Pay stub requirements in Wisconsin

What Wisconsin law requires

• Hours, rate and a reason for every deduction

  Employers are required to state clearly on each employee’s paycheck, pay envelope or other accompanying paper the number of hours worked, the rate of pay, and the amount of and reason for each deduction from wages. A reasonable coding system may be used. The only deductions that may be labelled simply as miscellaneous are those the employee requested for personal reasons.

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• Direct deposit does not remove the stub

  An employer has the right to require participation in a direct deposit program, and a mandatory program may not cost the employee anything. Even where wages are deposited directly, the employee must still receive a check stub showing the rate of pay, hours worked, and the amount of and reason for each deduction.

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• Electronic stubs need free printing

  The Department of Workforce Development allows employers to use electronic pay stubs, provided the employee has access to a printer and is not charged to print the stub each pay period. The condition is about the employee’s ability to keep a copy rather than about the format itself.

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• Monthly pay, and never more than 31 days apart

  Chapter 109 requires most Wisconsin employers to pay all wages earned at least monthly, with no longer than 31 days between pay periods, and more frequent schedules are of course allowed. Logging and farm labor may be paid quarterly; part-time firefighters and part-time emergency medical technicians must be paid at regular intervals, at least annually.

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• Deductions for damage need permission after the fact

  An employer may deduct for loss, theft, damage or faulty workmanship only where the employee authorises the deduction in writing after the problem occurs and before the deduction is made, or where a representative of the employee has found the employee at fault. Blanket authorisations are not valid, and an unauthorised deduction makes the employer liable for twice the amount.

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• $7.25, with a $2.33 tipped rate and a $5.90 opportunity wage

  Wisconsin’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Tipped employees must be paid at least $2.33 per hour in wages, and the employer makes up the difference if tips plus wages do not average $7.25 over the pay period. Employees under twenty may be paid an opportunity wage of $5.90 for their first ninety consecutive calendar days of employment.

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Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Wisconsin DWD — Wage payment and collection law
• Wisconsin DWD — Minimum wage

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.

Nearby states

• Minnesota
• Iowa
• Illinois
• Michigan
• Alabama
• Alaska