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What are the final paycheck laws in Texas?

When your last check is due, what it has to include, and the 180-day window to file a wage claim with the Texas Workforce Commission. Check your deadline first, then read the answers below.

Published by Ackermann & Tilajef, P.C. · Sources checked · Updated
Fired
Due within 6 calendar days
Quit
Due on the next regular payday
To file
180 days from the due date, with TWC

Check the Texas wage-claim filing window

Your entries stay on this page unless you choose to include an outcome with a case-review request.

FILING-WINDOW CHECK · TEXAS

This tool shows a date, not a dollar figure: the statutory 180th day after the wages were originally due, as an informational marker rather than a confirmed deadline. It assumes the Payday Law covers you as an employee of a private employer. Hypothetical example: wages due August 31 give a marker of February 27.

Enter the original due date

Nothing is attached automatically. After calculating, select “Include this date estimate in a case-review request” to add the result to the form. You can change or remove it before submitting.

BEFORE YOU START

Enter the due date, then select Check the date. The result shows the unadjusted statutory marker, not a confirmed filing deadline.

WHAT THIS TOOL SHOWS
Due date
No later than the sixth calendar day after discharge; next regular payday after a quit.
180 days
after the due date to file a wage claim with TWC; the statute calls the limit jurisdictional
Remedy
the Texas Payday Law does not provide an automatic late-payment penalty payable to the employee. Other claims may provide different remedies
Model tx-2026-09-06.1 · Statutory sources linked below
Texas Labor Code § 61.014 · Texas Labor Code § 61.051(c) · TWC Payday Law guidance · Government Code § 311.014

PROVENANCE

Published by Ackermann & Tilajef, P.C.

Sources checked

Updated

METHOD

Shows the statutory 180th-day filing marker for the date you enter. It is not legal advice and does not determine what you are owed or the operative filing deadline.

The day count uses today’s date in America/Chicago. The marker is unadjusted for weekends, legal holidays and filing-method rules, any of which can change the operative date.

It assumes the Texas Payday Law covers you as an employee of a private employer. Submitting this firm’s case-review form does not file or extend a TWC wage-claim deadline.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

Texas Labor Code § 61.014 ↗

Texas Labor Code § 61.051(c) ↗

TWC Payday Law guidance ↗

Government Code § 311.014 ↗

How this calculator works · full text

This calculator shows the statutory 180th-day filing marker for the date you enter. It is not legal advice and does not determine what you are owed or the operative filing deadline. The marker is unadjusted for weekends, legal holidays and filing-method rules, any of which can change the operative date. It assumes the Texas Payday Law covers you as an employee of a private employer. Submitting this firm’s case-review form does not file or extend a TWC wage-claim deadline.

Calculator model tx-2026-09-06.1. Dates are computed in America/Chicago.

The questions people ask, answered

When is my final paycheck due in Texas?

Fired or laid off
No later than the sixth calendar day after discharge. If the employer is normally closed that day, TWC guidance permits the next regular workday.
Quit or resigned
On the next regularly scheduled payday. Leaving on a payday can make the following payday the due date.
Commissions, bonuses
Follow the written agreement's timing; different parts of your pay can have different due dates.

Texas Labor Code § 61.014; TWC final-pay guidance

What has to be in it?

Hours worked
All wages earned through the last day, including overtime under federal law.
Vacation, PTO
Only if a written policy or agreement promises payout. Texas does not require it by default.
Deductions
Only those ordered by a court, required by law, or authorized by you in writing for a lawful purpose.

Texas Labor Code §§ 61.001, 61.018; 40 TAC § 821.25

What happens if it is late?

No automatic penalty
The Payday Law adds no late-payment penalty payable to you. TWC can assess an administrative penalty against a bad-faith employer, paid to the state.
The TWC claim
File a wage claim within 180 days of the due date. TWC orders payment of the wages found due. The tool's date is an informational marker, not a confirmed deadline; weekend, holiday, and filing-method rules can move the operative date.
Other routes
Federal overtime and minimum-wage claims, and contract claims, have their own remedies and deadlines.
EXAMPLE

Wages due August 31, 2026 give a statutory 180th-day marker of February 27, 2027, a Saturday. Submit before it; do not rely on a weekend extension without confirmation.

Texas Labor Code §§ 61.051(c), 61.053; Government Code § 311.014

How do I file with TWC?

Where
Online, by mail, or by fax with the Texas Workforce Commission wage claim form. Mailed claims use a postmark presumption when properly addressed.
When
Early enough for TWC to receive it before the 180th day. Sending our form does not file a claim or extend the deadline. The tool's date is an informational marker, not a confirmed deadline; weekend, holiday, and filing-method rules can move the operative date.
What to bring
Pay stubs, the payroll schedule, your separation date, and any written pay agreement.

40 TAC §§ 821.41–.42; TWC Payday Law guidance

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