The Employer Desk

Handle any people situation correctly, in your state.

Step-by-step guidance, the rule for your state with the law cited, and the document ready to download. Free, no sign-up, for owners and managers without an HR department.

Your state

Write up an employeeVerbal, written, final warning Fire an employeeLetter, checklist, Texas final pay An employee resignedAcceptance letter, last paycheck

Every rule cited to the law
Two official sources
Verified date on each rule
Nothing you type leaves your browser

What do you need to do?

All situations →

DisciplineWrite up an employeeSteps, meeting script, 3 warning forms PerformancePut someone on a PIPMeasurable goals, the meeting, check-ins SeparationFire an employeeTermination letter, exit checklist, final pay SeparationAccept a resignationReply, last day, final paycheck AttendanceNo-call no-showDocument it, job abandonment, final pay HiringHire your first employeeRegistration, paperwork, offer letter HiringNew hire paperworkFederal and state forms, by state ConductInsubordinationWhat counts and how to document it SituationEmployee Onboarding Process

Texas at a glance

All Texas rules →

$7.25 per hourMinimum wageTexas minimum wage law · Verified Sep 24, 2026 6 calendar daysFinal pay after firingTexas Labor Code § 61.014(a) · Verified Sep 24, 2026 Next regular paydayFinal pay after quittingTexas Labor Code § 61.014(b) · Verified Sep 24, 2026 No state ruleMeal break for adultsU.S. DOL WHD table of state meal period requirements · Verified Sep 24, 2026

Every state has its own deadlines, breaks and leave rules. Pick yours once and every page on the Desk opens with your state's rules, each linked to the official source.

Open the Texas rulebook Compare all 50 states and DC

Documents, ready to fill in

All 17 templates →

What the data says

All data →

What gets employers fined

60.5%of all back wages employers agreed to pay were unpaid overtime.
43%of federal civil money penalties were assessed on restaurants and food service, which account for about 25% of violation cases.
$14,297is the median back-wage amount in a home health case, against $5,485 across all industries.

U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, federal fiscal years 2021 to 2025. Enforcement data shows where the Department of Labor investigated and what it found; it is not a measure of how common violations are.

See your industry and state

Changing on January 1, 2027

98 days

Minimum wage increases and new employer rules taking effect on January 1, state by state, each with its official source.

What changes in Texas

Why you can rely on it

How we verify →

jurisdictions: 50 states and DC: 51
rules verified against official sources, each with its citation: 406
maximum age of any rule before it is re-verified or removed: 180 days
to review any error you report on the corrections page: 48 h

Guides for managers

Team and meetingsIcebreakers, active listening and feedback LeadershipLeadership styles and the judgment calls of leading a team Difficult peopleDifficult coworkers, reading your boss, career moves ManagementKPIs, delegation and decision-making Business basicsAccounting, budgeting and strategy in plain language MarketingPositioning, segmentation and strategies that bring customers

General information, not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Laws change; check the official source linked on each rule.