Pay Frequency and Wage-Payment Lag Requirements in Washington

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Monthly is the least frequent ordinary interval

WAC 296-126-023 requires all wages on an established regular payday at payment intervals no longer than monthly. The rule recognizes daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly periods. Parallel rules in WAC 296-128-035 and the agricultural WAC 296-131-010 preserve the same core architecture for their respective coverage groups.

For any period shorter than a month, the regular payday must be no later than 10 calendar days after the period ends unless another law expressly supplies a different rule.

Monthly payroll has a seven-day rollover

A monthly payroll may withhold wages for work during the final seven days of the monthly period and include them on the next monthly payday. The rule's example uses a first-through-month-end period and month-end payday: work through the 24th is paid that month, while work from the 25th through the 31st may move to the following month.

This is an express feature of the monthly system, not a general extra seven-day extension for weekly, biweekly, or semimonthly payrolls.

Overtime has a calculation exception

Overtime is ordinarily due on the regular payday for the period in which it was earned. If the correct amount cannot be determined by then, payment may be delayed only as long as reasonably necessary to compute and arrange it, and in all events no later than the regular payday following the next pay period.

Established payday and payment delivery

The employer establishes the specific payday. Direct-deposit or other electronic funds must be available to the employee that day. A mailed check must be postmarked by payday; when payday is a weekend or holiday and the business office is closed, the mailing deadline moves to the next business day.

What trips people up

RCW 49.48.010 is frequently cited as Washington's payday statute, but its current text primarily addresses dishonored instruments, final pay, and deductions. The recurring frequency and lag rules are in the WAC payment- interval provisions.

The 10-day lag applies to pay periods shorter than a month. A monthly payroll instead uses the rule's month-end structure and express last-seven-days rollover.

Coverage is distributed among parallel rules. WAC 296-126-001 excludes newspaper vendors/carriers, domestic or casual private-home labor, and agriculture from chapter 296-126, but the regulation itself directs readers to the chapter 49.46 and agricultural interval rules where applicable.

Common questions

May a Washington employer pay monthly?

Yes. Monthly is the longest ordinary payment interval under the rules.

How late may a biweekly payday occur?

No later than 10 calendar days after the biweekly pay period ends, unless a different law expressly applies.

Can overtime always wait until the next payroll?

No. The separate delay is available only when the correct amount cannot be determined by the normal payday, and it ends no later than the regular payday following the next pay period.

Statutes and sources

• WAC 296-126-001, -023. General coverage, monthly maximum, 10-day lag, seven-day rollover, overtime, payment delivery, and CBA terms. Official interval rule (accessed July 12, 2026).
• WAC 296-128-035 and 296-131-010. Parallel chapter 49.46 and agricultural payment-interval rules. Official agricultural rule (accessed July 12, 2026).
• RCW 49.48.082-.083. Administrative wage complaint, wages, interest, and willful penalty. Official § 49.48.083 (accessed July 12, 2026).
• RCW 49.52.050, .070. Willful deprivation and private double-wage remedy. Official § 49.52.070 (accessed July 12, 2026).