Arizona wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

How to file a wage claim in Arizona

1. Gather your records

   Dates and hours worked, your pay rate, pay stubs or bank deposits, texts or schedules, and the employer's name and address.

2. Ask in writing first (optional)

   A demand letter gives your employer a deadline to pay and shows you tried. Use the free letter on this page.

3. File with Industrial Commission of Arizona

   For unpaid wages of $12,000 or less, you can file a written wage claim with the Industrial Commission of Arizona's Labor Department within one year, instead of going to court (A.R.S. § 23-356). For minimum wage or paid sick time violations, anyone can file an administrative complaint with the Commission, and the Commission keeps the worker's name confidential as long as possible (A.R.S. § 23-364(C)). If the Department decides wages are owed, you or the Department can use that decision to get a court judgment and collect. You can also sue your employer in court instead.

4. Watch the deadline

   Wage claim with the Commission: within 1 year after the wages were due (A.R.S. § 23-356). Minimum wage or paid sick time lawsuit: within 2 years after the last violation, or 3 years if willful; the time is paused while the Commission investigates (A.R.S. § 23-364(H)).

Minimum wage and overtime in Arizona

Arizona's minimum wage is $15.15 an hour in 2026. It is adjusted every January 1 for inflation (A.R.S. § 23-363(B)). Cities and towns may set a higher local minimum wage (A.R.S. § 23-364(I)), so check your city's rate.

Minimum wage (2026)

$15.15

Tipped cash wage

$12.15

Overtime

Arizona has no state overtime law for private employers. Under federal law, covered workers get 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime.

Paydays: At least two paydays each month, no more than 16 days apart; overtime must be paid within 16 days after the pay period ends (A.R.S. § 23-351). Some out-of-state employers may pay exempt and supervisory staff monthly.

Your final paycheck in Arizona

If you are fired or laid off

Within 7 working days or by the end of the next regular pay period, whichever comes first (A.R.S. § 23-353(A)).

If you quit

By the regular payday for the pay period in which you quit; if you ask, it must be mailed to you (A.R.S. § 23-353(B)).

Law

A.R.S. § 23-353

When was your final paycheck due in Arizona?

Enter how your job ended and your last day of work. We show your state’s rule and, when the rule is a simple number of days or your next payday, the date.

Penalties your employer may owe

If your employer fails to pay wages it owes, you can sue and ask the court for up to three times the unpaid wages (treble damages) (A.R.S. § 23-355). For unpaid minimum wage or paid sick time, the employer must pay what it owes plus interest plus an extra amount equal to twice the underpayment, and attorney's fees and costs if you win (A.R.S. § 23-364(G)).

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not threaten, fire, suspend, demote, cut your hours or punish you for claiming minimum wage or paid sick time rights, helping someone else, or telling others about their rights. Punishment within 90 days is presumed to be retaliation, and the employer must pay at least $150 for each day the violation continued (A.R.S. § 23-364(B), (G)).

Federal law also makes it illegal to fire or punish you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating in an investigation (US DOL Fact Sheet #77A).

The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces federal wage law without regard to immigration status, and its services are free and confidential whether you are documented or not (US DOL).

Deductions and tips

Your employer may not withhold any part of your wages unless required by law, you gave prior written authorization (which you can revoke in writing), or there is a reasonable good-faith dispute about the amount owed (A.R.S. § 23-352). For tipped workers, the employer may pay up to $3.00 less than the minimum wage ($12.15 in 2026) only if its records show your tips bring you up to the full minimum wage every week (A.R.S. § 23-363(C)).

Good to know in Arizona

• In court, you can ask for up to three times your unpaid wages (A.R.S. § 23-355).
• Employers must keep payroll records for 4 years; if they do not, the law presumes they did not pay the minimum wage (A.R.S. § 23-364(D)).

Wage-theft calculator for Arizona

Work out what you should have been paid: at least the minimum wage for every hour, plus overtime. Then compare it with what you got.

Free demand letter for unpaid wages

A short, firm letter asking your employer to pay what it owes by a deadline. Many workers get paid at this step, and in some states a written demand starts penalties or makes the employer pay your attorney fees later. Fill this in, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail or an email you keep.

Questions about wage claims in Arizona

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