Pay Stub Requirements in Hawaii

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Every private-sector payday gets the Chapter 388 statement

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 388-1 broadly defines employee but excludes the State, political subdivisions, and the United States from employer coverage. Haw. Rev. Stat. § 388-7(4) requires the private employer to furnish the statement “at every payday.” Haw. Admin. R. § 12-21-5(a)(1)-(3) adds both party names and the inclusive dates of the paid period, while subsection (b) requires a form the employee can retain as a personal record.

That baseline statement shows total gross compensation, each deduction's amount and purpose, total net compensation, payment date, and pay period. It does not make hours or rates universal Chapter 388 fields.

Chapter 387 adds detailed hours, earnings, and rate fields

For an employee covered by the Wage and Hour Law, § 387-6(c) requires a 14-category record every pay period. In addition to the baseline information, it identifies the employer's address and phone and separates total hours, regular and overtime hours, straight-time compensation, overtime compensation, and other compensation.

The record also gives every rate and its basis, including overtime rates. A piece-rate employee's statement must identify each applicable piece rate and the number of pieces completed at that rate.

Electronic delivery requires written authorization and usable access

Sections 387-6(c) and 388-7(4) make paper or other physical writing the default. An electronic substitute requires the employee's written authorization and must be electronically accessible.

DLIR's current guidance adds practical delivery conditions: the employee gets specific written retrieval instructions and must have access to equipment to print the statements. The employer retains electronic statements for at least six years.

The agency can order correction and assess penalties

DLIR expressly accepts complaints alleging a pay-statement violation. Under § 387-16(a) and § 388-9.5(a), a violation found through investigation that has not been corrected produces an order of wage payment violation.

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 387-12(a)-(b) supplies Chapter 387's civil and criminal consequences, while § 388-10(a) supplies Chapter 388's civil remedy. Both civil provisions impose a state penalty of at least $500 or $100 per violation, whichever is greater. Their employee-payment provisions are tied to wages legally proven due, so unpaid-wage doubling, interest, or attorney's fees should not be presented as an automatic award for a fully paid statement-only defect. A willful Chapter 387 violation also falls within the misdemeanor provision.

What trips people up

Hawaii has two overlapping lists, not one universal 14-field mandate. Chapter 388 supplies the broad private-sector baseline. Chapter 387's expanded list depends on that chapter's employee definition, which excludes several categories, including workers guaranteed at least $4,000 per month and bona fide executive, administrative, supervisory, professional, outside-sales, and outside-collector employees.

The pay period is not an hours field. HAR § 12-21-5(a)(3) requires “the inclusive dates of the period for which the employee is paid.”

Electronic availability alone is not enough. Written authorization, retrieval instructions, and access to printing equipment are separate conditions.

Common questions

Must every Hawaii statement show hours and rates?

No. Total gross compensation, deductions, net compensation, parties, payment date, and the paid period are the broad Chapter 388 baseline. The detailed hours, rates, and pay-basis list applies to employees covered by Chapter 387.

Can an employer switch everyone to electronic statements automatically?

No. The statutes require written employee authorization for the electronic substitute, and DLIR guidance requires usable retrieval and printing access.

Can a former employee demand six years of statement copies?

The six-year rule is an employer-retention duty. The cited provisions do not separately create a current- or former-employee historical inspection or copy procedure, response deadline, or copy charge.

Statutes and sources

• Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 388-1, 388-7(4); Haw. Admin. R. § 12-21-5. Broad private-sector coverage, payday statement, baseline fields, retainable form, electronic authorization, and six-year retention. Official § 388-7 and official rule (accessed July 14, 2026).
• Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 387-1, 387-6(c). Wage and Hour Law coverage and the expanded 14-category statement. Official § 387-6 (accessed July 14, 2026).
• Hawaii DLIR electronic-pay-statement and complaint guidance. Written authorization, retrieval instructions, printing access, electronic retention, and agency complaint route. Electronic-statement guidance and complaint guidance (accessed July 14, 2026).
• Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 387-12, 387-16, 388-9.5, 388-10. Orders, civil penalties, wage-linked employee recovery, and Chapter 387 criminal enforcement. Official § 387-12, official § 387-16, official § 388-9.5, and official § 388-10 (accessed July 14, 2026).