AZ Withholding my check

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

I work a liaison job which is an outside marketing.

I work as an outside sales liaison for a medical company, building relationships with accounts.

I took two weeks off to bury my mom, and on the day I returned to the office, I was fired with the reason that they “couldn’t afford me.”

Since then, my final paycheck has been withheld. Initially, they demanded a death certificate for my mom and a doctor’s note for a sick day, which I provided.

Now, they claim via email that they’re auditing credit card receipts and will hold my paycheck until the audit is complete. I don’t recall signing any agreement allowing them to deduct charges from my wages or withhold my check for this reason, and I’ve asked them to send any such agreement, but they haven’t provided it.

The company uses HubSpot, a CRM database for tracking client interactions, but I only logged accounts about half the time. My boss frequently reprimanded me for not logging consistently, as I disliked it. They’re now cross-referencing my credit card charges (for lunches, treats for accounts, and similar expenses) with my HubSpot entries, which will show discrepancies since I didn’t always log.

However, these charges were business expenses for client relations, (lunches, treats, coffees) not personal, and HubSpot isn’t a financial tracking tool. My boss’s knowledge of my inconsistent logging undermines their claim that unlogged charges are personal.

Four and a half hours ago, I emailed them, stating that Arizona law (A.R.S. § 23-353) prohibits withholding my final paycheck and that any deductions require a signed agreement, which I don’t recall. I’ve received no response. I have all emails for reference.I’m at a loss because I urgently need this paycheck. It feels like they hold all the power, and I’m unsure how to proceed.