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Fired in Missouri: when your last paycheck has to be paid

Being fired does not change what you are owed — it changes the deadline. In Missouri, on discharge — with or without cause — unpaid wages earned at the contract rate become due and payable on the day of the discharge (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110). Missouri is a same-day state.

If that date has passed and the money has not arrived, you are no longer asking for a favour; you are recording a missed legal deadline. That is the difference a demand letter makes.

Statute
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110
If fired
On discharge — with or without cause — unpaid wages earned at the contract rate become due and payable on the day of the discharge (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110). Missouri is a same-day state.
If you resigned
If you quit, wages are due on the next regular payday; the same-day rule in § 290.110 is written for employees who are discharged or refused further employment.
Late-pay penalty
Section 290.110 is titled 'penalty for delay': wages are due the day of discharge, and a late payment exposes the employer to a court-assessed penalty and, for a wilful failure, criminal exposure. The statute does not fix a percentage you can compute yourself, so this letter demands the wages and puts the exposure on the record.
PTO
Missouri requires payout of accrued vacation only where the employer's policy or contract provides for it.
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 exact date of your separation as it appears on the termination notice, the last timecard, or the last email from the employer — not the date you were told.
  2. Your final pay stub, or the absence of one, plus your last two regular stubs to prove the rate of pay.
  3. Any text, email or letter that states the reason for the termination. In Missouri the deadline does not depend on the reason, but the record does.
  4. A screenshot of the payroll portal showing the last payment date, so the gap is documented by the employer's own system.

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 Missouri Department of Labor — Division of Labor Standards, a small claims judge — starts from those three facts. The letter is built from Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110 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

Can my employer wait until the next payday after firing me in Missouri?

On discharge — with or without cause — unpaid wages earned at the contract rate become due and payable on the day of the discharge (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110). Missouri is a same-day state.

What can I claim on top of the wages in Missouri?

No separate statutory penalty is added to the wages themselves in Missouri. The remedy is the unpaid wages plus the enforcement route: a claim with the Missouri Department of Labor — Division of Labor Standards or small claims court (limit $5,000 for an individual).

Other situations in Missouri

resigning · a layoff · unused PTO · unpaid commissions · all Missouri rules

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