Where does Pennsylvania’s pay stub requirement actually come from?

From the regulations under the Minimum Wage Act, 34 Pa. Code § 231.36, not from the Wage Payment and Collection Law. It requires a statement with every payment of wages showing hours worked, rates paid, gross wages, allowances claimed as part of the minimum wage, deductions and net wages.

How long can my employer wait to pay me after a pay period ends?

No longer than the period set in a written contract, the customary lapse in your trade, or 15 days — whichever governs. Anything beyond that is a Wage Payment and Collection Law problem.

What happens if my employer simply does not pay?

After 30 days past the scheduled payday, a bona fide wage claim carries liquidated damages of 25 percent of the unpaid wages or $500, whichever is larger. You can sue, or file a claim with the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance, which notifies the employer by certified mail and gives it 10 days to pay or explain.

Do fringe benefits and unused vacation count as wages in Pennsylvania?

They are treated separately. The Wage Payment and Collection Law covers fringe benefits and wage supplements, but on their own clock: within 10 days after payment is required, or within 60 days after you file a proper claim. Regular wages run on the payday schedule instead.

How much state income tax comes out of a Pennsylvania paycheck?

Pennsylvania withholds a flat 3.07 percent of compensation, with no state standard deduction or personal exemption to reduce it. Local earned income tax is separate and is not part of the state rate.

Pay stub requirements in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania keeps its pay stub duty in the regulations rather than the statute: 34 Pa. Code § 231.36 requires a statement with every payment of wages listing six things. The Wage Payment and Collection Law handles the rest — paydays announced in advance, a hard 15-day backstop between the end of a pay period and payday, and liquidated damages of 25 percent or $500 when wages sit unpaid for 30 days. The state minimum wage is still the federal $7.25.

Pay stub required: Yes, under the wage regulations
Electronic delivery: Format is not specified
Minimum wage (2026): $7.25/hour
Pay frequency: On paydays designated in advance

What Pennsylvania law requires

Six items with every payment of wages
The regulation requires hours worked, rates paid, gross wages, any allowances claimed as part of the minimum wage, deductions, and net wages. It does not prescribe a medium, so paper and electronic statements are treated alike.
Source
Paydays designated in advance
Every employer must pay all wages other than fringe benefits and wage supplements on regularly scheduled paydays designated in advance, in cash or by bank check.
Source
Notice of pay rate and payment arrangements at hiring
At the time of hiring, the employer must tell the employee the time and place of payment, the rate of pay, and the amount of any fringe benefits or wage supplements to be paid to the employee, a third party or a fund on the employee’s behalf.
Source
Fifteen days is the outside limit
The gap between the end of a pay period and payday may not exceed whichever applies: the time set in a written employment contract, the standard time lapse customary in the trade, or 15 days. Overtime is included with the wages for the next following pay period.
Source
Fringe benefits and supplements have their own clock
Fringe benefits and wage supplements must be paid within 10 days after payment is required, or within 60 days after the employee files a proper claim.
Source
Liquidated damages after 30 days
An employee with a bona fide claim for wages unpaid 30 days after the regularly scheduled payday may claim 25 percent of the unpaid wages or $500, whichever is greater, on top of the wages themselves.
Source
Minimum wage matches the federal floor
Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act rate is $7.25 an hour, unchanged since the federal increase of 2009.
Source

What this generator calculates for Pennsylvania

State withholding for Pennsylvania 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.

See the Pennsylvania withholding tables and work out take-home pay

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Wage and hour law changes. Check the linked source before relying on any figure here, and treat this page as a starting point rather than legal advice.

Pay stub requirements in Pennsylvania

What Pennsylvania law requires

Six items with every payment of wages

Paydays designated in advance

Notice of pay rate and payment arrangements at hiring

Fifteen days is the outside limit

Fringe benefits and supplements have their own clock

Liquidated damages after 30 days

Minimum wage matches the federal floor