Reference · All 50 states + DC
Final paycheck deadlines in all 50 states
When the last check is due if you end employment or the employee quits, and what happens to unused vacation, with the state source for each.
Guidance, not legal advice. Every value links to the state source it came from. Cities and counties can set higher rates, and agencies change rules. Check the linked source before you act, or ask us in writing.
| State | When you end employment | When the employee quits | Unused vacation | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No state law (pay by regular payday is best practice) | No state law | Follows your policy Not addressed by state statute; follow written policy. | Source · PTO source |
| Alaska | Within 3 working days after the termination date (weekends/holidays excluded) | By the next regular payday that is at least 3 working days after the last day worked | Follows your policy No statutory payout requirement. | Source · PTO source |
| Arizona | Within 7 working days or by the end of the next regular pay period, whichever is sooner | No later than the regular payday for the pay period in which the employee quit (mailed if requested) | Follows your policy No state law requires PTO payout; written policy governs and is enforceable if it promises payout. | Source · PTO source |
| Arkansas | Next regular payday; if not paid within 7 days after that payday, the employer owes double the wages due | Next regular payday | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs payout. | Source · PTO source |
| California | Immediately at termination (including accrued vacation) | Within 72 hours of quitting; immediately on the last day if the employee gave at least 72 hours' notice (includes accrued vacation) With notice: At time of quitting if 72+ hours notice given | Must pay out Accrued vacation must be paid at separation. | Source · PTO source |
| Colorado | Immediately. If the payroll unit is not open, by 6 hours into its next workday (on-site) or 24 hours (off-site) | Next regular payday | Must pay out All earned, unused vacation must be paid at separation for any reason; any term forfeiting earned vacation is void (so use-it-or-lose-it is prohibited). | Source · PTO source |
| Connecticut | Next business day after discharge | Next regular payday | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs payout. | Source · PTO source |
| Delaware | Later of the next regular payday or 3 business days after the last day worked | Later of the next regular payday or 3 business days after the last day worked | Follows your policy No statutory payout requirement; policy or contract governs. | Source · PTO source |
| District of Columbia | Next working day after discharge | Earlier of next regular payday or 7 days after quitting | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs payout. | Source · PTO source |
| Florida | No state law | No state law | Follows your policy No state law requires payout; written policy governs and is enforceable if it promises payout. | Source · PTO source |
| Georgia | No state final-pay law; pay on the regular payday is the safe practice. | No state final-pay law. | Not required No state statute requires payout; follow written policy. | Source · PTO source |
| Hawaii | Immediately at discharge, or no later than the next working day if conditions prevent immediate payment. | With one pay period's notice: on the last day. Without notice: next regular payday. | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs payout of unused vacation; no state law on use-it-or-lose-it. | Source · PTO source |
| Idaho | Next regular payday or within 10 days (excluding weekends/holidays), whichever is first; within 48 hours (excl. weekends/holidays) if employee makes a written request. | Same as fired. | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs; no state law on use-it-or-lose-it. | Source · PTO source |
| Illinois | At separation if possible, but no later than the next regularly scheduled payday; includes earned vacation, earned holidays, bonuses and commissions. | Same as fired. | Must pay out Earned vacation must be paid at separation and cannot be forfeited at separation. | Source · PTO source |
| Indiana | Next regularly scheduled payday. | Next regularly scheduled payday. | Follows your policy Without a policy limiting payout, employees are owed all earned, unused vacation. | Source · PTO source |
| Iowa | Next regularly scheduled payday. | Next regularly scheduled payday. | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs; no state law on use-it-or-lose-it. | Source · PTO source |
| Kansas | Next regularly scheduled payday. | Next regularly scheduled payday. | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs; use-it-or-lose-it permitted. | Source · PTO source |
| Kentucky | Next regular payday or within 14 days, whichever is later. | Same as fired. | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs; no state law on use-it-or-lose-it. | Source · PTO source |
