Pay Frequency Laws by State
Federal law sets no pay schedule, your state does. Pick your state and the schedule your employer wants (or you're considering) and see whether it's legal, plus the payday-lag rule.
The 51-jurisdiction table
| State | Minimum frequency | Notes |
|---|
Weekly: Vermont, Rhode Island; New York for manual workers. Weekly or biweekly: Connecticut, Massachusetts (hourly), New Hampshire. At least twice a month (the largest group, 24 jurisdictions): AZ (ā¤16 days apart), WV (ā¤19 days), CA, TX, IL, OH, KY, MO, NV, NJ, GA, DCā¦ At least once a month: AK, CO, DE, ID, IA, KS, MI, MN (ā¤31 d), ND, OR (ā¤35 d), SD, WA, WI (ā¤31 d). No frequency rule: AL, FL, PA, SC, NC, NE, MT (LA/MS/WY apply twice-a-month only to listed industries).
Payday lag (max days between period end and payday): CA 7, DE 7, CT 8, RI 9, WA 10, IA 12 (no Sundays/holidays); MN ā¤31-day intervals; KY paydays must cover wages to within 18 days.
Monthly for exempt salaried: CA (salary paid by the 26th), DC, IL, MD, MO, NJ, NM, TX, UT, VA, MA (with choice), AZ/NV (only out-of-state payroll). Maine's 16-day rule excludes salaried employees.
Verified Sept 28, 2026 against state codes (A.R.S. 23-351, Cal. Lab. Code 204, 19 Del. C. 1102, 26 M.R.S. 621-A, MCL 408.472, Minn. Stat. 181.101, NRS 608.060, RSA 275:43, N.Y. Lab. Law 191, ORS 652.120, 21 V.S.A. 342, Va. Code 40.1-29, WAC 296-126-023, W. Va. Code 21-5-3, Wis. Stat. 109.03, Wyo. Stat. 27-4-101ā¦) and the U.S. DOL State Payday Requirements table where the code section was not directly readable.
Frequently asked
Is biweekly pay legal in a twice-a-month state?
Yes, a biweekly schedule puts at least two paydays in every calendar month, so it always satisfies a twice-a-month rule. Semimonthly (two fixed dates) and biweekly (every 14 days) both count.
Can my employer switch me to monthly pay?
Only if your state's minimum is monthly (13 states), there's no rule (7 states), or you fall in a salaried-exempt exception. In weekly states (VT, RI) the employer needs permission or advance notice, not just a policy change.
My employer pays late after the period ends, is that legal?
Frequency is half the rule: most states also cap the lag from period end to payday (7 days in CA/DE, 8 in CT, 9 in RI, 10 in WA, 12 in Iowa). A biweekly schedule that pays 20 days after the period ends can be illegal even though the frequency is fine.