--- title: "Pennsylvania Final Paycheck: Due Next Payday, Fired or Quit" description: "Pennsylvania final paycheck: due next payday, whether the employee is fired or quits. Unused vacation payout and dated examples." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-pennsylvania" --- Final pay · Pennsylvania # Pennsylvania final paycheck law When Pennsylvania says a departing employee must be paid, what changes between a firing and a quit, and what Pennsylvania's official pages say about unused vacation, commissions, getting the check to the employee and late pay. [![Intuit ProAdvisor Gold tier badge](/img/credentials/intuit-proadvisor-gold.png)](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77)Gold tier in Intuit's ProAdvisor program. [See my Intuit listing](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77) Want this tracked every month? Wrenfold keeps your budget on your own device. [See Wrenfold](/personal-finance) **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** Hiring in another state? [Employer registration in Pennsylvania, done for you](/bookkeeping/out-of-state-employer-registration), or [a free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check). "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 Friday, November 13, 2026 and the weekly payroll's next payday is Thursday, November 19, 2026. The final check would be due: - **Fired or laid off:** Thursday, November 19, 2026 - **Quit:** Thursday, November 19, 2026 Your own dates: [open the calculator set to Pennsylvania](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-due-date-calculator?state=pa). ## 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)](https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dli/documents/documents/regulations/llc/wpclaw.pdf) (checked November 2026) - [PA L&I: Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law](https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dli/documents/individuals/labor-management-relations/llc/documents/llc-2.pdf) (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](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-by-state) · [Oregon](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-oregon) · [Texas](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-texas) Letting someone go in Pennsylvania? ## Employee Separation Checklist Kit A state picker workbook that puts Pennsylvania's deadline on a date, a separation checklist, a final pay worksheet and an exit paperwork log, as Word files and PDFs. [Get the kit ($15)](/toolkits/employee-separation-checklist-kit) [Free sample](/toolkits/employee-separation-checklist-kit#free-starter)14-day full refund Wrenfold ### Keep this going in a budget you own Wrenfold keeps accounts, budgets, bills and goals on your own computer or iPhone, with budgets that roll over each month. Bring in a bank CSV or your You Need A Budget file, or keep balances current through SimpleFIN Bridge, a separate service you sign up for. $79 once, with an optional $5 a month for updates; the app keeps working if you stop. The free trial records up to 60 entries. [See Wrenfold](/personal-finance) [Compare the three apps](/software) ## Want payroll handled for you? [See bookkeeping services](/bookkeeping/)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)