Pay stub requirements in Missouri

01 — The law

What Missouri law requires

1. 01

   Corporations pay semimonthly and account for deductions monthly

   All corporations doing business in Missouri and all persons operating railroads or railroad shops pay wages as often as semimonthly, within sixteen days of the close of each payroll period. Either as part of the check, draft or other voucher, or separately, they furnish the employee at least once a month a statement showing the total amount of deductions for the period. Executive, administrative and professional employees and commission earners may be paid monthly at the employer’s option.

   RSMo § 290.080 — Employees paid semimonthly; statement of deductions →
2. 02

   A missing statement is a misdemeanor

   Any corporation or person violating section 290.080 is deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is fined not less than fifty dollars and not more than five hundred dollars for each offense. Missouri treats the pay interval and the deduction statement as one obligation carrying one penalty.

   RSMo § 290.080 — Employees paid semimonthly; statement of deductions →
3. 03

   Factory employees are paid every fifteen days

   Employees of manufactories operated in Missouri, including plate glass manufactories, are regularly paid in full at least once every fifteen days, and no more than five days of earnings may be held back at any pay day. An operator who refuses becomes immediately liable for double the sum due, recoverable by civil action.

   RSMo § 290.090 — Factory employees paid semimonthly →
4. 04

   Discharged employees are paid on the day of discharge

   Unpaid wages earned at the contract rate become due on the day of discharge or refusal to further employ. If the employee requests payment in writing and the money does not arrive within seven days, wages continue to accrue at the same rate as a penalty until paid, for up to sixty days. Commission earners whose duties require an audit are excepted.

   RSMo § 290.110 — Payment due discharged employee →
5. 05

   $15.00 an hour from January 1, 2026

   Section 290.502 set $13.75 per hour from January 1, 2025 and raised it by $1.25 to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2026, with the federal rate taking over automatically if it ever rises higher. Since August 28, 2025 the section also applies to public employers with respect to their employees.

   RSMo § 290.502 — Minimum wage rate →
6. 06

   Small retail and service businesses sit outside the rate

   The definitions in section 290.500 exclude from coverage any individual employed by a retail or service business whose annual gross volume of sales made or business done is less than five hundred thousand dollars. That threshold is why Missouri’s headline rate does not describe every job in the state.

   RSMo § 290.500 — Minimum wage law definitions →

02 — Local rates

Local rates above the Missouri minimum

03 — What we calculate

What this generator calculates for Missouri

State withholding for Missouri 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 every Missouri employer have to give me a pay stub?

No. Section 290.080 puts the deduction statement duty on corporations doing business in Missouri and on operators of railroads and railroad shops. An unincorporated employer outside those categories is not covered by that section, which is a genuine gap rather than an oversight in this summary.

How often does the statement of deductions have to arrive?

At least once a month, showing the total amount of deductions for the period. It may come as part of the check, draft or other voucher that pays the wages, or as a separate document, and the employer chooses which.

What is the minimum wage in Missouri in 2026?

$15.00 per hour from January 1, 2026, reached by a $1.25 step up from the $13.75 rate that applied through 2025. If the federal minimum wage ever rises above the state rate, the higher federal rate immediately becomes the Missouri minimum.

I was fired in Missouri. When are my wages due?

On the day of discharge. If you request payment in writing and the money or a valid check does not reach you within seven days, your wages keep accruing at the same rate as a penalty until you are paid, capped at sixty days.

Why does the Missouri minimum wage not cover my job?

The most common reason is the size threshold: individuals employed by a retail or service business with annual gross sales or business under five hundred thousand dollars are excluded from coverage by section 290.500. Several other categories are excluded in the same section.