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Final Paycheck Laws in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, a fired employee must be paid in full on the day of discharge, an employee who quits must be paid by the next regular payday, and vacation pay due under an agreement counts as wages.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Massachusetts at a glance

Deadline if fired
Same day as discharge
Deadline if employee quits
Next regular payday
If there is no regular payday, wages are due on the following Saturday.
Accrued vacation paid out
Yes, vacation pay due counts as wages
Wages include holiday or vacation payments due under an oral or written agreement.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Massachusetts

When is a final paycheck due in Massachusetts if the employee is fired or laid off?

Deadline if fired in Massachusetts: Same day as discharge.

When is a final paycheck due in Massachusetts if the employee quits?

Deadline if employee quits in Massachusetts: Next regular payday. If there is no regular payday, wages are due on the following Saturday.

Does Massachusetts law require employers to pay out accrued vacation when a job ends?

Yes, vacation pay due counts as wages. Accrued vacation paid out in Massachusetts: yes, vacation pay due counts as wages. Wages include holiday or vacation payments due under an oral or written agreement.

Where do the Massachusetts final paycheck laws come from?

The rules above come from Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, 148. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

What this means in practice

Note the exact last day of work and how the job ended, since the deadline often runs from that date and may differ for a firing, a layoff or a resignation. Some statutes also change the deadline when an employee quits without giving notice.

Read the employer's written vacation or paid time off policy and any employment contract. Where state law leaves vacation payout to the employer, the policy terms usually decide whether unused time is paid out or forfeited.

If a final paycheck is late or short, the state labor department usually accepts wage claims, often without a lawyer. Some statutes add penalties for late payment, such as extra daily wages, so keep pay stubs, timesheets and any written communication about the final pay.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.