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Unpaid commissions in Connecticut: earned is earned

Commissions earned before separation are wages under § 31-71c and follow the same next-day and next-payday deadlines.

Employers usually argue the commission was not "earned" yet. The answer is in the plan's own words: if every condition the plan sets had been satisfied before you left, the timing clause moves the payment date, it does not erase the debt.

Statute
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-71c, 31-72
If fired
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 resigned
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)).
Late-pay penalty
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.
PTO
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).
Small claims limit
$5,000 for an individual
Last verified
2026-11-03 single source

What to put in the file before you write anything

  1. The commission plan or comp letter, including every amendment, and the exact definition of when a commission is earned.
  2. Deal records showing the sale closed, the customer paid, or whatever condition the plan requires.
  3. A calculation of each commission claimed, with the deal, the rate and the date the condition was met.
  4. Any email where a manager confirmed the amount — the most persuasive document in most commission disputes.

What the letter does that a phone call cannot

A demand letter fixes three things at once: the amount, the date each item was due, and the date the employer was on notice. Every forum that can help you — the Connecticut Department of Labor — Wage and Workplace Standards, a small claims judge — starts from those three facts. The letter is built from Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-71c, 31-72 and your own figures, so the deadline it states is the one that applies to your separation, not a generic thirty days.

If the amount fits inside $5,000, small claims court is usually faster than an agency queue; if it does not, the agency route and a demand first is the cheaper path.

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Questions

Are commissions wages in Connecticut?

Commissions earned before separation are wages under § 31-71c and follow the same next-day and next-payday deadlines.

My employer says commissions are paid only to current employees. Is that enforceable in Connecticut?

A clause that forfeits commissions already earned is the clause most often struck down when challenged. The employer can usually set the timing of payment; it is much harder for it to keep money the plan says you earned.

Other situations in Connecticut

being fired · resigning · a layoff · unused PTO · all Connecticut rules

Reviewed 2026-11-03 against the sources listed on the Connecticut page. This is a self-help document tool, not legal advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.