Alaska · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Alaska wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

Not paid for all your hours, no overtime, or no final paycheck? Here is Alaska’s minimum wage, the final-paycheck rules, the deadlines and where to file, in plain English.

$14.00minimum wage in 2026
$14.00tipped cash wage
Yesdaily overtime
Within 3 working daysfinal pay if fired
2 yearstime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Alaska

Wage claims in Alaska go to this state office. Filing is usually free.

Office
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Labor Standards and Safety Division - Wage and Hour
Phone
907-269-4900
Claim limit
The Wage and Hour office takes claims of more than $50 and less than $20,000. It does not take claims against public employers.
Official wage claim page

For federal minimum wage and overtime you can also contact the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: 1-866-487-9243. How federal claims work.

How to file a wage claim in Alaska

  1. Gather your records

    Dates and hours worked, your pay rate, pay stubs or bank deposits, texts or schedules, and the employer's name and address.

  2. Ask in writing first (optional)

    A demand letter gives your employer a deadline to pay and shows you tried. Use the free letter on this page.

  3. File with Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development

    First ask your employer (or ex-employer) for the money; the Department usually will not accept a claim until you have. Then fill out the Wage Claim packet and mail or bring it to the Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau Wage and Hour office, or email it to [email protected], with copies of your time records and pay stubs. The Department decides within about two weeks whether to accept the claim; if it does, it sends your employer a demand letter (20 days to respond), may hold an informal meeting to try to settle, and can take the employer to court for you. Filing is free.

  4. Watch the deadline

    2 years for unpaid minimum wage, overtime and liquidated damages (AS 23.10.130). The Department says claims for other unpaid straight-time wages or promised benefits should be filed within 3 years of when the work was done. File as soon as you can.

Minimum wage and overtime in Alaska

Alaska's minimum wage is $14.00 an hour since July 1, 2026. It rises to $15.00 on July 1, 2027, and after that is adjusted every year for inflation (AS 23.10.065). Employers may not count tips toward the minimum wage. Public school bus drivers must get at least two times the minimum wage.

Minimum wage (2026)
$14.00
Tipped cash wage
$14.00
Next change
$15.00 on July 1, 2027

Overtime

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 8 in a day and over 40 in a week (AS 23.10.060). Hours already paid as daily overtime are not counted again for weekly overtime. Overtime rules do not apply to employers with fewer than 4 employees, agricultural workers, and some other groups. Under a flexible work-hour plan approved by the Department, daily overtime can start after 10 hours instead of 8.

Paydays: At least monthly or semi-monthly (twice a month) as you choose, unless you and your employer agreed to monthly pay in an annual initial contract (AS 23.05.140(a)).

Your final paycheck in Alaska

If you are fired or laid off
Within 3 working days after you are fired or laid off, for any reason.
If you quit
By the next regular payday that is at least 3 days after your employer got notice that you quit.
Law
AS 23.05.140(b)

When was your final paycheck due in Alaska?

Enter how your job ended and your last day of work. We show your state’s rule and, when the rule is a simple number of days or your next payday, the date.

Enter your last day of workThe result appears when you pick a date.

Dates are approximate: we skip weekends for business and working days but not holidays. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Penalties your employer may owe

If a final paycheck is late, the employer may owe your regular pay from the time you demanded it until it is paid, up to 90 working days (AS 23.05.140(d)); in a case the Department brings, the penalty is required (AS 23.05.140(e)). For unpaid minimum wage or overtime, the employer owes the unpaid amount plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees (AS 23.10.110).

Retaliation and immigration status

It is a violation of Alaska's Wage and Hour Act to fire or discriminate against you because you filed a complaint, started a proceeding, or testified (AS 23.10.135(6)).

Federal law also makes it illegal to fire or punish you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating in an investigation (US DOL Fact Sheet #77A).

The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces federal wage law without regard to immigration status, and its services are free and confidential whether you are documented or not (US DOL).

Deductions and tips

Your employer may not count your tips toward the minimum wage (AS 23.10.065). Deductions for cash register shortages or lost or stolen property are only allowed if you admitted in writing to taking it; deductions for bounced customer checks, customer theft, or unpaid bills are never allowed, and no agreed deduction may push your pay below minimum wage or overtime rates (8 AAC 15.160).

Good to know in Alaska

  • Most Alaska workers earn paid sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours a year at employers with 15 or more employees, or 40 hours at smaller employers (AS 23.10.066).
  • If you file a wage claim, you give the Department the right to collect for you; you cannot sue on your own until the Department reassigns the claim to you in writing.

