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Create an unpaid wages or final paycheck demand letter

Demand earned wages using the selected state’s rule for discharge, layoff, resignation, or ongoing employment. The form separates the wage amount from any conditional waiting-time, liquidated-damages, fee, or cure provision and suppresses state-law claims when the employee or employer falls outside the audited scope.

Rules verified July 24, 2026. California ordinarily requires immediate pay on discharge and uses a willful 30-day waiting-time rule; Texas uses six calendar days after discharge and the next payday after resignation; Maine uses the next established payday and an eight-day remedy-availability rule.

What the PDF includes

  • employment, separation, payday, and wage-component facts;
  • the selected state deadline for the correct separation branch;
  • any written-demand, receipt, acceleration, or cure language;
  • qualified waiting-time or statutory-remedy language;
  • a principal wage total that does not automatically include penalties, interest, fees, or costs.

When is a final paycheck due?

The answer depends on the state and how employment ended. A discharge can require immediate, next-business-day, six-day, or next-payday payment, while resignation may use a different rule. Some states have no generally applicable accelerated final-pay statute. The form asks who ended employment and renders only the deadline supported by the selected state and worker scope.

What counts as unpaid wages?

The form can identify regular wages, overtime, commissions, bonuses, accrued leave, tips, or other earned compensation. Whether a category is legally due can depend on the agreement, calculability, employer type, occupation, collective bargaining, or another rule. The generator records the user’s claim and applies only the audited state branch; it does not decide every federal or contractual wage issue.

What is a waiting-time penalty?

A waiting-time rule can continue wages for each day of willful nonpayment, create a multiplier, or use another formula. It is not the same in every state and is often conditioned on a written demand, cure period, good-faith defense, cap, or court finding. The letter describes the applicable theory conditionally and keeps it separate from the principal wage demand.

Does the employee need to send a demand first?

Often no, but some remedies or accelerated deadlines depend on a written demand or receipt. California’s ordinary final-pay deadline does not require a pre-suit demand, while Utah continuation wages and several other state remedies use demand-triggered rules. The form and delivery guidance identify the exact effect without saying every wage claim requires certified mail.

Can this replace a labor-agency claim?

No. The PDF is a private demand letter, not an agency complaint or court filing. Some states provide or require an administrative route for particular claims, amounts, or employers. The completion page can identify that next step, but the generator does not file a claim, select a forum, calculate a limitation period, or guarantee that an agency will accept the matter.

Select your state