District of Columbia · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

District of Columbia wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

Not paid for all your hours, no overtime, or no final paycheck? Here is District of Columbia’s minimum wage, the final-paycheck rules, the deadlines and where to file, in plain English.

$18.40minimum wage in 2026
$10.30tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
See the rulesfinal pay if fired
3 yearstime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in District of Columbia

Wage claims in District of Columbia go to this state office. Filing is usually free.

Office
DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), Office of Wage-Hour (OWH)
Phone
202-671-1880
Languages
Claim forms and filing instructions in English and Spanish; Spanish site at es.does.dc.gov
Official wage claim page

For federal minimum wage and overtime you can also contact the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: 1-866-487-9243. How federal claims work.

How to file a wage claim in District of Columbia

  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 DC Department of Employment Services

    Download the right claim form from DOES (Wage Payment, Minimum Wage/Overtime, Retaliation, Sick and Safe Leave, Living Wage or Domestic Worker), fill it out, and email, mail or deliver it to the Office of Wage-Hour; you can walk in or make an appointment at 202-671-1880. Use a separate form for each employer. A compliance specialist reviews it, opens a case, and sends your employer a letter asking for a written response and time records; cases are handled in the order received. Filing is free. You can also report wage violations to the DC Attorney General at 202-724-7730, or sue in court yourself; filing with OWH may keep you from bringing the same claim in court.

  4. Watch the deadline

    3 years after the wages were due, or after the last violation if it is continuing; the period can be tolled in some cases (D.C. Code § 32-1308). DOES applies the same 3 years to claims for unpaid wages, minimum wage, overtime, commissions, illegal deductions, vacation, holiday and sick pay.

Minimum wage and overtime in District of Columbia

DC's minimum wage is $18.40 an hour since July 1, 2026, for all workers regardless of employer size. It goes up every July 1 based on the area Consumer Price Index. You are covered if you regularly spend more than half your work time in DC, and you are owed DC minimum wage for every hour worked in DC in any week you work at least 2 hours there for the same employer.

Minimum wage (2026)
$18.40
Tipped cash wage
$10.30
Next change
Adjusted for inflation on July 1, 2027 (amount not yet announced)

Overtime

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. DC has no daily overtime rule. DC also requires extra pay in some cases: if you report to work and get less than 4 hours (and your shifts are usually longer), you must be paid for at least 4 hours; and a split shift earns one extra hour at minimum wage.

Paydays: At least twice each calendar month on regular paydays set in advance, with no more than 10 working days between the end of the pay period and payday; executive, administrative and professional employees can be paid monthly (D.C. Code § 32-1302).

Your final paycheck in District of Columbia

If you are fired or laid off
By the next working day after you are fired (4 days if you handled the employer's money, so accounts can be checked).
If you quit
By the next regular payday or within 7 days after you quit, whichever comes first.
Law
D.C. Code § 32-1303

When was your final paycheck due in District of Columbia?

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.

Enter your last day of workThe result appears when you pick a date.

Dates are approximate: we skip weekends for business and working days but not holidays. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Penalties your employer may owe

For a late final paycheck, the employer owes liquidated damages of 10% of the unpaid wages for each working day it is late, up to three times the unpaid wages (D.C. Code § 32-1303(4)). For unpaid minimum wage, overtime or other wages, you can recover the back wages plus liquidated damages equal to three times the unpaid wages, plus attorney's fees and costs (D.C. Code §§ 32-1012, 32-1308). The DC Attorney General says employers can also face penalties of $50 to $100 per violation.

Retaliation and immigration status

It is illegal to fire, threaten or punish you for complaining about wages to your employer or the government, filing a claim, or testifying. Punishment within 90 days of a complaint is presumed to be retaliation, and you can get a civil penalty of $1,000 to $10,000 paid to you as liquidated damages, plus lost pay, reinstatement and attorney's fees (D.C. Code § 32-1311).

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 DC Attorney General says an employee's immigration status does not affect their right to the minimum wage.

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 can pay tipped workers $10.30 an hour only if wages plus tips equal at least the full $18.40 for every hour; the employer must give you itemized pay stubs showing cash and card tips. You keep your tips, or your fair share of a tip pool, and managers and supervisors cannot take part in a pool of servers' and bartenders' tips (DC Attorney General).

Good to know in District of Columbia

  • DC's penalties are among the strongest in the country: liquidated damages of three times the unpaid wages, on top of the wages themselves.
  • If you work in Maryland or Virginia, DOES says to contact those states' labor departments instead.
  • Misclassifying you as an independent contractor to avoid minimum wage or overtime is illegal in DC; OWH will investigate if you think you were misclassified.

