Can my Washington employer print the pay details on the check itself?

No. WAC 296-126-040 defines an itemised pay statement as a separate written statement from the paycheck, issued on each payday. Details printed on the face of the check, or nowhere at all, do not meet the rule.

My employer only posts stubs to a portal. Is that allowed in Washington?

Yes, as long as you can both receive and copy the statement on payday. If you cannot get to it at work or at home on the established payday, the employer owes you a written statement on the payday instead.

Why does my Washington pay stub show a sick leave balance?

Because employers must notify each employee at least monthly of accrued paid sick leave, reductions since the last notice and the unused balance, and the rule expressly lets them do it through the regular payroll statement. Folding it into the stub is the cheapest way to comply.

How late can my Washington payday be after the pay period ends?

If the pay period is shorter than a month, the regular pay day has to be no later than ten calendar days after the pay period ends. Payment intervals themselves may be daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly, but never longer than monthly.

Do I get $17.13 an hour anywhere in Washington in 2026?

That is the statewide floor. Seattle sets its own rate of $21.30 for 2026 and applies it to employers of every size, and several other cities run local rates as well. Where a local rate is higher than the state one, the local rate is what you are owed.

Pay stub requirements in Washington

Washington asks for something most states do not: the itemised statement has to be a separate written document from the paycheck, and it has to identify the pay period by month, day, year and payment date. Pay basis, rate or rates, gross wages and all deductions belong on it. Electronic delivery is allowed only where the employee can receive and copy the statement on payday, and paper must follow if they cannot. On top of that, employers report the paid sick leave balance at least monthly, which is why most Washington stubs carry a sick leave line. The 2026 statewide minimum wage is $17.13.

Pay stub required: Yes, itemised, separate from the check
Electronic delivery: Yes, if you can receive and copy it
Minimum wage (2026): $17.13/hour statewide
Pay frequency: At least monthly

What Washington law requires

The statement is a separate document, not a stub line
Every employer furnishes each employee, at the time wages are paid, an itemised statement showing the pay basis (hours or days worked), the rate or rates of pay, gross wages and all deductions for that pay period. The rule then defines an itemised pay statement as a separate written statement from the paycheck, issued on each payday, with the pay period identified by month, day, year and payment date.
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Electronic delivery has a fallback built in
The statement may be furnished or made available electronically provided each employee has access to receive and copy it on the payday. If an employee cannot receive an electronic pay statement at work or at home on the established payday, the employer must give that employee a written pay statement on the payday instead.
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Monthly is the outer limit for payment intervals
An employer pays all wages owed on an established regular pay day at no longer than monthly payment intervals; daily, weekly, biweekly and semimonthly intervals are all permitted. Where the pay period is shorter than a month, the regular pay day must fall no later than ten calendar days after the end of the pay period.
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Paid sick leave gets reported at least monthly
Not less than monthly, employers give each employee written or electronic notification detailing paid sick leave accrued, reductions since the last notification and unused leave available for use. The rule says outright that employers may satisfy this by putting the information in regular payroll statements, which is why the balance usually rides on the pay stub.
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$17.13 statewide in 2026
Labor and Industries sets the 2026 minimum wage in the state of Washington at $17.13 per hour, up from $16.66 in 2025. Several cities run higher local rates on top of the state floor, and where a local rate is higher the employer pays that one.
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Tip crediting is not allowed here at all
Labor and Industries states it in as many words: tip crediting is not allowed, and tips are in addition to, and not a part of, an employee's state hourly minimum wage. The $17.13 therefore arrives from the employer whatever a shift takes in gratuities, and a stub where tips appear to have made up part of the hourly pay is showing something this state does not permit.
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Local rates above the Washington minimum

Seattle
The Seattle minimum wage is $21.30 per hour for 2026, applied to every employer regardless of size and adjusted each January by the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue CPI-W.
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What this generator calculates for Washington

Washington levies no personal income tax on wages, so a stub built here shows federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and leaves the state income tax line at zero because there is nothing to withhold.

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 Washington

What Washington law requires

The statement is a separate document, not a stub line

Electronic delivery has a fallback built in

Monthly is the outer limit for payment intervals

Paid sick leave gets reported at least monthly

$17.13 statewide in 2026

Tip crediting is not allowed here at all