Minnesota · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Minnesota wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

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

$11.41minimum wage in 2026
$11.41tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
See the rulesfinal pay if fired
2 yearstime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Minnesota

Wage claims in Minnesota go to this state office. Filing is usually free.

Office
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Labor Standards Division
Phone
651-284-5075
Languages
Wage claim fact sheet in Spanish, Hmong and Somali; video in Spanish; Spanish help at 651-284-5075, option 2, or [email protected]
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 Minnesota

  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 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

    Call Labor Standards at 651-284-5075 (or 800-342-5354) or e-mail [email protected]; an investigator will contact you within two business days and take your claim over the phone. Have your employer's name, address, phone and owner's name, your pay rates, unpaid hours or missed paydays, illegal deductions, your last day of work and the date you asked for your final pay. Filing is free; the investigator works to get the employer to pay, and DLI can order back pay plus an equal amount in damages. You can also sue directly in district court, and the Minnesota Attorney General's Office also enforces wage laws.

  4. Watch the deadline

    2 years to recover unpaid wages, overtime, damages or penalties; 3 years if the nonpayment was willful or the employer did not turn over payroll records to DLI when asked (Minn. Stat. § 541.07(5)).

Minimum wage and overtime in Minnesota

Minnesota's minimum wage is $11.41 an hour in 2026 for all employers in the state, adjusted for inflation each January 1. Employers may pay workers under 20 a training wage of $9.31 for their first 90 days. It rises to $11.87 on January 1, 2027 (training wage $9.68). Minneapolis and St. Paul have their own, higher city minimum wages.

Minimum wage (2026)
$11.41
Tipped cash wage
$11.41
Next change
$11.87 on January 1, 2027

Overtime

Minnesota state law requires 1.5 times your regular rate only after 48 hours in a workweek. But most workers are also covered by federal law, which requires overtime after 40 hours, and the better rule applies. There is no daily overtime (except some health care facilities using a 14-day period: after 8 hours a day and 80 hours in 14 days).

Paydays: At least once every 31 days on a regular payday set in advance; commissions at least every 3 months (Minn. Stat. § 181.101).

Your final paycheck in Minnesota

If you are fired or laid off
Wages are due immediately when you make a written demand; if not paid within 24 hours of your written demand, the employer owes a penalty. Without a demand, usually by the next regular payday.
If you quit
By the first regular payday after your last day. If that payday is less than 5 days away, by the second payday, but never more than 20 days after your last day. Migrant workers who quit must be paid within 3 days.
Law
Minn. Stat. §§ 181.13, 181.14

When was your final paycheck due in Minnesota?

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

If final wages are not paid within 24 hours after your written demand, the employer owes a penalty of one day's average pay for each day late, up to 15 days, plus the wages (Minn. Stat. §§ 181.13, 181.14). For minimum wage, overtime and tip violations, the employer owes the unpaid amount plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, plus attorney fees and costs (Minn. Stat. § 177.27, subds. 7, 8, 10). Illegal deductions: twice the amount deducted (§ 181.79). Wage-law suits under § 181.171 also carry mandatory attorney fees. Intentional wage theft is a crime.

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not fire, discipline, threaten or punish you for asserting wage rights, including filing a complaint with DLI or telling the employer you plan to; the employer faces a civil penalty of $700 to $3,000 per violation on top of other remedies (Minn. Stat. § 181.03, subd. 6).

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 cannot deduct for lost or stolen property, damage, or other debts unless you agree in writing after the loss happens, or a court finds you liable (Minn. Stat. § 181.79). Minnesota bans tip credits: you get the full minimum wage plus your tips. Tips belong to you; the employer cannot require tip sharing, though workers may agree among themselves to pool tips, and card tips must be paid by the next pay period (Minn. Stat. § 177.24).

Good to know in Minnesota

  • Put your request for final pay in writing - the 24-hour penalty clock in §§ 181.13 and 181.14 only starts after a written demand.
  • No tip credit: tipped workers must get at least $11.41 an hour from the employer, plus tips (Minn. Stat. § 177.24, subd. 2).
  • Uniform and equipment deductions are capped at $50 and must be refunded when you leave (Minn. Stat. § 177.24, subds. 4-5).

