Final paycheck laws by state: all 50 states and DC.

How fast your employer has to pay you after you leave, whether unused PTO is owed, and what a late paycheck costs them. Every rule is traced to that state's own statute or labor department.

Every state's final paycheck deadline

15 states require payment on the last day or within 72 hours of a discharge. 4 have no final paycheck statute at all.

State	If you are fired	If you quit	Unused PTO	If it is late
Alabama	No state law (next payday)	No state law (next payday)	Not required by state law	None
Alaska	Within 3 working days	Next payday at least 3 days after notice	Per written policy	Wages from demand, up to 90 working days
Arizona	7 working days or next payday, whichever is sooner	Next regular payday	Per written policy	Treble damages in court
Arkansas	Next regular payday	No state rule (next payday)	Per written policy	Double wages if 7 days late
California	Immediately	Within 72 hours (last day, with 72 hours' notice)	Required	Waiting time penalty: up to 30 days of wages
Colorado	Immediately (6 hours if payroll is closed)	Next regular payday	Required	2× wages or $1,000 after a 14-day demand
Connecticut	Next business day	Next regular payday	Per written policy	2× wages in a lawsuit (1× if good faith)
Delaware	Next payday or 3 business days, whichever is later	Next payday or 3 business days, whichever is later	Per written policy	10% per day, up to an amount equal to the wages
District of Columbia	Next working day	Next payday or 7 days, whichever is earlier	Per written policy	10% per working day, up to 3× wages
Florida	No state law (next payday)	No state law (next payday)	Not required by state law	None
Georgia	No state law (next payday)	No state law (next payday)	Not required by state law	None
Hawaii	At discharge (next working day if impossible)	Next payday (at quitting, with a pay period's notice)	Per written policy	An equal amount plus 6% interest
Idaho	Next payday or 10 working days, whichever is first	Next payday or 10 working days (48 hours on written request)	Not required by state law	Up to 15 days of wages, capped at $750
Illinois	Next payday	Next payday	Required	Wage claim, 1-year limit
Indiana	Payday for the period you left	Next usual and regular payday	Per written policy	2× wages if not in good faith (court-awarded)
Iowa	Next regular payday	Next regular payday	Per written policy	5% a day after 7 days, capped at the wages
Kansas	Next regular payday	Next regular payday	Per written policy	1% per day after day 8, up to 100% if willful
Kentucky	Next payday or 14 days, whichever is later	Next payday or 14 days, whichever is later	Per written policy	An equal amount as liquidated damages
Louisiana	Next payday or 15 days, whichever is first	Next payday or 15 days, whichever is first	Required	Up to 90 days' wages (from your demand)
Maine	Next established payday	Next established payday	Required	2× unpaid wages plus interest (court-awarded)
Maryland	Next payday	Next payday	Owed unless notified in writing of forfeiture	Up to 3× wages (court-awarded)
Massachusetts	On the day of discharge	Next regular payday (or the following Saturday)	Required	3× lost wages (court-awarded)
Michigan	Immediately — in practice the next scheduled payday	Next scheduled payday for that period	Per written policy	10% a year, up to 2× if flagrant
Minnesota	Immediately on written demand (24 hours)	Next payday (at most 20 days)	Per written policy	Average daily pay per day, up to 15 days
Mississippi	No state law (next payday)	No state law (next payday)	Not required by state law	None
Missouri	On the day of discharge	No state rule (next payday)	Per written policy	Wages continue up to 60 days (after written request)
Montana	Immediately (unless a written policy extends it)	Next payday or 15 days, whichever is first	Required	Up to 110% of unpaid wages
Nebraska	Next payday or 2 weeks, whichever is sooner	Next payday or 2 weeks, whichever is sooner	Required	Wages, costs and attorney's fees in court
Nevada	Immediately	7 days or next payday, whichever is first	Per written policy	Up to 30 days of wages
New Hampshire	Within 72 hours	Next payday (72 hours with notice)	Per written policy	10% per day, up to an amount equal to the wages
New Jersey	Next payday	Next payday	Per written policy	Liquidated damages (multiplier pending verification)
New Mexico	5 days (10 for commission or piece work)	Next succeeding payday	Per written policy	Wages continue up to 60 days (demand required)
New York	Next payday	Next payday	Per written policy	Wage claim
North Carolina	Next payday	Next payday	Owed unless notified in writing of forfeiture	Liquidated damages equal to unpaid wages
North Dakota	Next regular payday (by certified mail)	Next regular payday	Owed unless notified in writing of forfeiture	Up to 30 days of wages
Ohio	Semimonthly schedule	Semimonthly schedule	Per written policy	Liquidated damages (amount pending verification)
Oklahoma	Next regular payday	Next regular payday	Per written policy	2% per day, up to 100%, if willful
Oregon	End of the next business day	5 business days or next payday, whichever is first	Per written policy	8 hours' pay per day late, up to 30 days
Pennsylvania	Next payday	Next payday	Per written policy	25% or $500, whichever is greater
Rhode Island	Next regular payday (24 hours if the business closes)	Next regular payday	Required	12% interest plus up to 2× wages
South Carolina	48 hours or next payday (within 30 days)	48 hours or next payday (within 30 days)	Per written policy	Up to 3× wages (court-awarded)
South Dakota	Next regular payday (once property is returned)	Next regular payday (once property is returned)	Per written policy	Double wages if malicious (court-awarded)
Tennessee	Next payday or 21 days, whichever is later	Next payday or 21 days, whichever is later	Per written policy	Wage claim
Texas	6 calendar days	Next payday	Per written policy	Wage claim, 180-day limit
Utah	Within 24 hours	Next regular payday	Per written policy	Wages continue up to 60 days (written demand required)
Vermont	Within 72 hours	Next regular payday (or the following Friday)	Per written policy	2× wages if still unpaid when you sue
Virginia	Next payday	Next payday	Per written policy	An equal amount plus 8% interest; triple if knowing
Washington	End of the pay period (next payday)	End of the pay period (next payday)	Per written policy	Double damages if willful (court-awarded)
West Virginia	Next regular payday	Next regular payday	Per written policy	2× the unpaid wages as liquidated damages
Wisconsin	Regular pay schedule (next payday)	Regular pay schedule (next payday)	Per written policy	Up to 100% increased wages (court-awarded)
Wyoming	Next regular payday	Next regular payday	Owed unless notified in writing of forfeiture	18% interest plus attorney's fees (court-awarded)

