Payback time for cheating bosses as state labor officials have made progress in cracking down on wage theft by employers across New York, recouping more than $30 million on behalf of about 27,000 workers last year, an audit has found.

The amount recovered in withheld pay and interest is a record, and was up 35% from a year earlier. The state controller’s audit follows a prior report on 2011-13 that found a large backlog of cases.

Auditors said the state Division of Labor Standards has changed policies and operations, now completing 80% of its wage investigations within six months.