What is the deadline for a Texas wage claim?

No later than 180 days after the date the wages were originally due to be paid, and the TWC uses the date the wage claim is received to decide if it is timely.

What form is a Texas wage claim?

The online Payday Wage Claim, or the paper Form LL-1 wage claim form, mailed or faxed to the TWC Wage and Hour Department.

What must a Texas wage claim include?

Each type of unpaid wage claimed and how you determined the amount due, signed and declared as true under penalty of perjury, with a copy of your most recent payroll check or stub.

How to File a Wage Claim in Texas

The Texas rule in one table

Question	Texas rule
Agency	Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Wage and Hour Department, under the Texas Payday Law
Form	Online Payday Wage Claim, or paper Form LL-1
Filing deadline	No later than 180 days after the date the wages were originally due to be paid
Timeliness test	The date the TWC receives the claim
Claim contents	Each type of unpaid wage claimed and how you determined the amount due, signed and declared as true under penalty of perjury
Supporting document	A copy of your most recent payroll check or stub
More than one employer	A separate claim for each employer

What makes Texas different

Texas has the shortest agency filing deadline in this directory — 180 days — and it is measured from when the wages were due, not from when you left the job or discovered the shortfall. Because the TWC judges timeliness by its receipt date, not your mailing date, a claim mailed on day 179 that arrives on day 181 is late. File online where you can, so receipt is immediate. File a claim only for the part that is within the deadline — wages due more than 180 days ago fall outside the claim.

The process, step by step

Fix the date each batch of wages was due. The 180-day clock runs from the original due date of each wage payment, so list each pay period separately.
Work out each type of unpaid wage and how you calculated the amount due. The claim must identify each type claimed and how you determined the amount — hours, rate, overtime, commissions, or deductions, as applicable.
File online, or complete paper Form LL-1. The online Payday Wage Claim, or the paper Form LL-1 wage claim form, mailed or faxed to the TWC Wage and Hour Department. Use the secure online application where you can, so the claim is complete and immediately received. If you use the paper form, complete it, sign it, and declare it true under penalty of perjury.
Send supporting documents with the claim. Each type of unpaid wage claimed and how you determined the amount due, signed and declared as true under penalty of perjury, with a copy of your most recent payroll check or stub. Mail or fax any other information and documents that support the claim. If you are owed wages by more than one employer, submit a separate claim for each employer.
Watch the receipt date, not the sending date. No later than 180 days after the date the wages were originally due to be paid, and the TWC uses the date the wage claim is received to decide if it is timely.

For the deadline on the pay itself — when a final paycheck is due — see the Texas final paycheck deadline guide. Comparing states, the Wage Claim Filing by State directory puts all seven side by side.

Filing a wage claim in another state

Filing a wage claim in another state? See How to File a Wage Claim in Florida and How to File a Wage Claim in New York.

Source

Deadline, filing routes, and claim contents come from the Texas Workforce Commission: Texas Payday Law — How to File a Wage Claim and the Wage Claim and Appeal Process in Texas, which names Form LL-1 as the official paper form. Facts verified 2026-10-24.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice — for a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state labor or consumer agency.