The deadline, and what it depends on
By your next regular payday or within 15 calendar days of your last day, whichever comes first.
It depends on your pay schedule, not on the day you left. Two people who leave on the same day can have deadlines a week or more apart.
Commissions and bonuses are due only if earned and not changed under a written policy at separation; employers get up to 120 days to decide periodic performance bonuses. The pay may be mailed and counts as paid on the mailing date. Attorney's fees are available if you sue more than 3 days after your first demand.
What “next regular payday” means
“Next regular payday” means the next date your employer would normally have paid you had you stayed. It is not a fixed number of days: paid weekly, it is at most a week away; paid monthly, it can be a month.
That is why the calculator asks for your pay schedule first. Take any recent payday from a pay stub and it works out the date for you.
Unused PTO — is it owed?
Yes. Accrued vacation you were eligible to take, and have not used or been paid for, is owed at separation under your employer's vacation policy. A policy cannot make you forfeit vacation pay you actually earned. It is paid at your final rate of pay, as part of the same final paycheck and on the same deadline as your wages.
What happens if they are late
An employer that fails to pay owes the lesser of 90 days' wages at your daily rate, or full wages from your demand for payment until it pays (La. R.S. 23:632). If the amount was disputed in good faith, only the wages and interest are owed.
How to file a claim in Louisiana
Louisiana has no state wage-claim program for final pay. Make a written demand, then sue in court within 3 years. Court filing fees apply; small claims court is the simplest route for smaller amounts.
- Ask in writing first. Email creates a dated record.
- Send a short demand letter naming the amount, the deadline, and any penalty that applies in Louisiana.
- File the wage claim. Keep copies of pay stubs and your schedule — the time card calculator can total the unpaid hours for you.
Louisiana final paycheck: common questions
Can they hold my last check until I return my equipment?
No. In Louisiana your final wages are due by the deadline on this page whether or not you have returned a laptop, uniform or keys. Your employer can ask for the equipment back or pursue its cost separately, but federal law bars deductions for it that would cut your pay below minimum wage or eat into overtime.
Do I get paid for unused vacation?
Yes. Accrued vacation you were eligible to take, and have not used or been paid for, is owed at separation under your employer's vacation policy. A policy cannot make you forfeit vacation pay you actually earned. It is paid at your final rate of pay, as part of the same final paycheck and on the same deadline as your wages.
What if I quit without notice?
No. Quitting without notice does not forfeit anything you earned in Louisiana. It is due by your next regular payday or within 15 calendar days of your last day, whichever comes first, exactly as if you had given notice. Notice only changes the timing, and only where state law says so.
When is my final paycheck due in Louisiana if I am fired?
By your next regular payday or within 15 calendar days of your last day, whichever comes first. Everything you earned is due on that deadline, along with any unused vacation your state or your policy makes payable. If it arrives late, the section on penalties above explains what follows.
What happens if my final paycheck is late in Louisiana?
An employer that fails to pay owes the lesser of 90 days' wages at your daily rate, or full wages from your demand for payment until it pays (La. R.S. 23:632). If the amount was disputed in good faith, only the wages and interest are owed.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error.
Other states that also tie the deadline to your next payday: Delaware, Illinois and Kansas.
Worked across a state line? Texas final paycheck law.