Are you owed pay from a Washington job?
Washington wage law may entitle you to unpaid overtime, missed break premiums and unreimbursed expenses. Deadlines, filing routes and available remedies depend on what happened and which law applies.
Not sure the math is off? You can request a review even without your pay records in hand.
Updated August 21, 2026
Washington requires overtime after forty hours in a week, a state minimum wage that is among the highest in the country, meal and rest breaks by state rule, and timely payment of all wages owed. Unlike California, Washington generally does not have daily overtime. When an employer withholds wages willfully, Washington law can allow recovery of twice the withheld wages, and claims are commonly brought for a whole group of workers at once.
Wage-and-hour information by city in Washington
Select your city for locally relevant filing information, agency routes, and a case review with your state already selected.
- BellevueWage-and-hour information
- SeattleWage-and-hour information
- SpokaneWage-and-hour information
- TacomaWage-and-hour information
What Washington law requires.
The rules that most often get broken, each linked to the statute or agency guidance it comes from. More on Washington wage rules: Washington Department of Labor & Industries ↗.
1.5x the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Washington generally does not require daily overtime, so a long single day may not trigger overtime unless the week exceeds 40 hours.
Employers must pay at least the state minimum wage for all hours worked; some cities, like Seattle, set a higher local minimum wage.
State rules generally require a 30-minute meal period for shifts over five hours and a paid 10-minute rest period for every four hours worked.
Wages must be paid on regular paydays, and wages owed at the end of employment are generally due by the end of the next established pay period.
An employer that willfully and with intent to deprive withholds wages can be liable for up to twice the unlawfully withheld wages in total, along with costs and attorney's fees.
Being labeled an independent contractor does not control; if you are an employee in practice, you keep the state's wage-and-hour protections.
Unpaid wages, missed breaks, and misclassification add up fast, often across a whole crew. A free, private review tells you what you may be owed.
How long you have.
Washington wage claims are generally subject to a three-year limit, and the clock runs from when the wages were owed. Because Washington can allow recovery of twice the withheld wages for willful withholding, acting before the deadline matters.