When your job ends, you have the right to be paid for all of the work you've done. Whether you quit, you were laid off, or you were fired, your employer must give you a final paycheck that includes all of the wages you have earned. The deadlines and contents of your check depend on Colorado law.
When Is Your Final Paycheck Due?
Federal law does not set a deadline for your final paycheck. But some states require employers to pay your final paycheck within a set number of days after termination or resignation. And, these deadlines sometimes differ depending on whether you were fired or resigned.
If you are fired, laid off or otherwise let go by your employer in Colorado, your employer must pay your final paycheck immediately at the time of firing, with a couple exceptions:
- If the employer's department responsible for processing payroll is not operating at the time of firing, your employer must pay your final paycheck within six hours after that department's next working day begins
- if the employer's department responsible for processing payroll is located off the work site, the employer must deliver your final paycheck to the work site, the employer's local office, or your last-known mailing address, as the employer chooses, within 24 hours after that department's next working day begins.
If you quit in Colorado, your employer must pay your final paycheck on the next regular payday.
What Must Your Final Paycheck Include?
Regardless of any deadlines, your employer must pay you all wages you earned. In some states, this includes any accrued vacation time that you haven't used yet; in others, it does not.
Under Colorado law, your final paycheck must include pay for accrued vacation time.
If you believe a former employer has not paid you all wages you earned, see How Can I Find a Wage and Hour Lawyer in Colorado?