| Louisiana | Next regular payday or within 15 days, whichever is first. | Same as fired. | Must pay out Earned, unused vacation the employee is eligible to take under the employer's policy must be paid at separation; the statute bars forfeiture of vacation actually earned… | Source · PTO source |
| Maine | Next regular payday or within 2 weeks of the employee's demand, whichever is first. | Same as fired. | Must pay out Private employers with more than 10 employees must pay out unused paid vacation accrued on or after Jan 1, 2023 at separation (26 M.R.S. 626); a collective bargaining… | Source · PTO source |
| Maryland | On or before the next regular payday | On or before the next regular payday (notice does not change it) | Must pay out Accrued, usable vacation must be paid at termination unless the employer has a written policy, communicated at hire, stating unused leave is forfeited at termination. | Source · PTO source |
| Massachusetts | In full on the day of discharge | Next regular payday (if none, the following Saturday) | Must pay out Vacation payments due under an oral or written agreement are 'wages' under M.G.L. c.149 s.148 and must be paid with final wages. | Source · PTO source |
| Michigan | Statute: as soon as amount can be determined with due diligence; payroll/legal charts treat this as next regular payday | Next regular payday per charts (statute: as soon as amount can with due diligence be determined) | Follows your policy No state mandate; written policy or contract governs. | Source · PTO source |
| Minnesota | Within 24 hours of employee's demand (and within 20 days of separation regardless) | Next payday more than 5 days after quitting, no later than 20 days after separation; notice does not change the rule | Follows your policy Company policy determines whether vacation/PTO is paid at separation; benefits that are owed must be paid within 30 days of when they become due. | Source · PTO source |
| Mississippi | No state statute (regular payday is best practice) | No state statute | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs; use-it-or-lose-it not addressed by state law. | Source · PTO source |
| Missouri | Day of discharge (Mo. Rev. Stat. 290.110); penalty wages (up to 60 days) run if not paid within 7 days of the employee's written request | No state statute (next regular payday customary) | Not required Vacation pay not required and not part of final wages by law; a written policy promising payout is enforceable. | Source · PTO source |
| Montana | Immediately upon separation for cause or layoff (DLI: within 4 hours or end of business day, whichever first), unless a pre-existing written personnel policy extends it to the earlier of the next regular payday or 15 days | Earlier of next regular payday or 15 days after separation | Must pay out Earned vacation is treated as wages and must be paid at separation; use-it-or-lose-it prohibited (accrual caps allowed). | Source · PTO source |
| Nebraska | Earlier of next regular payday or two weeks after termination | Earlier of next regular payday or two weeks after termination | Must pay out Earned but unused vacation is wages due at separation. | Source · PTO source |
| Nevada | Immediately (NRS 608.020); waiting-time penalty if not paid within 3 days | Earlier of next regular payday or 7 days after resignation (NRS 608.030) | Follows your policy NRS 608.0197 says employers may, but are not required to, pay out unused paid leave at separation. | Source · PTO source |
| New Hampshire | Within 72 hours of discharge; if laid off, by the next regular payday | With at least one pay period's notice: within 72 hours; without notice: next regular payday | Follows your policy Employer policy or contract governs whether earned vacation is paid at separation. | Source · PTO source |
| New Jersey | Next regularly scheduled payday | Next regularly scheduled payday | Follows your policy No statute requires vacation payout. | Source · PTO source |
| New Mexico | Within 5 days for fixed wages, or 10 days for task, piece or commission pay | Next regularly scheduled payday | Follows your policy No statute requires payout. | Source · PTO source |
| New York | Next regularly scheduled payday | Next regularly scheduled payday | Follows your policy Payout isn't required if employees got advance written notice of a forfeiture policy. | Source · PTO source |
| North Carolina | On or before the next regular payday | On or before the next regular payday | Must pay out Earned vacation must be paid out unless the employer has a written forfeiture policy that was communicated in advance. | Source · PTO source |
| North Dakota | Next regular payday; if discharged, send by certified mail to the designated or agreed address (N.D.C.C. 34-14-03) | Next regularly scheduled payday | Must pay out Accrued PTO is wages at separation (N.D.C.C. 34-14-09.2). | Source · PTO source |
| Ohio | No separation-specific statute. Wages stay due on the regular semimonthly schedule (ORC 4113.15(A): first-half wages by the 1st of the next month, second-half by the 15th) | Same as discharge (no separation-specific statute) | Follows your policy No statutory payout requirement. | Source · PTO source |
