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Arizona sets its own deadline, its own penalty, and its own rule on unused vacation. Here is what the statute says, what it is worth to you, and where to file if the money never arrives.
On discharge, wages due must be paid within seven working days or by the end of the next regular pay period, whichever is sooner (A.R.S. § 23-353).
If you quit, all wages due are payable in the usual manner no later than the regular payday for the pay period in which you stopped working.
Arizona requires payout of accrued vacation only if the employer's policy or contract creates that right; a written use-it-or-lose-it policy can end the balance.
Commissions are wages once earned under the agreed plan; § 23-353 governs when they must be paid, and an unpaid commission can support a treble-damages claim.
A.R.S. § 23-355: an employer that fails to pay wages when due is liable for treble damages — three times the wages owed — where the failure is not justified. The court decides whether the multiplier applies.
On $2,000.00 of unpaid wages, a 3× provision would expose the employer to about $6,000.00 in total. Treat that number as leverage in the letter, not as a promise: a court or agency decides what is actually owed, and the penalty provisions usually require the employer to have acted wilfully or without good cause.
File with the Industrial Commission of Arizona — Labor Department, which handles wage claims administratively, usually at no cost. The alternative is small claims court, where the limit for an individual in Arizona is $3,500. Both routes go better with a dated written demand and a certified-mail receipt, because the first question either forum asks is when the employer knew.
On discharge, wages due must be paid within seven working days or by the end of the next regular pay period, whichever is sooner (A.R.S. § 23-353).
If you quit, all wages due are payable in the usual manner no later than the regular payday for the pay period in which you stopped working.
Arizona requires payout of accrued vacation only if the employer's policy or contract creates that right; a written use-it-or-lose-it policy can end the balance.
Two routes: file a wage claim with the Industrial Commission of Arizona — Labor Department (https://www.azica.gov/labor-wage-payment-requirements), or sue in small claims court where an individual's claim limit is $3,500. A dated written demand sent first is what makes either route easier, because it fixes the date the employer was on notice.
Only official sources are used: the state labor agency, the statute itself, and where relevant the U.S. Department of Labor. Third-party summary sites are deliberately excluded because they disagree with each other on penalty formulas.
Reviewed 2026-11-03 · reviewed again every 90 days.
being fired · resigning · a layoff · unused PTO · unpaid commissions