What constitutes a work uniform?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What constitutes a work uniform?
I noticed that under CO law an employer must pay for a uniform but is not required to pay for cleaning if it is not a company supplied uniform. I am required to wear black shoes, that must be polished, black socks, pressed black pants, long sleeve black shirt and a black belt. They supply a black vest. Are they required to pay for my clothes under the law?
Asked on August 3, 2011 Colorado
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
No, a company has NO obligation to pay for an employee's clothes. Almost every company has, or could have, a dress code: restaurants may require white shirts and black slacks, banks and law firms require suits, construction workers need to have heavy, reinforced boots, etc. Companies may, as part of their general right to set conditions on employment, specify what workers must wear, and they do not have to pay for the clothing.
Even worse: if the clothing is not a uniform, but is rather clothes that you *could* wear elsewhere (even if you never do), then you may not claim their cost as a business expense or deduction under the Internal Revenue Code. Every attorney out there, for example, would love to be able to deduct the cost of suits, ties, dress shirts, etc.--especially since no one wears suits in their free time, not since the 1950s--but it's not allowed.
Paying for your work clothes is simply a cost of being employed, unfortunately.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.