Final Paycheck Deadlines in Kentucky
At a glance
| Governing law | KRS 337.055 sets the deadline; § 337.990(3) sets the civil penalty; § 337.010(1)(c) defines "wages" to include vested vacation pay |
|---|---|
| Deadline if fired or laid off | By the next normal pay period following discharge, or 14 days after discharge, whichever occurs LAST (not first) (§ 337.055) |
| Deadline if the employee quits | Identical deadline and test as a discharge: Kentucky's statute covers "any employee who leaves or is discharged" with no separate rule for a voluntary quit (§ 337.055) |
| Unused vacation/PTO payout required? | Vested vacation pay is included in wages due at separation (§§ 337.010(1)(c), 337.055) |
| How final pay must be delivered | Legal tender, bank check, direct deposit, or payroll card convertible at face value; no card activation fee and at least one free withdrawal per pay period (§ 337.010(1)(c)) |
| Penalty for a late or unpaid final check | A civil penalty of $100-$1,000 per offense, with each missed payment a separate offense, PLUS the Cabinet orders the employer to make full payment to the employee (§ 337.990(3)); no automatic liquidated-damages multiplier |
| How to enforce it | File a wage complaint with the Education and Labor Cabinet; it assesses the § 337.990(3) penalty and requires payment. The private liquidated-damages remedy in § 337.385(1) covers violations of §§ 337.020–337.285, a range that does not include § 337.055 |
| Exceptions and special rules | The statute bars an employer from securing exemption "by any means"; an employee who was absent or otherwise not paid at the normal time must still be paid at any time thereafter, or automatically once the employee makes a 14-day demand (§ 337.055) |
Requirements one by one
Final-pay deadline
KRS 337.055 says the deadline is whichever "last occurs": the next normal pay period or 14 days after dismissal or voluntary leaving. For example, if the next period is seven days away, day 14 controls; if it is 20 days away, that later pay period controls. The same wording covers an employee who leaves and one who is discharged.
Vacation and payment method
The definition of wages in KRS 337.010(1)(c) expressly includes "vested vacation pay," as well as earned bonuses and severance or dismissal pay. It allows legal tender, bank checks, direct deposit, or a payroll card account. A payroll card cannot carry an activation fee and must permit at least one free withdrawal per pay period for any amount up to the full account balance.
Penalty and enforcement
For each failure to pay as KRS 337.055 requires, § 337.990(3) directs the Education and Labor Cabinet to assess $100–$1,000 and requires full payment to the employee. The Cabinet's Division of Wages and Hours accepts wage complaints and investigates them. The chapter's private liquidated- damages remedy in § 337.385(1) names wages owed under §§ 337.020–337.285; that cited range does not include the separate final-pay section 337.055.
What trips people up
An employer cannot obtain an exemption from § 337.055 by agreement or other means. If an employee was absent when payment was fixed, or was unpaid for another reason, the section requires payment afterward at any time or upon a 14-day demand. That catch-up language does not turn the ordinary separation deadline into a 14-day maximum.
Common questions
Does an earned bonus count? KRS 337.010(1)(c) lists earned bonuses among wages; the amount due still depends on the bonus terms.
Can I submit a wage complaint online? The Education and Labor Cabinet's Division of Wages and Hours provides an online Wage and Hour complaint form on its official site.
Statutes and sources
- KRS 337.055: the next-pay-period-or-14-days (whichever last occurs) deadline for both a discharge and a quit, plus the anti-waiver and demand catch-up rules — see quote above. — https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32050 (accessed 2026-10-06)
- KRS 337.010(1)(c)1: the "wages" definition, including vested vacation pay and the payment-method rules — see quote above. — https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56806 (accessed 2026-10-06)
- KRS 337.990(3): the $100-$1,000 per-offense civil penalty for a § 337.055 violation — see quote above. — https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=52428 (accessed 2026-10-06)
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KRS 337.385(1): the chapter's private-lawsuit/liquidated-damages remedy, textually limited to §§ 337.020-337.285 — see quote above. — https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55338 (accessed 2026-10-06)
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Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Division of Wages and Hours: online wage complaint form and division responsibilities. — https://elc.ky.gov/workplace-standards/Pages/Wages-and-Hours.aspx (accessed 2026-10-06)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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