Wage Claim Filing Deadlines by State

Deadlines are not processing times

A filing deadline decides whether a claim can be heard at all. Processing time decides how long the agency takes once the claim is filed. This guide covers filing deadlines only. How long each agency takes to investigate and decide is in the How Long Does a Wage Claim Take guide. Filing early protects the claim; it does not promise a fast decision.

For agency, form, and deadline side by side, see the Wage Claim Filing by State directory.

California

California states four filing windows on its Division of Labor Standards Enforcement page, read 2026-10-31. File within one year for penalties regarding a bounced check or failing to provide access to, or a copy of, payroll or personnel records. File within two years for an oral promise to pay more than minimum wage. File within three years for violations of minimum wage, overtime, unpaid rest and meal breaks, sick leave, illegal deductions from pay, or unpaid reimbursements. File within four years for a written contract. The window depends on the type of violation, so a single paycheck dispute can carry more than one clock.

New York

New York allows six years for an action to recover on a liability imposed by Labor Law article 6, under Labor Law section 198. The statute of limitations is tolled from the date an employee files a complaint with the Commissioner, or the Commissioner commences an investigation, whichever is earlier, until an order to comply becomes final, or, where no order issues, until the Commissioner notifies the complainant that the investigation has concluded. Workers can recover full wages, benefits, and wage supplements accrued during the six years before commencing the action. The six-year period is not a processing promise. Federal Fair Labor Standards Act claims in New York carry the shorter two-year period, or three years for a willful violation, and that federal clock is separate from the state six-year clock.

Texas

A Texas Workforce Commission wage claim under the Texas Payday Law must be filed within 180 days after the date the wages became due.

Illinois

Illinois Department of Labor complaints must be filed within one year after the wages or final compensation were due, under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act and the Department rule at 56 Ill. Adm. Code section 300.940. The Department limits its investigation to the 3 years before the complaint was filed, which is a lookback limit, not a filing extension: a complaint filed 13 months after wages were due is late for the agency route even if the wages fall within the 3-year lookback. Wage claims under section 13.5 of the Act, covering construction industry claims against a primary contractor, must be filed within three years.

Washington

Washington requires a worker rights complaint or a court action within three years of when the violation occurred, or the date wages were owed. The Department of Labor and Industries states the three-year filing rule on its Worker Rights Complaints page, and its complaint form states that it can investigate wage complaints within 3 years of the date the worker should have been paid. Retaliation complaints carry a shorter 180-day filing period. The three-year period is the filing deadline for the wage claim itself; the 60-day decision aim described in the processing guide is a separate agency timeline.

Oregon

Oregon states no single agency filing deadline on the Bureau of Labor and Industries pages read for this guide. Secondary guidance for the Wage and Hour Division states a general statute of limitations of six years for wage cases, and two years for overtime cases, and states that the Division can only help if a claim is filed within those periods.

Colorado

Colorado allows two years to file a wage claim, or three years if the violation was willful, under the Colorado Wage Claim Act, section 8-4-122. The clock starts when wages first become due, not at termination, according to Colorado Supreme Court guidance summarized in the sources read. The same two-year and three-year framework applies to administrative complaints filed with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and to private lawsuits. The Colorado Supreme Court confirmed in 2025 that the two-year and three-year period, not a six-year general period, governs Colorado Minimum Wage Act claims. File within two years unless willfulness can be shown; do not rely on three years without that showing.

Florida

Florida has no state agency filing deadline to state, because Florida has no state agency that enforces wage and hour laws. Two other clocks apply. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a lawsuit must be filed within two years, or three years for a willful violation.

Source

Sources: California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, How to File a Wage Claim, read 2026-10-31; New York Labor Law section 198; Texas Workforce Commission, Wage Claim and Appeal Process in Texas, read 2026-10-31, and Texas Payday Law 180-day guidance; Illinois Department of Labor, Wage Payment and Collection Act FAQ and Filing a Claim FAQ, and 56 Ill. Adm. Code section 300.940; Washington Department of Labor and Industries, Worker Rights Complaints and form F700-148-000; Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries wage and hour guidance as summarized in secondary sources; Colorado Revised Statutes section 8-4-122 and Colorado Supreme Court guidance in By the Rockies v. Perez (2025); Florida Statutes section 448.110 and federal Fair Labor Standards Act limitations as summarized in secondary sources, and the state labor agency listing stating Florida has no state wage and hour enforcement agency. State wage-claim guides on this site, verified on the dates stated in their own Source sections, were used for registry-current synthesis, and at least three primaries (California, Texas, Illinois) were re-opened or read in full this run. Facts verified 2026-10-31. Open flags: the Oregon six-year and two-year figures and the Florida four-year and five-year figures were not stated on agency pages opened this run and are reported as secondary guidance; no deadline was stated for a Florida state agency route because no such route was found in the pages read.

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 your state motor vehicle agency or court.