| Oklahoma | Next regularly scheduled payday | Next regularly scheduled payday | Follows your policy No mandatory payout. | Source · PTO source |
| Oregon | End of the next business day | Less than 48 hours' notice: within 5 business days or the next regular payday, whichever comes first With notice: 48+ hours' notice: on the last day worked (next business day if weekend or holiday) | Follows your policy No statutory payout. | Source · PTO source |
| Pennsylvania | Next regularly scheduled payday | Next regularly scheduled payday | Follows your policy The WPCL defines fringe benefits to include vacation pay, so vacation promised under policy is owed (fringe benefits due within 10 days of when required). | Source · PTO source |
| Rhode Island | Next regular payday. If the separation is due to liquidation, merger, sale or a move out of state, wages are due within 24 hours. | Next regular payday | Must pay out Accrued vacation must be paid out on the next payday after the employee completes 1 year of service. | Source · PTO source |
| South Carolina | Within 48 hours of separation, or by the next regular payday if that is no more than 30 days away (S.C. Code 41-10-50). | Same rule as discharge; statute does not distinguish voluntary separation or notice. | Follows your policy Vacation pay counts as wages when due under the employer's policy or contract (S.C. Code 41-10-10). | Source · PTO source |
| South Dakota | By the next regular payday, or as soon after that as the employee returns all employer property (SDCL 60-11-10). | By the next regular payday, or as soon after that as the employee returns all employer property (SDCL 60-11-11). | Not required No state statute requires payout; follow the written policy. | Source · PTO source |
| Tennessee | By the next regular payday or within 21 days of separation, whichever is later (Tenn. Code 50-2-103(g)). | Same rule as discharge (applies to separation for any reason). | Follows your policy Payout of earned, unused vacation depends on the employer's policy or contract. | Source · PTO source |
| Texas | Within 6 calendar days of discharge. | On the next regularly scheduled payday after the resignation takes effect. | Follows your policy Payout follows the written policy or agreement. | Source · PTO source |
| Utah | Within 24 hours of separation (Utah Code 34-28-5(1)(a)). | On the next regular payday (employees without a written contract for a definite period). | Follows your policy If accrued days are not paid out at separation, the contract or policy must say so explicitly. | Source · PTO source |
| Vermont | Within 72 hours of discharge (21 V.S.A. 342(b)(2)). | On the last regular payday, or the following Friday if there is no regular payday (21 V.S.A. 342(b)(1)). | Follows your policy Payout of earned, unused vacation depends on the employer's policy or contract. | Source · PTO source |
| Virginia | On or before the date the employee would have been paid had employment not ended (next regular payday) (Va. Code 40.1-29). | Same as discharge. | Follows your policy Payout of earned, unused vacation depends on the employer's policy or contract. | Source · PTO source |
| Washington | At the end of the established pay period (RCW 49.48.010). | Same as discharge. | Follows your policy Payout of earned, unused vacation depends on the employer's policy or contract. | Source · PTO source |
| West Virginia | On or before the next regular payday (WV Code 21-5-4). | On or before the next regular payday, with or without notice. | Follows your policy Fringe benefits earned and payable under written policy are final wages unless the policy sets other terms. | Source · PTO source |
| Wisconsin | By the earlier of the next regular payday or the date required under Wis. Stat. 109.03(1) (Wis. Stat. 109.03(2)). | Same as discharge (does not apply to commission sales agents or employees with a written contract for a definite period). | Follows your policy Wis. | Source · PTO source |
| Wyoming | No later than the employer's usual practice on regularly scheduled payroll dates, i.e., next regular payday (W.S. 27-4-104(a)). | Same as discharge. | Follows your policy No state requirement to provide or pay out vacation (W.S. 27-4-507); a policy or promise to pay out must be honored. | Source · PTO source |
Federal law sets no final-paycheck deadline; state law controls. "Follows your policy" means a clear written policy usually decides whether unused vacation is paid. Without one, many states treat promised vacation as earned wages.
State deep dives: California · New York · Texas · Florida
Questions
Is there a federal deadline for a final paycheck?
No. The FLSA doesn't require an immediate final paycheck. State law sets the deadline, from the same day in some states to the next regular payday in others.
Do I have to pay out unused PTO?
A few states, including California, Colorado and Massachusetts, treat earned vacation as wages that must be paid at separation. In most states your written policy decides, so put the payout rule in writing.