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Employment · Final Paycheck

Final Paycheck Laws in Arkansas

When your last paycheck is due after you leave a job in Arkansas: the deadline if you were fired, the deadline if you quit, and what happens if the check is late.

Official statuteRead word-for-word
against Ark. Code Ann. §11‑4‑405 · arkleg.state.ar.us
Read from the official source · Jul 17, 2026How we verify →

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Final paycheck deadline · Arkansas
If you were fired
Next payday
If you quit
Next payday

Same deadline in Arkansas whether you quit or were fired.

Notice affects deadlineNo
Waiting-time penalty (§203)None (California only)
Other late-pay remedyDouble the wages due
StatuteArk. Code Ann. §11‑4‑405

Fired vs. quit: when the check is due

The two deadlines side by side. In most states they match; in a few they don’t.

If you were fired
Next payday

By the next regular payday. Ark. Code §11-4-405(a) requires an employer that discharges you to pay all wages due by the next regular payday. If it has not paid within 7 days of that payday, §11-4-405(b) doubles the wages you are owed.

If you quit
Next payday

On the next regular payday. Arkansas has no statute setting a separate deadline for employees who quit, so a resignation follows your normal pay schedule unless a written agreement says otherwise.

In Arkansas, quitting and being fired share the same deadline, one of the 11 of 15 states where they match. Only California, Texas, Arizona, and Massachusetts set a genuinely different clock for the two.

If your final pay is late

The California waiting-time penalty is one of a kind; every other state uses a different remedy.

Late-pay remedy
Double the wages due. Under Ark. Code §11-4-405(b), an employer that fails to pay a discharged employee within 7 days of the next regular payday owes double the wages due. This is a fixed doubling of the amount owed, not a per-day penalty that keeps growing, and it does not apply to an employee who quits.

Note: this is a damages or civil-penalty remedy, not a California-style per-day waiting-time penalty. Only California’s §203 lets your daily wage keep running as a penalty until you are paid.

The full rule, with the statute

Every deadline and remedy, and how Arkansas sets each.

SituationDeadline in ArkansasDetail
If you were firedNext paydayBy the next regular payday. Ark. Code §11-4-405(a) requires an employer that discharges you to pay all wages due by the next regular payday. If it has not paid within 7 days of that payday, §11-4-405(b) doubles the wages you are owed.
If you quitNext paydayOn the next regular payday. Arkansas has no statute setting a separate deadline for employees who quit, so a resignation follows your normal pay schedule unless a written agreement says otherwise.
Notice matters?NoGiving notice does not change the deadline in this state.
Waiting-time penaltyNoneNo per-day continuing-wage penalty. That remedy exists only in California under §203.
Other late-pay remedyDouble the wages dueUnder Ark. Code §11-4-405(b), an employer that fails to pay a discharged employee within 7 days of the next regular payday owes double the wages due. This is a fixed doubling of the amount owed, not a per-day penalty that keeps growing, and it does not apply to an employee who quits.
Recent changes

Act 2019, No. 853 §7 (effective 2019-07-24): Act 853 of 2019 rewrote §11-4-405. It replaced the old railroad-era continuing-wage penalty with the current rule: a discharged employee is paid by the next regular payday, and an employer that has not paid within 7 days of that payday owes double the wages due.

Deadlines here cover earned wages. Whether unused vacation or PTO must be included in a final check is a separate question that varies by state and by the employer’s written policy.

What Arkansas workers get wrong

Arkansas splits its final-paycheck rules by how you leave. If you are fired or discharged, Ark. Code §11-4-405(a) requires your employer to pay all wages due by your next regular payday. Miss that deadline and the penalty bites: under §11-4-405(b), an employer that has not paid within 7 days of that next regular payday owes you double the wages due, a one-time doubling rather than a penalty that keeps running. If you quit, the picture is simpler, because Arkansas has no statute setting a separate deadline for a resignation, so your final check follows your normal payday unless a written agreement says otherwise. Arkansas also has no law forcing a payout of unused vacation or PTO, so that comes down to your employer's written policy. The 2019 legislature rewrote this section, so older summaries describing a continuing daily-wage penalty are out of date.

Common questions

When is my final paycheck due in Arkansas if I am fired?

By your next regular payday. Ark. Code §11-4-405(a) requires your employer to pay all wages due by the next regular payday after a discharge; if it has not paid within 7 days of that payday, §11-4-405(b) doubles the wages you are owed.

When do I get my final paycheck in Arkansas if I quit?

On your next regular payday. Arkansas has no statute setting a separate deadline for employees who quit, so a resignation follows your normal pay schedule unless a written agreement provides otherwise.

What is the penalty if my Arkansas employer pays my final check late?

Under Ark. Code §11-4-405(b), an employer that fails to pay a discharged employee within 7 days of the next regular payday owes double the wages due. It is a one-time doubling, not a daily penalty that keeps growing, and it applies to discharge, not to quitting.

Does Arkansas require paying out unused vacation or PTO in a final check?

No. Arkansas has no law requiring a payout of accrued vacation or PTO when you leave. Whether unused time is paid depends on your employer’s written policy or your employment agreement.

Did Arkansas change its final-paycheck law recently?

Yes. Act 853 of 2019 rewrote §11-4-405, effective July 24, 2019. It replaced the old railroad-era continuing-wage penalty with the current rule: pay by the next regular payday, with double wages owed if the employer has not paid within 7 days of that payday. Older summaries describing an ongoing daily penalty are out of date.

Where do I file an unpaid final-wage complaint in Arkansas?

The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing handles wage complaints, and you can also pursue the amount owed in small claims court. For the §11-4-405 doubling penalty on a discharge, many workers use a private wage claim or an attorney.

Primary source
→ Ark. Code Ann. §11-4-405 (Payment on discharge), as amended by Act 2019, No. 853 §7 (eff. July 24, 2019)
Act 853 of 2019 (HB1751) § 7, amending Ark. Code § 11-4-405 - Arkansas General Assembly enrolled act · arkleg.state.ar.us
Cholilurrohman
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Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.

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More Arkansas law

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