text: can a company withhold your payroll check for any reason. please read on? i started working at menards about a month ago. i started on a thursday and worked that day that next friday and saturday. they pay bi-weekly so that was the end of the pay period. the hr guy said i might have a check but he couldnt promise that i would be on payroll in time. the check was suppose to come the week after i started. i didnt get one. so its been two weeks since i should ahve got the check, three and a couple days since i started. heres my problem. the hr guy said that i will be gettin the check from the first three days that i worked, or the first check i should ahve received. they wont combine that one with the one i should be getting for a whole two weeks. so ill be check behind until i dont work there anymore when then i will get one for the last two weeks of my employment. what im asking is can they withhold my check for extra time like that??? not really, but it depends on the corporation.  ask a couple of employees if this happened when they first started.    i worked for a company that waited 6 weeks to pay me due to the distance from the site to corporate, but was on time every 2 weeks afterwards.  it took time for them to process all info.  but they allowed me to get cash if i needed it.  i just paid them back when i got my big first check.    don't let this go.  make sure you are paid!