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Connecticut 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.
If you are discharged, your wages must be paid in full not later than the business day after the date of discharge (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71c(b)). Connecticut is one of the few states with a next-day rule.
If you resign, your wages must be paid in full not later than the next regular payday, either through the usual pay channels or by mail (§ 31-71c(a)).
Connecticut treats accrued vacation as wages: earned, unused vacation must be paid at separation unless a written policy in force while it was earned provides otherwise (§ 31-74a).
Commissions earned before separation are wages under § 31-71c and follow the same next-day and next-payday deadlines.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-72: an employee whose wages were not paid as required may recover twice the full amount of the wages, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees. The doubling is the statute's own remedy, not a discretionary add-on.
On $2,000.00 of unpaid wages, a 2× provision would expose the employer to about $4,000.00 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 Connecticut Department of Labor — Wage and Workplace Standards, which handles wage claims administratively, usually at no cost. The alternative is small claims court, where the limit for an individual in Connecticut is $5,000. 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.
If you are discharged, your wages must be paid in full not later than the business day after the date of discharge (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71c(b)). Connecticut is one of the few states with a next-day rule.
If you resign, your wages must be paid in full not later than the next regular payday, either through the usual pay channels or by mail (§ 31-71c(a)).
Connecticut treats accrued vacation as wages: earned, unused vacation must be paid at separation unless a written policy in force while it was earned provides otherwise (§ 31-74a).
Two routes: file a wage claim with the Connecticut Department of Labor — Wage and Workplace Standards (https://portal.ct.gov/dol), or sue in small claims court where an individual's claim limit is $5,000. 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