What are the final paycheck laws in Texas?
When Texas final wages must be paid and how long you have to file a TWC wage claim are different questions. Read the payment deadlines first, then check the filing-window marker.
- Fired
- Due within 6 calendar days
- Quit
- Due on the next regular payday
- To file
- 180 days from the due date, with TWC
The short answer
Texas Labor Code section 61.014 requires full payment no later than the sixth day after an employee is discharged. When an employee leaves for a reason other than discharge, final pay is generally due by the next regularly scheduled payday. A Texas Payday Law wage claim must generally be filed within 180 days after the wages became due.
Texas Labor Code Chapter 61 ↗ · TWC: Final pay ↗ · TWC: Texas Payday Law wage claims ↗
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.
Enter the due date, then select Check the date. The result shows the unadjusted statutory marker, not a confirmed filing deadline.
Enter the due date, then select Check the date. The result shows the unadjusted statutory marker, not a confirmed filing deadline.
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.
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
- The wage agreement or policy can set a different payout schedule. Regular final wages and commissions or bonuses may therefore have different due dates.
Texas Labor Code § 61.014; TWC final-pay guidance
Sources: Texas Labor Code Chapter 61 · TWC: Final pay
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
Sources: Texas Labor Code Chapter 61 · TWC: Final pay
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.
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
Sources: Texas Labor Code Chapter 61 · TWC: Texas Payday Law wage claims
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
Sources: Texas Labor Code Chapter 61 · TWC: Texas Payday Law wage claims
Was my departure voluntary or involuntary?
- Who ended the job
- TWC considers who initiated the separation and whether continued work was available. The wording on an exit form does not decide the issue by itself.
- Forced or mutual exit
- A resignation in lieu of discharge or a mutual-agreement departure may be involuntary. Keep messages showing the choices you were actually given.
- Notice cut short
- If the employer ends work before your resignation date, the classification depends on the circumstances. Texas does not generally require pay for an unworked notice period unless an agreement provides it.
TWC final-pay and separation guidance
Sources: TWC: Final pay · TWC: Final pay and severance benefits
Can the employer withhold final pay for unreturned property?
- Payment
- TWC says final pay cannot be held beyond the statutory deadline because property was not returned or a timesheet was not signed.
- Lawful deductions
- A separate deduction must have a lawful basis, such as a court order, a law or your written authorization for a lawful purpose. Ask for an itemized explanation and keep the authorization and return records.
Texas Labor Code § 61.018; TWC final-pay guidance
Sources: Texas Labor Code Chapter 61 · TWC: Final pay
When are commissions, bonuses and unused leave paid?
- Commission agreement
- Preserve the terms showing when compensation is earned, calculated and payable, including any chargeback or post-employment provisions. TWC recognizes that a commission agreement can be oral or established by a course of dealing.
- Different due dates
- The agreement or policy may specify a payout schedule different from the regular-wage deadline. Check each component separately rather than treating the final check as one undifferentiated amount.
- Vacation and severance
- Vacation, leave or severance is payable under the Payday Law when a written policy or agreement promises it. There is no general automatic vacation payout merely because employment ended.
Texas Labor Code §§ 61.001, 61.014–.015; TWC final-pay guidance
Sources: Texas Labor Code Chapter 61 · TWC: Final pay