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for District of Columbia

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.

If a higher city or county minimum wage applies where you work, enter that rate if it is more than you were promised.

Before taxes, if you know it. Leave it empty to see only what you were owed.

Fill in your pay, hours and weeksThe result appears as you type.

District of Columbia overtime rule: You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. DC has no daily overtime rule. DC also requires extra pay in some cases: if you report to work and get less than 4 hours (and your shifts are usually longer), you must be paid for at least 4 hours; and a split shift earns one extra hour at minimum wage.

Penalties your employer may also owe in District of Columbia: For a late final paycheck, the employer owes liquidated damages of 10% of the unpaid wages for each working day it is late, up to three times the unpaid wages (D.C. Code § 32-1303(4)). For unpaid minimum wage, overtime or other wages, you can recover the back wages plus liquidated damages equal to three times the unpaid wages, plus attorney's fees and costs (D.C. Code §§ 32-1012, 32-1308). The DC Attorney General says employers can also face penalties of $50 to $100 per violation.

Tipped workers: this calculator does not count tips. In many states your employer may pay a lower cash wage if your tips make up the difference to the minimum wage; see your state’s page.

An estimate from the numbers you enter and District of Columbia’s rules, not legal advice. Nothing you type in this calculator is sent anywhere.

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.

When you download or copy the letter, the details you typed are saved on our server. See our privacy policy.

The name on your pay stubs, checks or the business sign. If you only know the owner’s name, use that.

Use the calculator above if you are not sure.

We suggest 10 days.

What were you not paid? (required)

One or two sentences with dates, hours and amounts.

Questions about wage claims in District of Columbia

Where do I file a wage claim in District of Columbia?

With DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), Office of Wage-Hour (OWH). Phone: 202-671-1880. Download the right claim form from DOES (Wage Payment, Minimum Wage/Overtime, Retaliation, Sick and Safe Leave, Living Wage or Domestic Worker), fill it out, and email, mail or deliver it to the Office of Wage-Hour; you can walk in or make an appointment at 202-671-1880. Use a separate form for each employer. A compliance specialist reviews it, opens a case, and sends your employer a letter asking for a written response and time records; cases are handled in the order received. Filing is free. You can also report wage violations to the DC Attorney General at 202-724-7730, or sue in court yourself; filing with OWH may keep you from bringing the same claim in court.

What is the minimum wage in District of Columbia in 2026?

DC's minimum wage is $18.40 an hour since July 1, 2026, for all workers regardless of employer size. It goes up every July 1 based on the area Consumer Price Index. You are covered if you regularly spend more than half your work time in DC, and you are owed DC minimum wage for every hour worked in DC in any week you work at least 2 hours there for the same employer.

Does District of Columbia have daily overtime?

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. DC has no daily overtime rule. DC also requires extra pay in some cases: if you report to work and get less than 4 hours (and your shifts are usually longer), you must be paid for at least 4 hours; and a split shift earns one extra hour at minimum wage.

When is my final paycheck due in District of Columbia if I'm fired?

By the next working day after you are fired (4 days if you handled the employer's money, so accounts can be checked).

When is my final paycheck due in District of Columbia if I quit?

By the next regular payday or within 7 days after you quit, whichever comes first.

How long do I have to file a wage claim in District of Columbia?

3 years after the wages were due, or after the last violation if it is continuing; the period can be tolled in some cases (D.C. Code § 32-1308). DOES applies the same 3 years to claims for unpaid wages, minimum wage, overtime, commissions, illegal deductions, vacation, holiday and sick pay.

What can my employer owe besides my wages in District of Columbia?

For a late final paycheck, the employer owes liquidated damages of 10% of the unpaid wages for each working day it is late, up to three times the unpaid wages (D.C. Code § 32-1303(4)). For unpaid minimum wage, overtime or other wages, you can recover the back wages plus liquidated damages equal to three times the unpaid wages, plus attorney's fees and costs (D.C. Code §§ 32-1012, 32-1308). The DC Attorney General says employers can also face penalties of $50 to $100 per violation.

Can my employer fire me for filing a wage claim in District of Columbia?

It is illegal to fire, threaten or punish you for complaining about wages to your employer or the government, filing a claim, or testifying. Punishment within 90 days of a complaint is presumed to be retaliation, and you can get a civil penalty of $1,000 to $10,000 paid to you as liquidated damages, plus lost pay, reinstatement and attorney's fees (D.C. Code § 32-1311).

Employer still won't pay? Small claims court is often the next step for amounts under the state limit.

Small claims in District of Columbia
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

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