When Must I be Paid Upon Leaving a Job?

Whether you resign from your job or you are terminated, the employer has to pay you all your wages within a set period of time. If the employer is late in paying you all wages you have earned, the employer might owe you penalties. These are called “waiting time penalties,” and they can quickly add up.

When an employee quit without giving notice, employers have 72 hours to give them their final paycheck that contains all monies earned. When an employee quits and gives the employer least 72 hours of notice of their resignation, then employers must provide the employee’s final paycheck on their final working day. When an employee is laid off or terminated, employers must provide the final paychecks with all monies earned at the time of termination.

The “waiting time penalty” that may be owed is equal to the employee’s daily rate of pay for every day that the wages are not paid, up to a maximum of 30 days.