit library.
11
Jurisdictions covered
NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Berkeley, Emeryville, Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, Evanston, Oregon.
Why PremiumTrace
Built to be the most thorough option a multi-location employer has.
Documentation-complete, by design
The deliverable is completeness itself — every ordinance element and record category accounted for or explicitly exception-coded. Nothing is left implicit.
Deterministic, not vibes
The gates that decide completeness are code, not a model's opinion. A reconciliation error cannot slip past a statutory requirement.
In its lane, on purpose
We prepare documentation and run audits as your clerical agent. We never give legal advice, contact employees, or direct your agency response. Your outside employment counsel retains full control.
Engagement
Flat fee, per location per audit. No contingency, ever.
Simple, predictable, and aligned with a documentation standard — not a cut of any settlement.
- A free Gap Scan before you commit — see exactly what is missing.
- One flat fee per location per recurring audit; disclosed pass-through data-ingestion costs.
- Optional fixed-fee attorney review for high-value or multi-jurisdiction audits.
- Optional Rush Audit-Defense Packet for active investigations or demand letters.
FAQ
Questions, answered precisely.
Is PremiumTrace a law firm?
No. PremiumTrace, a service of Your Deputy, Obuke LLC, provides documentation-completeness and audit services. It is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and does not represent you in any legal matter. Attorney review is available and recommended for high-value or multi-jurisdiction audits.
Do you contact employees or direct agency responses?
Never. PremiumTrace is not a debt collector and does not contact employees or regulators. The employer remains the party responsible for all compliance and legal strategy, with direction from its outside employment counsel.
What makes an audit 'complete'?
Completeness is defined by each ordinance: all schedule-change events reconciled, premium amounts verified, all 12 record categories accounted for or exception-coded, advance notice windows checked, and carve-outs applied correctly. Deterministic gates enforce each one before release.
How fast is it?
The standard SLA is five business days from complete intake to a specialist-released audit. The free Gap Scan is returned much sooner and tells you exactly what is still needed.
How are you priced?
A flat fee per location per recurring audit, plus disclosed pass-through data-ingestion costs. No contingency and no percentage of any settlement or recovery.
See what's missing before it costs you a settlement.
Start with a free Gap Scan. Send your scheduling, timekeeping, and payroll exports and we'll return a completeness read against every applicable Fair Workweek ordinance.
Documentation-completeness service · not legal advice · the employer retains full control.