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Alaska

Work out what you should have been paid: at least the minimum wage for every hour, plus overtime. Then compare it with what you got.

If a higher city or county minimum wage applies where you work, enter that rate if it is more than you were promised.

Before taxes, if you know it. Leave it empty to see only what you were owed.

Or enter the hours you worked each day in a typical workweek

Fill these in to count Alaska’s daily overtime. Leave days off empty. If you fill in days, the weekly total above is not used.

Day 7 is the seventh day of your workweek.

Fill in your pay, hours and weeksThe result appears as you type.

Alaska overtime rule: You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 8 in a day and over 40 in a week (AS 23.10.060). Hours already paid as daily overtime are not counted again for weekly overtime. Overtime rules do not apply to employers with fewer than 4 employees, agricultural workers, and some other groups. Under a flexible work-hour plan approved by the Department, daily overtime can start after 10 hours instead of 8.

Penalties your employer may also owe in Alaska: If a final paycheck is late, the employer may owe your regular pay from the time you demanded it until it is paid, up to 90 working days (AS 23.05.140(d)); in a case the Department brings, the penalty is required (AS 23.05.140(e)). For unpaid minimum wage or overtime, the employer owes the unpaid amount plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees (AS 23.10.110).

Tipped workers: this calculator does not count tips. In many states your employer may pay a lower cash wage if your tips make up the difference to the minimum wage; see your state’s page.

An estimate from the numbers you enter and Alaska’s rules, not legal advice. Nothing you type in this calculator is sent anywhere.

Free demand letter for unpaid wages

A short, firm letter asking your employer to pay what it owes by a deadline. Many workers get paid at this step, and in some states a written demand starts penalties or makes the employer pay your attorney fees later. Fill this in, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail or an email you keep.

When you download or copy the letter, the details you typed are saved on our server. See our privacy policy.

The name on your pay stubs, checks or the business sign. If you only know the owner’s name, use that.

Use the calculator above if you are not sure.

We suggest 10 days.

What were you not paid? (required)

One or two sentences with dates, hours and amounts.

Questions about wage claims in Alaska

Where do I file a wage claim in Alaska?

With Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Labor Standards and Safety Division - Wage and Hour. Phone: 907-269-4900. First ask your employer (or ex-employer) for the money; the Department usually will not accept a claim until you have. Then fill out the Wage Claim packet and mail or bring it to the Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau Wage and Hour office, or email it to [email protected], with copies of your time records and pay stubs. The Department decides within about two weeks whether to accept the claim; if it does, it sends your employer a demand letter (20 days to respond), may hold an informal meeting to try to settle, and can take the employer to court for you. Filing is free.

What is the minimum wage in Alaska in 2026?

Alaska's minimum wage is $14.00 an hour since July 1, 2026. It rises to $15.00 on July 1, 2027, and after that is adjusted every year for inflation (AS 23.10.065). Employers may not count tips toward the minimum wage. Public school bus drivers must get at least two times the minimum wage.

Does Alaska have daily overtime?

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 8 in a day and over 40 in a week (AS 23.10.060). Hours already paid as daily overtime are not counted again for weekly overtime. Overtime rules do not apply to employers with fewer than 4 employees, agricultural workers, and some other groups. Under a flexible work-hour plan approved by the Department, daily overtime can start after 10 hours instead of 8.

When is my final paycheck due in Alaska if I'm fired?

Within 3 working days after you are fired or laid off, for any reason.

When is my final paycheck due in Alaska if I quit?

By the next regular payday that is at least 3 days after your employer got notice that you quit.

How long do I have to file a wage claim in Alaska?

2 years for unpaid minimum wage, overtime and liquidated damages (AS 23.10.130). The Department says claims for other unpaid straight-time wages or promised benefits should be filed within 3 years of when the work was done. File as soon as you can.

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Alaska?

If a final paycheck is late, the employer may owe your regular pay from the time you demanded it until it is paid, up to 90 working days (AS 23.05.140(d)); in a case the Department brings, the penalty is required (AS 23.05.140(e)). For unpaid minimum wage or overtime, the employer owes the unpaid amount plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, plus court costs and reasonable attorney fees (AS 23.10.110).

Can my employer fire me for filing a wage claim in Alaska?

It is a violation of Alaska's Wage and Hour Act to fire or discriminate against you because you filed a complaint, started a proceeding, or testified (AS 23.10.135(6)).

Employer still won't pay? Small claims court is often the next step for amounts under the state limit.

Small claims in Alaska
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

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