What should your final paycheck be, and when is it due?

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What goes in a final paycheck

Every hour you actually worked, at your regular rate, plus overtime at time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek under the federal FLSA. Some states (California, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado) also have daily overtime, which this tool does not model. Bonuses and commissions that were already earned are usually owed too, on their own schedule.

Unused PTO is the part people get wrong

Federal law does not require PTO payout. A handful of states treat earned vacation as wages and require it (California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and a few others), and many more enforce whatever the employer's written policy says. If your handbook says accrued vacation is paid out, that is generally binding. If it says it is forfeited and your state allows that, it usually is. Check the handbook before you argue.

Deadlines depend on how it ended

Many states give an employer until the next regular payday no matter what. Others split it: fired means faster (California and Massachusetts, same day; Texas, six days), quitting means next payday. The table this tool uses is a simplified summary for the states listed, reviewed in September 2026.

If it is late or short

Start with payroll or HR in writing, with the math. If that goes nowhere, file a wage claim with your state labor department. Most are free and do not need a lawyer. Some states add waiting-time penalties for every day a final check is late, which is why employers take these deadlines seriously.