The employees - who all worked at the same business - lodged complaints with the Fair Work Ombudsman after they were underpaid annual leave entitlements on termination last year. The biggest individual underpayment was $5,000.

After a Fair Work inspector contacted the business and explained its obligations, the employees were promptly reimbursed all money owed without the need for further action against the employer.

The Fair Work Ombudsman recovered a total of $7.573 million back-pay for 3556 underpaid workers in Victoria last financial year. Nationally, the agency recouped $26.7 million for 17,360 employees.

Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson said when Fair Work inspectors identified a problem and contacted a business, most employers checked their records, realised a problem had occurred and fixed it immediately.

"We're here to assist and give practical advice to employers on how to voluntarily resolve issues," Mr Wilson said.

"The Ararat business has now corrected the errors that led to the underpayments and put processes in place to ensure they will not happen again."

Workers or employers seeking support should get in touch with the Fair Work Ombudsman via the website at www.fairwork.gov.au or by calling the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94.