Federal wage law says how much, but almost never when. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 sets the $7.25 minimum wage and the 40-hour overtime line without requiring any pay schedule at all, so the timing of a paycheck, the deductions an employer may take, and the deadline for a final check are governed by state statutes that vary widely (U.S. Department of Labor, state payday requirements chart). In California a fired worker must be paid on the spot under Labor Code section 201; in Texas the deadline is the sixth day after discharge under chapter 61 of the Finance Code.
That divergence matters in practice: a multi-state employer runs a different payroll calendar in every state, and a worker who changes jobs crosses legal regimes mid-career. The Department of Labor's state payday chart tracks required pay frequency state by state. The table below compares how five large states plus one with no frequency statute handle the three questions employers ask most.
How often must an employer run payroll?
Every state that regulates frequency sets a minimum cadence, and several key it to the kind of work. California requires wages at least twice a month, with manual laborers generally paid weekly (Cal. Labor Code secs. 204 and 207). New York requires manual workers to be paid weekly, with clerical and certain other workers paid at least semi-monthly (N.Y. Labor Law sec. 191). Massachusetts caps the interval at biweekly by agreement and defaults to weekly (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, sec. 148).
Other states set a single floor for everyone. Texas requires nonexempt employees to be paid at least twice a month (Tex. Fin. Code sec. 61.012). Illinois requires pay at least semi-monthly (820 ILCS 115/4). Florida regulates neither frequency nor the form of payment by statute, which leaves employers there to set their own schedules under the contract (Florida; no general state pay-frequency statute, per the U.S. Department of Labor's state payday chart).
What are the rules for a final paycheck?
This is where states pull apart hardest, and where California is the outlier. California requires wages due immediately on discharge, within 72 hours of a quit without notice, and on the last day when 72 hours' notice is given (Cal. Labor Code secs. 201 and 202). New York ties the deadline to the next regular payday for the pay period (N.Y. Labor Law sec. 191(1-c)). Texas requires payment within six calendar days of discharge, and by the next regular payday for an employee who quits (Tex. Fin. Code sec. 61.014).
Illinois and Massachusetts follow the next-payday logic in substance: wages are due at the next scheduled pay date, and Massachusetts treats failure to pay a separated worker on time as wage theft with mandatory treble damages for late payment after a demand (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, sec. 150). Waiting-time penalties — pay owed precisely because the check was late — exist in California and a few other states, not everywhere.
When may an employer take a deduction from pay?
Every state allows deductions required by law — taxes, garnishments, union dues authorized under a collective bargaining agreement. Beyond that, states diverge: California generally prohibits deductions that take wages below the minimum or shift business costs to workers, with only narrow statutory exceptions such as authorized health-plan premiums (Cal. Labor Code secs. 221 through 224). Illinois requires written authorization for most non-mandatory deductions (820 ILCS 115/9).
The practical rule is that a deduction legal in one state can support a wage claim in the next. Uniform take-home policies applied across a multi-state payroll are a recurring source of state wage claims, precisely because the statutes rather than the employer define what is voluntary.
| State | Pay frequency rule | Final paycheck deadline | Deductions |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | At least twice a month; manual workers generally weekly (Cal. Labor Code secs. 204, 207) | Immediately on discharge; within 72 hours of quit without notice (secs. 201-202) | Statutory exceptions only; no cost-shifting (secs. 221-224) |
| New York | Weekly for manual workers; at least semi-monthly for clerical and certain others (N.Y. Labor Law sec. 191) | Next regular payday for the period (sec. 191(1-c)) | Written authorization standard for non-mandatory deductions |
| Texas | Nonexempt employees at least twice a month (Tex. Fin. Code sec. 61.012) | Within 6 days of discharge; next regular payday after a quit (sec. 61.014) | Employer discretion broader than in California or Illinois |
| Illinois | At least semi-monthly (820 ILCS 115/4) | Next scheduled pay date under the Wage Payment and Collection Act | Written consent required for most deductions (sec. 9) |
| Massachusetts | Weekly default; biweekly by agreement (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, sec. 148) | Due on the next pay date; late payment carries mandatory treble damages after demand (sec. 150) | Statutory limits; payroll-related and authorized items only |
| Florida | No general state frequency statute (per DOL state payday chart) | Contract governs; no general statutory waiting-time penalty | Statutory limits sparse; federal law controls the floor |
What should a worker or employer do with this?
Treat the table as a map of the terrain, not a ruling on any case. The controlling text is the state statute itself, and several of the statutes cited here are amended periodically; the enforcement agency in each state — a labor commissioner in California and New York, a workforce commission in Texas — publishes the current text and guidance.
What the record establishes is structural: the federal Act does not schedule paydays, the states do, and the deadlines range from same-day to next-payday. What remains open in every dispute is the specific facts — the classification of the work, the notice given at separation, the authorization for each deduction. Those are case questions, not chart questions.
This article is information, not professional advice. For a specific pay dispute, consult the state statute and the state labor agency, or counsel.
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