Owed equity, bonuses or severance in Washington?
Equity, severance and employment-contract disputes in Washington generally turn on the agreement itself. Deadlines, forums and available remedies depend on the documents and what happened.
You can request a review before you sign anything, even if you are not sure what the agreement allows.
Updated August 2026
- Unpaid commissions, bonuses, equity, or deferred compensation
- A disputed severance agreement or release
- Noncompete, nonsolicit, confidentiality, or clawback terms
- Retaliation or termination affecting vested or earned compensation
Washington equity and severance disputes usually proceed in court or arbitration under the governing contract. Written-contract claims generally use a six-year period. Washington currently restricts noncompetes through earnings and duration rules, and enacted law makes all noncompetes void beginning June 30, 2027.
The firm represents employees statewide across Washington in equity compensation and severance matters. The state-level rules on this page apply wherever in Washington you worked. Compare deadlines across all states →
Washington at a glance.
- Governing law
- Washington employment-contract and noncompetition law, RCW 49.62; RCW 4.16.040
- Coverage
- No employee-count threshold.
More detail
Contract rights depend on the documents; non-compete enforceability is governed separately by RCW 49.62. - Written-contract deadline
- Washington generally provides 6 years for an action upon a written contract under RCW 4.16.040.
- Administrative filing
- None, equity, severance, and employment-contract disputes generally proceed in court or contractually required arbitration.
- Forum
- Contract or RCW 49.62 proceeding
- Damages
- Contract remedies are not governed by Title VII's employee-count damages-cap schedule.
What may be available under Washington contract and compensation law.
- Contractual compensation or the value of equity proven due.
- Contract damages and declaratory or injunctive relief where available.
- Under RCW 49.62, the greater of actual damages or the statutory penalty, plus fees and costs, when the statute applies.
- Negotiated severance and contract terms.
- For 2026, Washington's adjusted noncompete threshold is $126,858.83 for employees and $317,147.09 for independent contractors.
- A duration over 18 months is presumed unreasonable under the law effective through June 29, 2027.
- Beginning June 30, 2027, enacted Washington law makes all noncompetition covenants void and unenforceable regardless of when signed.
- A layoff-triggered noncompete under the pre-June 30, 2027 rules requires continued base-salary-equivalent compensation during enforcement.
Where Washington contract disputes are resolved.
Contract or RCW 49.62 proceeding
These disputes do not require a WSHRC or EEOC charge. A contract may require arbitration, while RCW 49.62 supplies a court or arbitration remedy for prohibited noncompete conduct.
A severance response date may be short even when the lawsuit deadline is longer. A private review identifies the governing documents, forum, and leverage before you sign.
The same conduct can break more than one law.
What happened to you in Washington may also amount to a separate claim, with its own protections and its own deadlines. Each of these is worth checking before anything lapses.