Idaho · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Idaho wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

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

$7.25minimum wage in 2026
$3.35tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
Payday or 10 business daysfinal pay if fired
2 yearstime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Idaho

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

Office
Idaho Department of Labor, Wage and Hour
Phone
208-332-3579
Languages
The online wage claim site has a Spanish (Español) language option.
Claim limit
Claims filed with the department (not counting penalties) are limited to the small claims court limit, which is $15,000 (Idaho Code §§ 45-617(1), 1-2301). For more, go to court.
File onlineOfficial 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 Idaho

  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 Idaho Department of Labor

    File a wage claim online with the Idaho Department of Labor; it takes about 30 minutes. You need the employer's name, address and phone, your work dates, the pay periods you were not paid for, and your hours or pay stubs. The online form asks for your Social Security number. The department asks the employer to answer within 14 days, then issues a written decision; either side can appeal within 14 days and get a phone hearing. It is free. If you file with the department, that process becomes your only remedy, so you give up the right to sue in court for that claim (Idaho Code § 45-617(3)).

  4. Watch the deadline

    2 years after the wages were due, whether you file with the department or in court. If you were paid but claim you were underpaid for that pay period, the deadline is 12 months (Idaho Code § 45-614).

Minimum wage and overtime in Idaho

Idaho's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and tracks the federal rate. Workers under 20 may be paid $4.25 for their first 90 days. Cities and counties may not set a higher minimum wage (Idaho Code § 44-1502).

Minimum wage (2026)
$7.25
Tipped cash wage
$3.35

Overtime

Idaho has no separate state overtime law. Federal law (FLSA) applies to most workers: 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Idaho law does not require daily overtime or premium pay for weekends or holidays (Idaho DOL guide).

Paydays: At least once a month, on regular paydays set in advance. Payday can be no more than 15 days after the end of the pay period (Idaho Code § 45-608).

Your final paycheck in Idaho

If you are fired or laid off
By the next regular payday or within 10 days (not counting weekends and holidays), whichever comes first. If you ask in writing, within 48 hours of your request (not counting weekends and holidays).
If you quit
Same as fired: by the next regular payday or within 10 days (weekends and holidays excluded), whichever is first; within 48 hours if you ask in writing.
Law
Idaho Code § 45-606

When was your final paycheck due in Idaho?

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 your final pay is late, your wages keep running at your normal daily rate for up to 15 days, with a maximum penalty of $750 ($500 if the employer pays before a lien is filed) (Idaho Code § 45-607). The department awards a penalty only if it finds wages were withheld willfully, arbitrarily and without just cause (§ 45-617(4)). If you sue in court instead, you can get the larger of the unpaid wages plus that penalty, or three times the unpaid wages, plus attorney's fees and costs (§ 45-615(2)).

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not fire you or retaliate against you for complaining to the employer or the Department of Labor, for filing a lawsuit about unpaid wages, or for testifying in an investigation or hearing (Idaho Code § 45-613).

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 deduct from your pay only if the law requires it or you authorize it in writing for a lawful purpose (Idaho Code § 45-609). If you get more than $30 a month in tips, your employer may pay a cash wage of $3.35 an hour, but wage plus tips must reach $7.25. Tips you share through a tip pool do not count as your tips for the tip credit (§ 44-1502(2)).

Good to know in Idaho

  • You can ask in writing for your final pay; then it is due within 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays (Idaho Code § 45-606).
  • Choose carefully: once you file with the Department of Labor, its process is your only remedy for that claim (Idaho Code § 45-617(3)).
  • In court you can win three times your unpaid wages plus attorney's fees (Idaho Code § 45-615).

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Idaho

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.

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

Idaho overtime rule: Idaho has no separate state overtime law. Federal law (FLSA) applies to most workers: 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Idaho law does not require daily overtime or premium pay for weekends or holidays (Idaho DOL guide).

Penalties your employer may also owe in Idaho: If your final pay is late, your wages keep running at your normal daily rate for up to 15 days, with a maximum penalty of $750 ($500 if the employer pays before a lien is filed) (Idaho Code § 45-607). The department awards a penalty only if it finds wages were withheld willfully, arbitrarily and without just cause (§ 45-617(4)). If you sue in court instead, you can get the larger of the unpaid wages plus that penalty, or three times the unpaid wages, plus attorney's fees and costs (§ 45-615(2)).

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 Idaho’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 Idaho

Where do I file a wage claim in Idaho?

With Idaho Department of Labor, Wage and Hour. Phone: 208-332-3579. File a wage claim online with the Idaho Department of Labor; it takes about 30 minutes. You need the employer's name, address and phone, your work dates, the pay periods you were not paid for, and your hours or pay stubs. The online form asks for your Social Security number. The department asks the employer to answer within 14 days, then issues a written decision; either side can appeal within 14 days and get a phone hearing. It is free. If you file with the department, that process becomes your only remedy, so you give up the right to sue in court for that claim (Idaho Code § 45-617(3)).

What is the minimum wage in Idaho in 2026?

Idaho's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and tracks the federal rate. Workers under 20 may be paid $4.25 for their first 90 days. Cities and counties may not set a higher minimum wage (Idaho Code § 44-1502).

Does Idaho have daily overtime?

Idaho has no separate state overtime law. Federal law (FLSA) applies to most workers: 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Idaho law does not require daily overtime or premium pay for weekends or holidays (Idaho DOL guide).

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

By the next regular payday or within 10 days (not counting weekends and holidays), whichever comes first. If you ask in writing, within 48 hours of your request (not counting weekends and holidays).

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

Same as fired: by the next regular payday or within 10 days (weekends and holidays excluded), whichever is first; within 48 hours if you ask in writing.

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

2 years after the wages were due, whether you file with the department or in court. If you were paid but claim you were underpaid for that pay period, the deadline is 12 months (Idaho Code § 45-614).

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Idaho?

If your final pay is late, your wages keep running at your normal daily rate for up to 15 days, with a maximum penalty of $750 ($500 if the employer pays before a lien is filed) (Idaho Code § 45-607). The department awards a penalty only if it finds wages were withheld willfully, arbitrarily and without just cause (§ 45-617(4)). If you sue in court instead, you can get the larger of the unpaid wages plus that penalty, or three times the unpaid wages, plus attorney's fees and costs (§ 45-615(2)).

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

Your employer may not fire you or retaliate against you for complaining to the employer or the Department of Labor, for filing a lawsuit about unpaid wages, or for testifying in an investigation or hearing (Idaho Code § 45-613).

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

Small claims in Idaho
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

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