Pay stub requirements in Pennsylvania
Calculated
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
01 — The law
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.
34 Pa. Code § 231.36 (statement to employee) →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.
PA Department of Labor and Industry — Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law →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.
PA Department of Labor and Industry — Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law →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.
PA Department of Labor and Industry — Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law →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.
PA Department of Labor and Industry — Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law →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.
PA Department of Labor and Industry — Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law →Minimum wage matches the federal floor
Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act rate is $7.25 an hour, unchanged since the federal increase of 2009.
PA Department of Labor and Industry — Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act →
02 — Local rates
Local rates above the Pennsylvania minimum
No city or county rate above the Pennsylvania minimum is listed here. Where one exists it is set by a local ordinance, so an employer in a city with its own should check that ordinance before relying on the state figure.
03 — What we calculate
What this generator calculates for Pennsylvania
| Withholding line | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | irs.gov | Calculated |
| Social Security | ssa.gov | Calculated |
| Medicare | ssa.gov | Calculated |
| PA state income tax | pa.gov | Calculated |
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 →04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
- 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.
Sources
- 34 Pa. Code § 231.36 (statement to employee)
- PA Department of Labor and Industry — Summary of the Wage Payment and Collection Law
- PA Department of Labor and Industry — Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act
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.