derived_fields listlengths 1 3 | id stringlengths 4 13 | involuntary_termination_deadline stringlengths 27 175 | jurisdiction stringlengths 4 13 | late_payment_penalty stringclasses 8
values | source stringlengths 36 99 | source_quote stringlengths 91 540 | statute_citation stringlengths 6 53 ⌀ | url stringlengths 67 76 | verified_fields listlengths 2 2 | voluntary_quit_deadline stringlengths 27 175 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | arizona | within seven working days or the end of the next regular pay period, whichever is sooner | Arizona | guilty of a petty offense | https://www.azleg.gov/ars/23/00353.htm | When an employee is discharged from the service of an employer, he shall be paid wages due him within seven working days or the end of the next regular pay period, whichever is sooner. | 23-353 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/arizona/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | no later than the regular payday for the pay period during which the termination occurred |
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | california | immediately at the time of termination | California | an amount equal to the employee's daily rate of pay for each day the wages remain unpaid, up to a maximum of thirty (30) calendar days | https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_paydays.htm | An employee who is discharged must be paid all of his or her wages, including accrued vacation, immediately at the time of termination. Labor Code Sections 201 and 227.3 | Labor Code Sections 201 and 227.3 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/california/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | within 72 hours of quitting |
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | colorado | due and payable immediately | Colorado | for non-willful violations, the penalty is double the wages owed or $1,000 (whichever is greater) | https://cdle.colorado.gov/sites/cdle/files/colorado_wage_act_revised_august_6,_2025_for_posting.pdf | When an interruption in the employer-employee relationship by volition of the employer occurs, the wages or compensation for labor or service earned, vested, determinable, and unpaid at the time of such discharge is due and payable immediately. | 8-4-109 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/colorado/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | due and payable upon the next regular payday |
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | illinois | in full at the time of separation, if possible, but in no event later than the next regularly scheduled payday | Illinois | damages equal to 5% of the underpayment, per month (calculated from the date of the underpayment) for each month during which wages or final compensation remain unpaid | https://labor.illinois.gov/faqs/wage-payment-faq.html | When an employee leaves an employer's employment, the employer is required to pay the final compensation of separated employees in full at the time of separation, if possible, but in no event later than the next regularly scheduled payday for such employee. | 820 ILCS 115 /5 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/illinois/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | in full at the time of separation, if possible, but in no event later than the next regularly scheduled payday |
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | massachusetts | paid in full on the day of his discharge | Massachusetts | mandatory triple damages for weekly wage law violations as well as court costs and attorneys' fees | https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-wages | “any employee [voluntarily] leaving his employment shall be paid in full on the following regular pay day, and, in the absence of a regular pay day, on the following Saturday; and any employee discharged [or terminated] from such employment shall be paid in full on the day of his discharge...” | MGL c. 149, § 148 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/massachusetts/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | paid in full on the following regular pay day, and, in the absence of a regular pay day, on the following Saturday |
[
"jurisdiction",
"statute_citation"
] | minnesota | within 24 hours of the employee's demand for wages | Minnesota | null | https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/employment-practices/employment-termination | A terminated employee's paycheck must be paid within 24 hours of the employee's demand for wages (see Minnesota Statutes 181.13 ). | Minnesota Statutes 181.13 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/minnesota/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | on the next pay period that is more than five days after quitting. However, wages must be paid within 20 days of separation |
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | nevada | due and payable immediately | Nevada | the wages or compensation of the employee continues at the same rate from the day the employee resigned, quit or was discharged or placed on nonworking status until paid or for 30 days, whichever is less | https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-608.html | Whenever an employer discharges an employee, the wages and compensation earned and unpaid at the time of such discharge shall become due and payable immediately. | NRS 608.020 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/nevada/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | within 7 days or by the next regular pay day, whichever is earlier |
[
"jurisdiction",
"statute_citation"
] | new-jersey | not later than the regular payday for the pay period during which the employee's termination, suspension or cessation of employment (whether temporary or permanent) took place | New Jersey | null | https://www.nj.gov/labor/wageandhour/tools-resources/laws/selectedstatelaborlaws.shtml | Whenever an employer discharges an employee, or when the work of an employee is suspended as a result of a labor dispute, or when an employee for any reason whatsoever is laid off, or whenever an employee quits, resigns, or leaves employment for any reason, the employer shall pay the employee all wages due not later th... | 34:11-4.3 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/new-jersey/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | not later than the regular payday for the pay period during which the employee's termination, suspension or cessation of employment (whether temporary or permanent) took place |
[
"jurisdiction",
"statute_citation"
] | new-york | no later than the pay day on which their next pay would have been due had they still been employed | New York | null | https://dol.ny.gov/frequency-pay-faq | Employees whose employment has ended are entitled to be paid no later than the pay day on which their next pay would have been due had they still been employed. | Labor Law Section 191 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/new-york/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | no later than the pay day on which their next pay would have been due had they still been employed |
