When you're owed your final paycheck, know your deadline.
A free, statute-cited 50-state decoder for final-paycheck deadlines, waiting-time penalties, and minimum-wage rules. Built for workers after a separation — primary-source, no fabricated numbers.
Informational, not legal advice. 36 states statute-verified · 15 pending review. We do not display unverified figures.
- Primary-source citations
- Runs in your browser
- No fabricated figures
What this site does
- Tells you the exact deadline your employer has to pay your last check — by state, by termination type.
- Estimates your maximum waiting-time penalty using your real hourly rate, not a made-up number.
- Shows your 2026 minimum wage, overtime overlay, and PTO-payout rule — each linked to the statute.
- Surfaces the right filing path: state labor agency first, federal DOL second, attorney for willful claims.
- Statute-cited, every figure
- State DOL + legislature primary sources
- Privacy-first decoder
- Annual January re-verification
- No fabricated penalties
- Informational, not legal advice
The decoder
Final-Paycheck Decoder
Five inputs — state, termination type, separation date, hourly rate, willful-failure indicator. Get your statutory deadline plus an estimated maximum waiting-time penalty in the states that have one. All client-side; nothing leaves your browser.
Final-Paycheck Decoder
Privacy-first — your inputs never leave your browserState, termination type, hours, willful-failure standard. Get your statutory deadline + waiting-time-penalty estimate with primary-source statute cite. Informational, not legal advice.
All 50 states + DC
See your state on the map
Color the country by final-pay deadline, waiting-time penalty, or 2026 minimum wage. Tap a state for its key facts, then open the full statute-cited reference.
Prefer a list? Browse all states + the side-by-side comparator →
Why timing matters
Final pay is a deadline, not a favor.
In many states the clock starts the day you leave. Miss the statutory deadline and some states stack a penalty on top of the wages owed — in a handful, your daily rate continues for each day they're late; in others, liquidated damages or a fixed penalty. Knowing the date is the first step to getting paid.
4
verified states require same-day pay on discharge
40
verified states add a penalty for late final pay
2–3 yr
federal back-wage statute of limitations
What you'll find
Everything a final-pay claim turns on
Six reference dimensions for every state, each cell traceable to the statute behind it.
Final-paycheck deadline
The exact date your employer must pay your last check — by state and by termination type. Discharge and voluntary-quit rules differ in many states.
Waiting-time penalty
Estimate the maximum penalty for late final pay using your real hourly rate — in the states with a daily-wage-continuation formula. Never a fabricated number.
2026 minimum wage
Your state's current minimum wage, tipped rate, and scheduled increases — each figure linked to the underlying statute or government source.
Overtime overlay
Weekly and (where applicable) daily overtime thresholds on top of the federal 40-hour floor, with the controlling statute cited.
PTO payout on exit
Whether accrued vacation must be paid out when you leave — mandatory, policy-dependent, or no state requirement — by state.
The right filing path
State labor-agency claim form first, federal DOL second, attorney for willful or larger claims. We do not push private suit when the agency route is faster.
How it works
From separation to filed claim
Four steps. No account, no email, no data leaving your device.
Pick your state
Select where you worked. Final-pay rules, penalties, and minimum wage are all state-specific.
Enter your separation
Termination type, separation date, and hourly rate. Everything runs in your browser — no inputs are sent anywhere.
See your deadline
The decoder returns your statutory deadline and, where a formula exists, an estimated maximum waiting-time penalty.
File the claim
Follow the surfaced filing path: written demand, state labor agency, federal DOL, or an attorney for willful claims.
Federal floor
FLSA covers everyone
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets the federal minimum wage $7.25/hr, the 40-hour overtime threshold at 1.5×, and the federal wage-claim filing rules. State law typically adds stricter rules on top. If your state hasn't passed wage-and-hour legislation, the federal floor still applies.
FLSA back-wages have a 2-year statute of limitations (3 years if the violation was willful). Most states allow longer for state-law wage suits. Filing the earlier one preserves both.
Federal min wage
$7.25/hr
Since 2009
Tipped min wage
$2.13/hr
Plus tips to $7.25/hr
Statute of limitations
2 / 3 yr
Default / willful
If wages stay unpaid
Your filing options
Start free with the government claim path. Bring in an attorney for willful or larger claims.
If your wages are unpaid past the deadline
File a wage claim — start here
- Federal: DOL Wage & Hour Division (1-866-487-9243). Free, no attorney needed.
- State: Find your state's labor agency claim form. Often faster than federal for in-state employers.
- Larger or willful claims: consult a licensed employment-law attorney. State-bar lawyer-referral services are the standard starting point. How to choose.
Some links above are referral-partner affiliate links once vetted; the federal and state government links are not. Lawyer referrals are subject to state-bar advertising rules in your jurisdiction.
Legal review
PendingReviewer credential verification in progress
We are retaining a US employment-law attorney to review every state page on this site before it leaves the dev preview. Once retained, the reviewer's name, bar number, state of admission, and signoff date will appear on every state page and on /about. Until then, treat statute citations as informational, not legal advice. Last data verification: May 8, 2026.
Questions
Final-pay questions, answered
The basics most workers ask after a separation. For your specific situation, use the decoder or consult an attorney in your state.
You earned it
Your last paycheck isn't a favor — it's the law.
Whether you were let go or you quit, your state sets a deadline for the wages you're owed — and many states add a penalty when an employer pays late. Knowing the date and the statute behind it is the first, calm step toward getting paid what you earned.
Free · statute-cited · private
Find out what your employer owes you — and by when.
Five inputs. Your statutory deadline and an estimated maximum penalty, with the citation behind every figure. Nothing leaves your browser.
Informational, not legal advice. Last verified May 8, 2026.