InterObservers.

Pay frequency (payday) laws by state

The short answer

Under the federal wage law (FLSA), the wages it requires are due on the regular payday for the pay period covered (U.S. Department of Labor). 29 of 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC) have a verified state pay-frequency rule. The most common verified general rule is semi-monthly pay (8 states). Several states set different frequencies for different groups of employees; the row shows each group. 22 jurisdictions have no verified rule on this page yet; their rows link to the official source.

See all 51 states
29 of 51states and DC with a verified pay-frequency rule
Semi-monthlymost common verified general rule
22not verified yet (row links to the official source)

Rules verified Sep 24, 2026; each row shows its own date. · How we verify every rule

General information, not legal advice. This page is for general information only and isn’t legal, financial or tax advice. Laws vary by state and change; check the official source or talk to a qualified professional about your situation. Every rule on this page links to its official source.

Payday laws: all 50 states and DC

One row per state. A rule appears only after it was checked against official sources, with the law linked next to it. Where we have not verified a rule, the row says so and links to the official source to check.

Jump to a state
Payday laws: all 50 states and DC. 29 of 51 verified.
StateRequired pay frequencyVerified
Alabama

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Alaska

Semi-monthly or monthly. Employers must establish monthly or semi-monthly pay periods at the employee's election; monthly pay periods may be agreed in an annual initial contract of employment. (U.S. DOL WHD State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Arizona

At least 2 paydays a month. Employers must designate two or more fixed paydays in each month, not more than 16 days apart. (U.S. DOL WHD State Payday Requirements, footnote 3)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Arkansas

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
California

At least 2 paydays a month. Most wages must be paid at least twice during each calendar month on days designated in advance as regular paydays (with some exceptions). (U.S. DOL WHD State Payday Requirements, footnote 10)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Colorado

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Connecticut

Weekly. Employers must pay weekly all wages due on a regular payday designated in advance; the Labor Commissioner may permit less frequent paydays on application. (U.S. DOL WHD State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Delaware

Monthly. Employers must pay all wages on regular paydays designated in advance, at least once during each calendar month. (U.S. DOL WHD State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
District of Columbia

Semi-monthly. Employers must pay wages on regular paydays designated in advance, at least twice during each calendar month; bona fide administrative, executive and professional employees must be paid at least once per month, and an employer that by contract or custom has paid wages at least once each calendar month may continue to do so. (U.S. DOL WHD State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Florida

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Georgia

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Hawaii

Semi-monthly. Hawaii private employers must pay wages at least twice a month (semi-monthly); monthly pay is allowed only by employee election under a special procedure or by exception from the director. (State Payday Requirements (U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division table, January 1, 2023))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Idaho

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
IllinoisVerified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Indiana

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Iowa

At least monthly. Iowa employers must pay most employees on a regular payday at least monthly (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly are all allowed), no later than 12 days (excluding Sundays and legal holidays) after the end of the pay period. (State Payday Requirements (U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division table, January 1, 2023))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Kansas

Monthly. Kansas employers must pay all wages due at least once each calendar month, on regular paydays designated in advance. (State Payday Requirements (U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division table, January 1, 2023))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Kentucky

Semi-monthly. Kentucky requires at least semi-monthly paydays. (State Payday Requirements (U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division table, January 1, 2023))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Louisiana

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Maine

No more than 16 days apart. Employers must pay wages at regular intervals not to exceed 16 days; this does not apply to members of the employer's family or to salaried employees. (Maine payday law (DOL WHD State Payday Requirements, footnote 8))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Maryland

Bi-weekly or semi-monthly. Employers must set regular pay periods and pay each employee at least once every 2 weeks or twice each month (bi-weekly or semi-monthly); administrative, executive or professional employees may be paid less frequently. (Maryland payday law (DOL WHD State Payday Requirements table))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Massachusetts

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Michigan

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Minnesota

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Mississippi

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Missouri

Semi-monthly. Corporations doing business in Missouri (and railroad operators) must pay wages at least semi-monthly; at the employer's option, executive, administrative and professional employees and employees paid on commission may be paid monthly. (Missouri payday law (DOL WHD State Payday Requirements table))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Montana

Semi-monthly (default). If there is no established pay period or time when wages are due, the pay period is presumed to be semimonthly. (Montana payday (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements, footnote 13))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Nebraska

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Nevada

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
New Hampshire

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
New Jersey

Semi-monthly. Wages must be paid at least twice during each calendar month on regular paydays designated in advance; bona fide executive, supervisory and other special classifications may be paid once per month. (New Jersey payday (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements table row))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
New Mexico

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
New YorkVerified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
North Carolina

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
North Dakota

Monthly. Employers must pay at least once each calendar month on regular paydays designated in advance. (North Dakota payday (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements table row))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Ohio

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Oklahoma

Semi-monthly. Oklahoma employees (except exempt employees) must be paid at least twice each calendar month (semi-monthly). (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Oregon

Monthly. Oregon employers must keep regular paydays; paydays may not be more than 35 days apart (DOL table: monthly). (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Pennsylvania

Employer designated: Pennsylvania sets no fixed pay frequency: wages must be paid on regular paydays designated in advance by the employer. (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Rhode Island

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
South Carolina

Employer designated: South Carolina sets no fixed pay frequency: employers with 5 or more employees must notify employees in writing at hiring of the time and place of payment and pay on those terms. (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
South Dakota

Monthly. South Dakota employers must pay all wages due at least once each calendar month or on regular agreed paydays designated in advance. (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Tennessee

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Texas
Texas payday law
Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
UtahVerified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
VermontVerified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
VirginiaVerified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Washington

Monthly. Wages must be paid on an established regular payday at no longer than monthly payment intervals. (U.S. DOL WHD state payday table)

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
West Virginia

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet
Wisconsin

Monthly. Most employers must pay all wages earned at least monthly, with no longer than 31 days between pay periods. (Wis. Stat. ch. 109 (U.S. DOL WHD state payday table, footnote 25))

Verified Sep 24, 2026
2 official sources
Wyoming

Not verified yet. Check the official source (dol.gov).

Not verified yet

The federal baseline

“Wages required by the FLSA are due on the regular payday for the pay period covered.”

U.S. Department of Labor: Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act · dol.gov

The table above shows the state rules on top of this baseline. For the full text of a state's rules, open the state page from the first column.

Where this rule matters

Download the data

The same records, with sources and verification dates, as JSON: payday_frequency.json. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to the Employer Desk. API documentation.

Questions people ask

What does federal law say about payday?

The U.S. Department of Labor says: "Wages required by the FLSA are due on the regular payday for the pay period covered."

What is the most common required pay frequency?

Among the jurisdictions verified so far, semi-monthly (8 states), counting each state's general rule. See the table for the other groups and the law.

Other state law tables

Sources (3)

Checked Sep 24, 2026 · How we verify every rule · Report an error