Each state page shows the date for your own last day and pay schedule, the statute it comes from, and the date the rule was checked.

States that pay fastest after a discharge

Here the deadline is your last day, or within 72 hours of it.

AlaskaWithin 3 working days CaliforniaImmediately ColoradoImmediately (6 hours if payroll is closed)ConnecticutNext business day District of ColumbiaNext working day HawaiiAt discharge (next working day if impossible)MassachusettsOn the day of discharge MinnesotaImmediately on written demand (24 hours)MissouriOn the day of discharge MontanaImmediately (unless a written policy extends it)NevadaImmediately New HampshireWithin 72 hours OregonEnd of the next business day UtahWithin 24 hours VermontWithin 72 hours

What actually decides your deadline

Most states tie the deadline to one of two things: the day you left, or your next regular payday. A payday rule sounds slower but is not always — paid weekly, your next payday may arrive before another state's 14-day limit would. That is why two people who leave on the same date in different states can be waiting very different lengths of time.

Three other things change the answer: whether you quit or were let go, whether you gave notice, and whether unused vacation counts as wages where you work. The final paycheck calculator takes all four and gives you a date, plus what a late payment is worth.

Final pay by state: common questions

Which states require the final paycheck immediately?

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana and Missouri all require payment at or near the moment of discharge, and Utah within 24 hours. Most other states use the next regular payday instead, sometimes with an outer limit such as 14 or 21 days. Quitting usually carries a later deadline than being fired.

Do I get paid for unused vacation when I leave?

It depends on the state and on your employer's policy. California, Illinois, Montana, Massachusetts, Maine, Nebraska and Rhode Island treat earned vacation as wages that must be paid out. Most other states pay it only where a written policy or agreement promises it, and a few allow forfeiture if you were told in writing.

What happens if my final paycheck is late?

That varies more than the deadline does. Some states run a daily penalty — California and Nevada up to 30 days of wages, Oregon 8 hours' pay a day. Others add liquidated damages, often double or triple the unpaid amount. A few have no penalty at all, leaving only a wage claim or a lawsuit.

Can my employer hold my last check until I return equipment?

Almost never. In nearly every state the deadline runs whether or not you have handed back a laptop, uniform or keys, and the employer's remedy is to pursue the item separately. South Dakota is the clear exception, letting pay wait until property is returned; West Virginia allows a deduction instead, but only under a signed agreement.

Does the deadline change if I quit instead of being fired?

Often, yes. Many states give the employer longer when you resign, typically the next regular payday. Some shorten it if you give notice: California pays on your last day with 72 hours' notice, New Hampshire within 72 hours with a pay period's notice, and Hawaii at quitting with a pay period's notice.

Same rules, different question.