Pay stub requirements in Louisiana

01 — The law

What Louisiana law requires

1. 01

   The employer has to state the deal at hiring, and post it

   Every employer covered by the section must inform employees at the time of hire what wages they will be paid, the method of payment and the frequency, plus any later changes. It also posts a notice from Louisiana Works telling employees to complain to the employer first and then to the office of workforce development.

   Louisiana R.S. 23:633 — Payment twice monthly for certain occupations →
2. 02

   No designated payday means the first and the sixteenth

   An employer that fails to designate paydays must pay its employees on the first and sixteenth days of the month, or as near to those days as is practicable. Violating that or the twice-monthly rule carries a fine of $25 to $250 for each day, and a second offence can add at least ten days imprisonment.

   Louisiana R.S. 23:633 — Payment twice monthly for certain occupations →
3. 03

   Twice-monthly pay applies to named industries only

   Manufacturers of any kind, operations boring for oil, mining operations employing ten or more, and every public service corporation must pay at least twice a calendar month with paydays roughly two weeks apart. Except at public service corporations the rule skips the clerical force and salesmen, and it never reaches executive, administrative, supervisory, professional or FLSA-exempt staff.

   Louisiana R.S. 23:633 — Payment twice monthly for certain occupations →
4. 04

   Fines against employees are unlawful

   No employer may assess fines against employees or deduct any sum as a fine from their wages. The exceptions are narrow: wilful or negligent damage to goods, works or employer property, and theft of employer funds where the employee has been convicted or has pleaded guilty, and even then the deduction may not exceed the actual damage.

   Louisiana R.S. 23:635 — Assessment of fines against employees unlawful →
5. 05

   Final pay within fifteen days, or the next payday if sooner

   On discharge the employer pays what is then due on or before the next regular payday or within fifteen days, whichever comes first; on resignation the deadline runs from the payday for the cycle the employee was working. Payment may go by prepaid post, and the mailing date counts as the date of payment.

   Louisiana R.S. 23:631 — Payment after termination of employment →
6. 06

   Parishes and cities may not set a minimum wage

   Section 642 declares that decisions on minimum wage and employee benefit policy belong to the state, and bars every local governmental subdivision from setting a minimum wage rate or a mandatory minimum number of paid or unpaid vacation or sick days. New Orleans and Baton Rouge therefore run on the federal floor like the rest of the state.

   Louisiana R.S. 23:642 — Setting minimum wage or employee benefits prohibited →

02 — Local rates

Local rates above the Louisiana minimum

03 — What we calculate

What this generator calculates for Louisiana

State withholding for Louisiana is calculated from the 2026 figures the state publishes, and our test suite holds those figures against the state's own published calculation rather than against arithmetic of ours.

04 — Questions

Frequently asked questions

Does Louisiana require my employer to give me a pay stub?

No. Title 23 has no provision on wage statements at all, so the itemized stub you receive is your employer own practice or its payroll provider default. What state law does guarantee is that you were told the rate, the method and the frequency before you started.

How often must I be paid in Louisiana?

Twice a calendar month if you work in manufacturing, oil boring or mining for an employer with ten or more employees, or for a public service corporation. Everyone else is paid on whatever paydays the employer designated, and on the first and sixteenth if it designated none.

Can a Louisiana employer fine me for a mistake at work?

Not as a fine. Deductions of that kind are unlawful except where you wilfully or negligently damaged goods or employer property, or were convicted of stealing employer funds, and the amount taken can never exceed the actual damage done.

What is the minimum wage in Louisiana?

The federal $7.25 an hour for employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Louisiana has no minimum wage law of its own, and since 1997 it has also forbidden any parish or city from adopting one locally.

When do I get my last paycheck after quitting in Louisiana?

By the next regular payday for the cycle you were working in, or within fifteen days of resigning, whichever comes first. The employer may post it to the address in its records, and the postmark rather than the delivery date is what counts as payment.