A workhuman.com charge on your credit card almost always traces back to an employer-sponsored recognition program. Workhuman runs an online rewards marketplace where companies let employees redeem points for merchandise, gift cards, and travel. The platform handles checkout and fulfillment, so your bank logs the transaction under workhuman.com even though you never signed up for the service yourself. The charge is usually legitimate, but it’s worth checking, because the dollar amount can come from several different parts of a redemption.
Why the Charge Shows Up
The most common explanation is a top-up. When you pick an item from the Workhuman Store that costs more than your available point balance, the platform lets you cover the difference with a personal credit or debit card.1Workhuman. Workhuman Global Reward Store If you had enough points for $500 worth of merchandise but chose a $620 television, the remaining $120 hits your card. Easy to forget a few days later when it lands on a statement with no context.
Sales tax is another frequent culprit. Physical goods shipped to your home are taxed based on your delivery address, and combined state and local rates run from zero in a handful of states to above 10 percent in a few high-tax areas.2Tax Foundation. State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2026 Many employer programs cover the item price through points but leave tax and shipping to the employee. A redemption that felt “free” can still generate a small card charge for tax alone.
Shipping and handling work the same way. Not every employer funds delivery costs, so the platform collects those separately at checkout. If you ordered several items across different shipments, you might see multiple small charges rather than one lump sum.
One more wrinkle: if the merchant descriptor reads “Globoforce” instead of Workhuman, that’s the company’s former name. Globoforce rebranded to Workhuman in 2019, but older payment processor records and legacy billing descriptors sometimes still use the original name. Same company, same charge.
A separate point worth knowing, even though it isn’t a card charge: if you see “Workhuman” as a deduction on your pay stub rather than your credit card, that’s tax withholding on a recognition award, not a purchase. Gift cards and other cash equivalents are always treated as taxable wages by the IRS, so the value gets added to your gross pay and normal payroll taxes come out.3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15-B (2026), Employers Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits That’s a payroll question for HR, not a billing question for your card issuer.
How to Verify the Charge
Start in your Workhuman account. Log into the employee portal your company uses and look for an order history or rewards dashboard. Every redemption and card payment is logged with an Order ID, a date, and an itemized breakdown. Match the transaction date and dollar amount against your bank statement. Small timing differences of a day or two are normal because of processing delays, but the amounts should line up exactly.
Check your email next. Workhuman sends a confirmation at the time of each purchase that lists the item, points applied, any credit card charge, tax, and shipping. Searching your inbox for “Workhuman” or “Globoforce” usually surfaces these fast. A matching confirmation means the charge is almost certainly yours.
If you share a card with a spouse or family member, ask whether they placed an order. Workhuman accounts are tied to individual employees, but someone with access to your card could have used it during checkout without realizing it would create confusion on the statement. This is one of the more common explanations for a charge you don’t remember making.
Contacting Workhuman
When your own records don’t explain the charge, contact Workhuman directly. The platform offers a help request form inside the employee portal, usually labeled “Submit a Request” or “Contact Us” near the bottom of the page. You can also call the North America support line at (866) 785-6279.4Workhuman. Contact Us and Office Locations Have your Order ID, the transaction date, and a screenshot of the statement charge ready before you reach out. Calling is generally faster than the written form when the charge is time-sensitive.
Disputing an Unauthorized Charge
If you’ve checked your Workhuman account, called support, and still can’t tie the charge to anything you or a household member did, treat it as a potential billing error. Federal law gives you a structured way to challenge it.
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the date your card issuer sent the statement containing the charge to submit a written dispute.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors The letter needs your name and account number, the charge you believe is wrong, and a brief explanation of why. Send it to the billing inquiry address on your statement, not the payment address.
Once your issuer receives the letter, they must acknowledge it in writing within 30 days. They then have two full billing cycles, and no more than 90 days, to investigate and either correct the charge or explain why they believe it was accurate.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors During the investigation, the issuer cannot report the disputed amount as delinquent or take collection action on it. If the charge turns out to be fraudulent, you’ll receive a permanent credit and the issuer will typically replace your card number to prevent further unauthorized use.
The 60-day clock is the part that catches people out. If you spot a workhuman.com charge months after the statement date because you weren’t checking carefully, your formal dispute rights may already be gone. Reviewing statements promptly is the single most effective thing you can do to protect them.
Avoiding Surprise Charges Later
A few small habits keep future workhuman.com charges from catching you off guard:
- Remove stored payment methods after a one-time top-up. A saved card sitting in your Workhuman profile is an easy target if someone gains access to your account.
- Use a unique password for the Workhuman login, or use your company’s single sign-on if it’s available, which is generally more secure than a standalone password.6Workhuman. Security and Privacy
- Turn on real-time transaction alerts with your bank or card issuer. A push notification the moment a workhuman.com charge posts gives you the best chance of catching a problem inside the 60-day dispute window.
If a charge turned out to be legitimate and you just want to know what to expect next time, ask your HR department for the recognition program’s policy on tax, shipping, and top-ups. They can tell you exactly which costs the company covers and which fall to you at checkout.