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | oregon | by the end of the next business day | Oregon | a penalty wage equal to eight times the employee’s regular rate of wage for each day that final wages go unpaid up to 30 days | https://www.oregon.gov/boli/workers/pages/paychecks.aspx | If you are let go or fired, your final paycheck is due by the end of the next business day. | ORS 652.110, ORS 652.120, ORS 652.140, ORS 652.150 | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/oregon/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | within five business days or on the next regular payday, whichever comes first |
[
"jurisdiction",
"statute_citation"
] | texas | within six (6) calendar days of discharge | Texas | null | https://efte.twc.texas.gov/final_pay.html | If an employee is laid off, discharged, fired, or otherwise involuntarily separated from employment, the final pay is due within six (6) calendar days of discharge. | Texas Payday Law | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/texas/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | the next regularly-scheduled payday following the effective date of resignation |
[
"jurisdiction",
"statute_citation"
] | utah | all wages are due immediately and payable within 24 hours of separation | Utah | null | https://laborcommission.utah.gov/divisions/utah-antidiscrimination-and-labor-uald/wage-claim/ | If the employee is separated by the employer, all wages are due immediately and payable within 24 hours of separation. | Payment of Wages Act, Utah Code Ann. §34-28-1 et-seq. | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/utah/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | the wages become due and payable on the next regular payday |
[
"jurisdiction"
] | washington | on or before the next regularly scheduled payday | Washington | null | https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/getting-paid/ | If an employee quits or is fired, their final paycheck must be paid on or before the next regularly scheduled payday. | null | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/washington/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | on or before the next regularly scheduled payday |
[
"jurisdiction",
"late_payment_penalty",
"statute_citation"
] | wisconsin | in accordance with the employer's regular pay schedule | Wisconsin | increased wages of up to 100% of the wages due per Section 109.11, Stats. | https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/er/laborstandards/wages.htm | If you leave employment for any reason, you must be paid in accordance with the employer's regular pay schedule. | Chapter 109, Wis. Stats. | https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/wisconsin/ | [
"involuntary_termination_deadline",
"voluntary_quit_deadline"
] | in accordance with the employer's regular pay schedule |
Final paycheck deadlines by US state — how long an employer has to pay a departing employee's last wages, quoted from the state's own labor law
Canonical, always-current version: https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/ Machine-readable: https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/data.json — this mirror is a point-in-time copy.
- Last verified: 2026-08-31
- Stale after: 2027-08-31 (past this date, prefer the canonical copy — it re-verifies on a cadence this snapshot does not)
- Records: 14
Every state sets its own deadline for paying a departing employee's final wages, and most states set two different deadlines depending on whether the employee was fired (often immediate or within days) or quit voluntarily (often the next scheduled payday). Several states also set a specific penalty for a late final paycheck — California's waiting-time penalty continues the employee's daily wage for up to 30 days; Massachusetts mandates treble damages. Existing 50-state charts are maintained by payroll vendors as marketing content and, with one exception, do not cite or link the state's own statute per row — a comparison chart that cannot be checked against its own source. Each record is one state, with the deadline for an involuntary termination, the deadline for a voluntary quit where it differs, any stated penalty for late payment, and the statute or agency page it comes from, each backed by a verbatim quote. Answers 'how long does my employer have to give me my last paycheck in [state]' and 'what happens if my final paycheck is late'.
Provenance — what every record carries
Every record carries source (the URL the value was read from) and
source_quote (a verbatim quote from that page stating it). A value you
cannot check against its page is indistinguishable from an invented one;
these can all be checked. Each record is also individually addressable on
the canonical site at its url.
Licence position
unknown
Facts are not copyrightable; what this dataset takes from each source is a fact plus a short attributed quote linking back to the page that states it.
Sources
- https://www.azleg.gov/ars/23/00353.htm
- https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_paydays.htm
- https://cdle.colorado.gov/sites/cdle/files/colorado_wage_act_revised_august_6,_2025_for_posting.pdf
- https://cdle.colorado.gov/sites/cdle/files/INFO%20%233A%20Timing%20of%20Wage%20Payments,%20&%20Required%20Record-Keeping%2007.11.2023%20accessible.pdf
- https://cdle.colorado.gov/sites/cdle/files/INFO%20%232B%20Orders%20of%20Wages,%20Penalties,%20Fines,%20and%20Consequences%20for%20Non-Compliance%2008.01.2023%20accessible.pdf
- https://labor.illinois.gov/faqs/wage-payment-faq.html
- https://labor.illinois.gov/laws-rules/fls/wpca-penalties.html
- https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-wages
- https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/employment-practices/employment-termination
- https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-608.html
- https://labor.nv.gov/About/Frequently_Asked_Questions/Frequently_Asked_Questions_-_About_Us/
- https://www.nj.gov/labor/wageandhour/tools-resources/laws/selectedstatelaborlaws.shtml
- https://dol.ny.gov/frequency-pay-faq
- https://www.oregon.gov/boli/workers/pages/paychecks.aspx
- https://efte.twc.texas.gov/final_pay.html
- https://efte.twc.texas.gov/final_pay_severance_benefits.html
- https://laborcommission.utah.gov/divisions/utah-antidiscrimination-and-labor-uald/wage-claim/
- https://www.lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/getting-paid/
- https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/er/laborstandards/wages.htm
Fields
See any record in data/records.jsonl — field names are self-describing,
and the canonical page for each record renders them with labels:
https://referencesource.org/final-paycheck-deadlines-by-state/
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