Free Tool · Payroll Math Suite
When someone leaves, the clock starts. Pick the state, choose fired or quit, and get the exact deadline to issue the final check, plus whether unused PTO has to be paid out. Everything runs in your browser. No email required.
Nothing you enter leaves your browser. PTO payout rules depend on your written policy and the employee’s work state, not your headquarters.
Final paycheck deadlines are set by each state and almost always differ for an involuntary termination versus a voluntary resignation. The strictest states require payment the moment you end the relationship; the most lenient allow until the next regular payday.
Several do. California and Massachusetts require the final check on the day of discharge, Colorado requires it immediately, and Utah and Minnesota require it within 24 hours of demand. Quitting employees usually get more time.
In states like California, Colorado, Illinois, and Massachusetts, accrued PTO is treated as earned wages and must be paid out. Elsewhere it depends on your written policy. The calculator flags which rule applies and estimates the payout.
It depends on the state and whether the employee was fired or quit. Some states require immediate payment on the last day, while others allow until the next regular payday. The calculator gives the exact deadline.
It varies by state. About a dozen states treat accrued, unused PTO as earned wages that must be paid out at separation. In the rest, payout is required only if your written policy provides for it.
Final-pay and PTO-payout rules follow the state where the employee physically works, not where your company is headquartered. Multi-state teams must apply each employee’s work-state rule.
Many states impose waiting-time penalties, often a full day of wages for each day the payment is late, plus potential employee claims. Penalties can quickly exceed the wages owed.
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