File with the state agency (CRD)
3 years from the unlawful practice (Gov. Code § 12960)
EMPLOYMENT CLAIM DEADLINES
Employment-law filing deadlines by state
Discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage, equity, severance and contract claims each run on their own clock, and it is usually already running. Some deadlines are years; some are months. Missing one applicable deadline can eliminate a potential claim or filing route, even when another deadline may still remain.
Find the deadlines that may apply to you
Pick where you worked and what happened. Deadlines vary by claim and path, and exceptions can shorten or extend them. Treat every figure below as a starting point to verify, not individualized legal advice.
Pick a state and an issue to see the deadlines that may apply. Another deadline can always apply to your specific facts.
Request a deadline review →California
See every California deadline
Sexual harassment
Same, 3 years
Federal EEOC
300 days
File a lawsuit
1 year after the CRD right-to-sue notice
Damages caps
State law does not impose Title VII's federal compensatory-and-punitive cap schedule; remedies depend on the claim and proof
Retaliation, CRD charge
Retaliation, federal EEOC
300 days
Retaliation, suit after CRD notice
Public-policy wrongful termination
Court claim with a separate tort limitations analysis; do not assume the CRD charge deadline controls
Equity / severance, written contract
4 years under Code Civ. Proc. § 337
Equity / severance damages
Contract remedies are not governed by Title VII's damages-cap schedule
Wage, common statutory period
3 years; older pay periods generally fall away first
Wage, restitution route
4 years for a qualifying unfair-business-practice restitution claim
Wage, wage-statement penalty
Wage, federal FLSA
2 years generally; 3 years for a willful violation
Washington
See every Washington deadline
File with the state agency (WSHRC)
6 months (12 months pregnancy-related; 2 years whistleblower)
Sexual harassment
Same, 6 months agency / 3 years direct suit
Federal EEOC
300 days
File a lawsuit
3 years, direct suit, no agency filing required
Seattle city option (SOCR)
18 months for work within Seattle, longer than the state's 6 months (Seattle Municipal Code 14.04)
Damages caps
State law does not impose a federal-style damages cap schedule; actual damages plus fees, depending on the claim and proof
Retaliation, WSHRC charge
6 months
Retaliation, federal EEOC
300 days
Retaliation / public-policy suit
3 years under the vetted matrix
Equity / severance, written contract
6 years under RCW 4.16.040
Equity / severance damages
Contract remedies are not governed by Title VII's damages-cap schedule
Wage, Washington claim
3 years, running from when the wages were owed
Wage, federal FLSA
2 years generally; 3 years for a willful violation
Texas
See every Texas deadline
File with the state agency (TWC)
180 days, general claims (§ 21.202(a)); untimely complaints shall be dismissed
Sexual harassment
300 days (§ 21.202(a-1))
Federal EEOC
300 days
File a lawsuit
60 days after the right-to-sue notice; never later than 2 years after the complaint
Damages caps
$50K–$300K combined compensatory + punitive, by employer size
Retaliation, TWC charge
180 days
Retaliation, federal EEOC
300 days
Chapter 21 retaliation lawsuit
60 days after right-to-sue notice; never later than 2 years after the complaint
Sabine Pilot wrongful discharge
Direct court claim with a separate limitations analysis
Equity / severance, contract claim
4 years generally under the residual limitations statute
Equity / severance damages
Contract remedies are not governed by Chapter 21's damages-cap schedule
Wage, Texas Payday Law claim
180 days after the wages became due
Wage, federal FLSA
2 years generally; 3 years for a willful violation
Nevada
See every Nevada deadline
File with the state agency (NERC)
300 days (NRS 233.160(1)(b)), online filing only
Sexual harassment
Same, 300 days
Federal EEOC
300 days
File a lawsuit
180 days from the act, or 90 days after the NERC/EEOC right-to-sue notice, whichever is later. The limit is tolled while a NERC or EEOC complaint is pending (NRS 613.430)
Damages caps
Federal Title VII caps apply ($50K–$300K by size)
Retaliation, NERC or EEOC charge
Common-law wrongful termination
2 years from termination; tolled during a related administrative complaint and until 93 days after it concludes
Equity / severance, written contract
Equity / severance, non-written contract
Equity / severance damages
Contract remedies are not governed by Title VII's damages-cap schedule
Wage, common private action
2 years; the Labor Commissioner has a separate claim-specific intake window
Wage, federal FLSA
2 years generally; 3 years for a willful violation
Colorado
See every Colorado deadline
File with the state agency (CCRD)
300 days from the unlawful practice, extended from six months by HB22-1367; older six-month guidance is out of date
Sexual harassment
Same, 300 days; the 2023 POWR Act changed the harassment standard itself
Federal EEOC
300 days; employer-size coverage differs (Title VII 15+, CADA all sizes)
File a lawsuit
CADA generally requires exhausting the CCRD process; 90 days after a right-to-sue notice
Damages caps
Compensatory and punitive damages follow employer-size caps mirroring the federal schedule, with reduced caps under 15 employees
Retaliation, CCRD charge
300 days
Retaliation, federal EEOC
300 days
Public-policy wrongful termination
Tort claim generally subject to Colorado's 2-year period; which period applies depends on the underlying theory
Equity / severance, contract claim
3 years generally; some liquidated-amount claims carry 6 years. A severance response date is usually far shorter
Noncompete / restrictive covenant
Enforceability is governed by C.R.S. § 8-2-113 as amended (2022, 2025); the agreement date controls which version applies
Wage, Colorado claim
2 years generally; 3 years for willful violations
Wage, federal FLSA
2 years generally; 3 years for a willful violation
Three things about deadlines.
THE CLOCK USUALLY STARTS AT THE EVENT
It often runs from the day it happened, the firing, the demotion, the last incident, though discovery rules, an ongoing pattern, or tolling can change when it starts.
AGENCY FIRST, COURT SECOND
Many discrimination and harassment claims must be filed with a government agency before anyone can sue, and that clock is often the short one.
DON'T ASSUME, ASK
Generally only a timely filing protects your claim, though some deadlines pause during agency review. Request a review promptly so the firm can consider which deadlines and filing routes may apply.