Final Paycheck Laws: When Is Your Last Check Due?
Final-paycheck deadlines by state for employees who are fired versus those who quit, from immediate payment to the next regular payday.
When your job ends, your employer can't sit on your last paycheck indefinitely. State law sets a deadline, and it often depends on whether you were fired or quit.
Fired or laid off
Several states require your final pay immediately or within a day or two of termination. California (immediately), Colorado, Massachusetts and Montana are the strictest. Many other states require it by the next regular payday.
If you quit
Deadlines for quitting are usually more relaxed, commonly the next regular payday. California gives 72 hours (or immediately if you gave 72 hours' notice). Giving notice can speed up your final check in some states.
What counts as final pay
Final pay includes earned wages and, in states like California, Colorado, Montana and Nebraska, any accrued unused vacation, which is treated as wages. Look up your state's exact deadline with the final-paycheck calculator.