Final pay · TX

Texas — Final Paycheck & Wage Rules

Statutory final-paycheck deadline, waiting-time penalty, 2026 minimum wage, overtime overlay, and PTO-payout rule for Texas. Each row primary-source-cited.

Statute-verifiedLast verified May 8, 2026

Final paycheck — discharged

Within 6 days

Employer shall pay in full an employee who is discharged from employment not later than the sixth day after the date the employee is discharged.

Tex. Lab. Code §61.014(a)

Final paycheck — voluntary quit

Next regular payday

Employer shall pay in full an employee who leaves employment other than by discharge not later than the next regularly scheduled payday.

Tex. Lab. Code §61.014(b)

Waiting-time penalty

No state-law waiting-time penalty

Texas does not impose a state-law waiting-time penalty. Federal back-wages apply through DOL Wage & Hour Division (and liquidated damages doubling under 29 U.S.C. §216(b) for willful FLSA violations).

Minimum wage (2026)

Federal floor

$7.25/hr

Effective July 24, 2009

Tipped: $2.13/hr

Tex. Lab. Code §62.051 (matches federal FLSA)

Overtime rules

40-hour workweek @ 1.5×

Texas follows the federal FLSA 40-hour weekly threshold. No state-specific daily overtime overlay.

Tex. Lab. Code §62.001 et seq. (incorporates FLSA §207); enforced through 29 U.S.C. §207

PTO payout

policy dependent

Depends on employer policy

State law does not require PTO payout, but if the employer's written policy promises payout (or is silent), accrued PTO may still be owed. Read your handbook.

Texas Final-Paycheck Decoder

Enter your separation date + hourly rate. The decoder computes your statutory deadline and an estimated maximum waiting-time penalty.

Final-Paycheck Decoder

Privacy-first — your inputs never leave your browser

State, termination type, hours, willful-failure standard. Get your statutory deadline + waiting-time-penalty estimate with primary-source statute cite. Informational, not legal advice.

Your state

Termination type

Date of separation

Hourly rate (USD)For salaried, divide annual by 2,080Typical hours per day

Did your employer dispute the wages owed in good faith?In CA-class states, the waiting-time penalty applies only if the employer willfully fails to pay. A good-faith dispute over the amount may waive the penalty.

I'm not sureYes, they had a real disputeNo — they just didn't pay

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: TX state 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

Pending

Reviewer 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.

File a Texas wage claim

Send a written demand to your employer with the amount owed, statute cite, and a 7-day deadline.
File with Texas state labor agency (no attorney needed).
Or file federal: DOL Wage & Hour Division (1-866-487-9243).

Disclaimer: This page is informational and is not legal advice. Texas statutes are amended over time; we re-verify quarterly and annually for January 1 minimum-wage updates. Specific applications depend on facts your employer may dispute. For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed Texas employment-law attorney. WageTheftMap is a Desymphony portfolio property.