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Minnesota

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.

Minnesota overtime rule: Minnesota state law requires 1.5 times your regular rate only after 48 hours in a workweek. But most workers are also covered by federal law, which requires overtime after 40 hours, and the better rule applies. There is no daily overtime (except some health care facilities using a 14-day period: after 8 hours a day and 80 hours in 14 days).

Penalties your employer may also owe in Minnesota: If final wages are not paid within 24 hours after your written demand, the employer owes a penalty of one day's average pay for each day late, up to 15 days, plus the wages (Minn. Stat. §§ 181.13, 181.14). For minimum wage, overtime and tip violations, the employer owes the unpaid amount plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, plus attorney fees and costs (Minn. Stat. § 177.27, subds. 7, 8, 10). Illegal deductions: twice the amount deducted (§ 181.79). Wage-law suits under § 181.171 also carry mandatory attorney fees. Intentional wage theft is a crime.

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 Minnesota’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 Minnesota

Where do I file a wage claim in Minnesota?

With Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Labor Standards Division. Phone: 651-284-5075. Call Labor Standards at 651-284-5075 (or 800-342-5354) or e-mail [email protected]; an investigator will contact you within two business days and take your claim over the phone. Have your employer's name, address, phone and owner's name, your pay rates, unpaid hours or missed paydays, illegal deductions, your last day of work and the date you asked for your final pay. Filing is free; the investigator works to get the employer to pay, and DLI can order back pay plus an equal amount in damages. You can also sue directly in district court, and the Minnesota Attorney General's Office also enforces wage laws.

What is the minimum wage in Minnesota in 2026?

Minnesota's minimum wage is $11.41 an hour in 2026 for all employers in the state, adjusted for inflation each January 1. Employers may pay workers under 20 a training wage of $9.31 for their first 90 days. It rises to $11.87 on January 1, 2027 (training wage $9.68). Minneapolis and St. Paul have their own, higher city minimum wages.

Does Minnesota have daily overtime?

Minnesota state law requires 1.5 times your regular rate only after 48 hours in a workweek. But most workers are also covered by federal law, which requires overtime after 40 hours, and the better rule applies. There is no daily overtime (except some health care facilities using a 14-day period: after 8 hours a day and 80 hours in 14 days).

When is my final paycheck due in Minnesota if I'm fired?

Wages are due immediately when you make a written demand; if not paid within 24 hours of your written demand, the employer owes a penalty. Without a demand, usually by the next regular payday.

When is my final paycheck due in Minnesota if I quit?

By the first regular payday after your last day. If that payday is less than 5 days away, by the second payday, but never more than 20 days after your last day. Migrant workers who quit must be paid within 3 days.

How long do I have to file a wage claim in Minnesota?

2 years to recover unpaid wages, overtime, damages or penalties; 3 years if the nonpayment was willful or the employer did not turn over payroll records to DLI when asked (Minn. Stat. § 541.07(5)).

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Minnesota?

If final wages are not paid within 24 hours after your written demand, the employer owes a penalty of one day's average pay for each day late, up to 15 days, plus the wages (Minn. Stat. §§ 181.13, 181.14). For minimum wage, overtime and tip violations, the employer owes the unpaid amount plus an equal amount as liquidated damages, plus attorney fees and costs (Minn. Stat. § 177.27, subds. 7, 8, 10). Illegal deductions: twice the amount deducted (§ 181.79). Wage-law suits under § 181.171 also carry mandatory attorney fees. Intentional wage theft is a crime.

Can my employer fire me for filing a wage claim in Minnesota?

Your employer may not fire, discipline, threaten or punish you for asserting wage rights, including filing a complaint with DLI or telling the employer you plan to; the employer faces a civil penalty of $700 to $3,000 per violation on top of other remedies (Minn. Stat. § 181.03, subd. 6).

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

Small claims in Minnesota
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

Other states