Short answer. Pennsylvania uses one deadline whether the employee quits or is let go. Not later than the next regular payday.
Pennsylvania final pay at a glance
- Fired or laid off
- Not later than the next regular payday.
- Quit
- Not later than the next regular payday.
- Law
- Wage Payment and Collection Law, section 5
- Agency
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Labor Law Compliance
In Pennsylvania's words
Fired or laid off
"not later than the next regular payday"
Quitting
"not later than the next regular payday"
Example with dates
Suppose a Pennsylvania employee's last day is Thursday, November 12, 2026 and the weekly payroll's next payday is Wednesday, November 18, 2026. The final check would be due:
- Fired or laid off: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
- Quit: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Your own dates: open the calculator set to Pennsylvania.
Unused vacation in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's law counts separation, vacation and holiday pay as fringe benefits or wage supplements; those are due within 10 days after they're required to be paid.
Pennsylvania commissions at separation
The law's definition of wages includes commissions.
Getting the check to a former Pennsylvania employee
If the employee asks, by certified mail.
If a Pennsylvania final paycheck is late
If wages stay unpaid 30 days past the regular payday (or 60 days after a proper claim) with no good-faith dispute, liquidated damages of 25% of the wages due or $500, whichever is greater.
Worth knowing in Pennsylvania
Fringe benefits and wage supplements are due within 10 days after they're required to be paid.
Official Pennsylvania sources
- PA L&I: Wage Payment and Collection Law (text) (checked November 2026)
- PA L&I: Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law (checked November 2026)
Pennsylvania rules as published on the pages above, checked November 2026. General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. A union contract or written agreement can change the timing.
Pennsylvania final paycheck questions
How soon is a final paycheck due after a firing in Pennsylvania?
Not later than the next regular payday. Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Labor Law Compliance puts it as "not later than the next regular payday."
When does an employee who quits in Pennsylvania get the last check?
Not later than the next regular payday. Notice doesn't change it on the page we checked.
Is unused vacation paid out at the end of a job in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania's law counts separation, vacation and holiday pay as fringe benefits or wage supplements; those are due within 10 days after they're required to be paid.
What about commissions in a Pennsylvania final paycheck?
The law's definition of wages includes commissions.
Can a Pennsylvania final paycheck be mailed or direct deposited?
If the employee asks, by certified mail.
What does Pennsylvania law say about a late final paycheck?
If wages stay unpaid 30 days past the regular payday (or 60 days after a proper claim) with no good-faith dispute, liquidated damages of 25% of the wages due or $500, whichever is greater.
All states: final paycheck laws by state · Oregon · Texas