How to File an EEOC Discrimination Charge From Alabama: Deadlines and Steps

Most workplace discrimination claims under federal law start with a charge to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Except for Equal Pay Act claims, the laws the EEOC enforces require you to file a charge before you can file a lawsuit for unlawful discrimination.

The deadline

• Generally 180 calendar days from the discrimination.
• This becomes 300 days where a state or local agency enforces a law against the same kind of discrimination. For age discrimination, only a state law and state agency extend it.
• Equal Pay Act claims don't need a charge: you have two years from the last discriminatory paycheck, or three years if the discrimination was willful.
• Federal employees and job applicants use a different process and generally must contact their agency's EEO counselor within 45 days.

How to file

• Online: submit an inquiry through the EEOC Public Portal, then schedule an interview by phone, video or in person.
• In person: visit an EEOC office (open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday). The Birmingham District Office is at Ridge Park Place, 1130 22nd Street South, Suite 2000, Birmingham.
• By phone: call 1-800-669-4000 (TTY 1-800-669-6820). The EEOC doesn't take charges by phone, but it can start the process. If your deadline is close, ask for an immediate interview.
• By mail: send a signed letter with the details below. An unsigned charge can't be investigated.

What to include

• Your contact details, and the employer's (or employment agency's or union's).
• How many employees the employer has, if you know.
• What happened, when it happened, and why you believe it was discrimination.
• Your signature.

Wage problems

Alabama has no state minimum wage law, so employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Complaints about wages under federal law go to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division on 1-866-487-9243.