Louisiana · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Louisiana wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

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

$7.25minimum wage in 2026
$2.13tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
Payday or 15 daysfinal pay if fired
3 yearstime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Louisiana

Louisiana has no state wage-claim program. Louisiana Workforce Commission (Louisiana Works) - no general wage-claim program; refers minimum wage and overtime complaints to the US Department of Labor

Federal office
US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
Phone
1-866-487-9243

The Wage and Hour Division takes complaints about the federal minimum wage and overtime in every state. For other unpaid pay, such as a promised rate above the minimum wage or a final paycheck, you can sue your employer, often in small claims court.

US DOL: how to file Small claims court in Louisiana

How to file a wage claim in Louisiana

  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 the US Department of Labor or go to court

    Call the Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243 about minimum wage and overtime. Louisiana has no state office that investigates and collects unpaid wages for you. For minimum wage or overtime, file a free complaint with the US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (1-866-487-9243); the Louisiana Workforce Commission itself sends these questions to US DOL. For an unpaid final paycheck or other wages owed under Louisiana law, first ask your employer in writing for payment, then you can sue in state court (a small amount can go to a local justice of the peace or city court). Free legal aid programs listed by the Workforce Commission may help.

  4. Watch the deadline

    3 years to sue for unpaid wages, salaries or commissions (La. Civil Code art. 3494). Federal minimum wage/overtime claims: 2 years, or 3 if the violation was willful (FLSA).

Minimum wage and overtime in Louisiana

Louisiana has no state minimum wage law. Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour.

Minimum wage (2026)
$7.25
Tipped cash wage
$2.13

Overtime

Louisiana has no state overtime law; it follows the federal rule. Most hourly workers must get 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime.

Paydays: Your employer must tell you at hiring how much, how and how often you will be paid. If it never set paydays, it must pay on the 1st and 16th of the month. Manufacturing, oil drilling and mining employers with 10 or more workers, and public service corporations, must pay at least twice a month. (La. R.S. 23:633)

Your final paycheck in Louisiana

If you are fired or laid off
By the next regular payday or within 15 days after you are fired or laid off, whichever comes first.
If you quit
By the next regular payday for the pay period you were working in, or within 15 days after you quit, whichever comes first. Earned, unused vacation pay counts as wages due if the employer's policy says you earned it.
Law
La. R.S. 23:631

When was your final paycheck due in Louisiana?

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 the employer does not pay final wages on time, it can owe penalty wages: 90 days of your daily pay, or full daily pay from the day you demanded payment until it pays, whichever is less (La. R.S. 23:632(A)). If a court finds the employer disputed the amount in good faith, it owes only the wages plus judicial interest (R.S. 23:632(B)). The court must award reasonable attorney fees if you file a well-founded suit more than 3 days after your first demand for payment (R.S. 23:632(C)). Payday-rule violations carry state fines of $25 to $250 per day (R.S. 23:633(E)).

Retaliation and immigration status

Louisiana's whistleblower law bars reprisal (firing, layoff, loss of benefits) against a worker who, in good faith and after telling the employer, reports or objects to a violation of state law; you can sue for back pay, damages and attorney fees (La. R.S. 23:967). Federal law (FLSA) also protects you from retaliation for wage complaints.

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

Employers may not fine you or deduct fines from your pay, except up to the actual damage when you willfully or negligently damaged goods or employer property, or after a theft conviction or guilty plea (La. R.S. 23:635). Louisiana has no state tip law; federal rules apply ($2.13 cash wage with a tip credit, as long as tips bring you to $7.25).

Good to know in Louisiana

  • Before you sue, make a written demand for your final pay: attorney fees are only awarded if you sue more than 3 days after your first demand (La. R.S. 23:632(C)).
  • If the employer disputes part of what you are owed, it must still pay the undisputed part on time (La. R.S. 23:631(B)).
  • An employer cannot make you sign a contract that takes away wages you already earned if you quit or are fired early (La. R.S. 23:634).

Wage-theft calculator for Louisiana

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.

Louisiana overtime rule: Louisiana has no state overtime law; it follows the federal rule. Most hourly workers must get 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime.

Penalties your employer may also owe in Louisiana: If the employer does not pay final wages on time, it can owe penalty wages: 90 days of your daily pay, or full daily pay from the day you demanded payment until it pays, whichever is less (La. R.S. 23:632(A)). If a court finds the employer disputed the amount in good faith, it owes only the wages plus judicial interest (R.S. 23:632(B)). The court must award reasonable attorney fees if you file a well-founded suit more than 3 days after your first demand for payment (R.S. 23:632(C)). Payday-rule violations carry state fines of $25 to $250 per day (R.S. 23:633(E)).

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 Louisiana’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 Louisiana

Where do I file a wage claim in Louisiana?

Louisiana has no state wage-claim program. Contact the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243 about minimum wage and overtime, or go to court.

What is the minimum wage in Louisiana in 2026?

Louisiana has no state minimum wage law. Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour.

Does Louisiana have daily overtime?

Louisiana has no state overtime law; it follows the federal rule. Most hourly workers must get 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime.

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

By the next regular payday or within 15 days after you are fired or laid off, whichever comes first.

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

By the next regular payday for the pay period you were working in, or within 15 days after you quit, whichever comes first. Earned, unused vacation pay counts as wages due if the employer's policy says you earned it.

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

3 years to sue for unpaid wages, salaries or commissions (La. Civil Code art. 3494). Federal minimum wage/overtime claims: 2 years, or 3 if the violation was willful (FLSA).

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Louisiana?

If the employer does not pay final wages on time, it can owe penalty wages: 90 days of your daily pay, or full daily pay from the day you demanded payment until it pays, whichever is less (La. R.S. 23:632(A)). If a court finds the employer disputed the amount in good faith, it owes only the wages plus judicial interest (R.S. 23:632(B)). The court must award reasonable attorney fees if you file a well-founded suit more than 3 days after your first demand for payment (R.S. 23:632(C)). Payday-rule violations carry state fines of $25 to $250 per day (R.S. 23:633(E)).

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

Louisiana's whistleblower law bars reprisal (firing, layoff, loss of benefits) against a worker who, in good faith and after telling the employer, reports or objects to a violation of state law; you can sue for back pay, damages and attorney fees (La. R.S. 23:967). Federal law (FLSA) also protects you from retaliation for wage complaints.

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

Small claims in Louisiana
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

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