Employment · Final Paycheck
Final Paycheck Laws in Missouri
When your last paycheck is due after you leave a job in Missouri: the deadline if you were fired, the deadline if you quit, and what happens if the check is late.
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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.
On the day you are let go. Under Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.110 the wages you have earned become due and payable on the day of discharge. If they are not paid, the statute sets up a written-request step and a continuing-wage penalty (see below).
Missouri has no statute setting a deadline for a final check when you quit, so it follows the regular payday. If your wages are not paid by the next regular pay period, you can pursue them through legal action.
Missouri is one of the few states where quitting and being fired carry different deadlines. Check the side that applies to you.
If your final pay is late
The California waiting-time penalty is one of a kind; every other state uses a different remedy.
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 Missouri sets each.
| Situation | Deadline in Missouri | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| If you were fired | Same day | On the day you are let go. Under Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.110 the wages you have earned become due and payable on the day of discharge. If they are not paid, the statute sets up a written-request step and a continuing-wage penalty (see below). |
| If you quit | Next payday | Missouri has no statute setting a deadline for a final check when you quit, so it follows the regular payday. If your wages are not paid by the next regular pay period, you can pursue them through legal action. |
| Notice matters? | No | Giving notice does not change the deadline in this state. |
| Waiting-time penalty | None | No per-day continuing-wage penalty. That remedy exists only in California under §203. |
| Other late-pay remedy | Continuing wages up to 60 days | If you were discharged and were not paid on the day of discharge, Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.110 lets you make a written request for the wages due. If the money or a valid check does not reach you within seven days of that request, your wages keep running as a penalty, at the same rate, from the date of discharge until you are paid, but not for more than sixty days. This penalty is only available to discharged employees, and Missouri courts read the statute strictly, so the written request and the seven-day window matter. |
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 Missouri workers get wrong
In Missouri, if you are fired your earned wages become due and payable on the day of discharge under Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.110. If your employer does not pay, the statute gives you a specific tool: make a written request for the wages you are owed, and if the money or a valid check does not reach you within seven days, your wages keep accruing as a penalty at your regular rate from the date of discharge until you are paid, capped at sixty days. That continuing-wage penalty is what makes a demand letter worth sending, and Missouri labor officials suggest using certified mail with return receipt so you can prove the date. The rule is narrow: it covers discharge, not quitting, and it carries exceptions such as pay by commission or situations that need an accounting. If you quit, Missouri sets no separate deadline, so your final check follows your regular payday, and you can go to court if it is not paid by the next regular pay period. Because the official statute page and the state labor FAQs were unreachable at review, this page is marked Draft even though every figure below is confirmed across multiple sources.
Common questions
When is my final paycheck due in Missouri if I am fired?
On the day you are discharged. Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.110 says the wages you have earned become due and payable on the day of discharge. If you are not paid, you can make a written request and, seven days later, a continuing-wage penalty can begin.
When is my final paycheck due in Missouri if I quit?
Missouri has no statute that sets a deadline when you quit, so your final check follows your regular payday. If it is not paid by the next regular pay period, you can pursue the wages through legal action.
What is the penalty if a Missouri employer pays a fired employee late?
Under §290.110, if you make a written request and the wages do not reach you within seven days, your pay keeps running as a penalty at the same rate from the date of discharge until you are paid, up to a maximum of sixty days. This penalty applies only to discharged employees, not to those who quit.
Do I have to make a written request to get the §290.110 penalty?
Yes. The 60-day continuing-wage penalty is triggered only after you request the unpaid wages in writing and the employer fails to pay within seven days. Missouri labor officials suggest sending the request by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can prove the date it was made.
Does Missouri’s final-pay penalty work like California’s waiting-time penalty?
No. California’s penalty runs automatically once pay is late. Missouri’s §290.110 penalty is different: it applies only to discharged employees, requires a written request, starts only after a seven-day grace period, and is capped at sixty days of wages.
Where can I file an unpaid final-wage complaint in Missouri?
You can pursue unpaid wages in court, typically small claims for smaller amounts or circuit court for larger ones. The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations does not adjudicate most private final-wage disputes and generally points employees to a civil claim under §290.110.
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.