Missouri · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Missouri wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

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

$15.00minimum wage in 2026
$7.50tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
Immediatelyfinal pay if fired
3 yearstime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Missouri

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

Office
Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations - Division of Labor Standards (DLS)
Phone
573-751-3403
Claim limit
DLS only calculates back wages up to the state minimum wage ($15.00) and overtime; higher contract wages must be pursued privately (DLS complaint page).
File onlineOfficial 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 Missouri

  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 Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

    For minimum wage and overtime, file the free Minimum Wage Complaint Form online, call the Division of Labor Standards at 573-751-3403, or e-mail [email protected]; DLS then investigates. DLS can only figure back pay up to the $15.00 minimum wage plus overtime - not a higher promised rate - and it cannot take your case to court for you. To collect the rest, an unpaid final paycheck, or damages, you must sue the employer yourself (small amounts can go to small claims court).

  4. Watch the deadline

    3 years to sue for unpaid minimum wage or overtime under the state minimum wage law (RSMo 290.527). Note: an older general statute (RSMo 516.140) sets 2 years for minimum wage/overtime suits; see notes. Federal FLSA: 2 years, or 3 if willful.

Minimum wage and overtime in Missouri

Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour since January 1, 2026 (RSMo 290.502). Retail and service businesses with less than $500,000 in yearly gross sales do not have to pay the state rate (federal law may still require $7.25). Since August 28, 2025 the state rate also applies to public employers. After the 2025 law change, no further automatic increase is scheduled.

Minimum wage (2026)
$15.00
Tipped cash wage
$7.50

Overtime

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Workers at seasonal amusement or recreation businesses get overtime after 52 hours. Workers exempt under federal overtime law are also exempt under Missouri law. There is no daily overtime.

Paydays: Corporations (and railroads) must pay at least twice a month, within 16 days after each pay period ends; executive, administrative, professional and commission workers may be paid monthly (RSMo 290.080).

Your final paycheck in Missouri

If you are fired or laid off
Due on the day you are fired or let go. You can ask in writing (to your supervisor or timekeeper) for the money to be sent to you; if it does not arrive within 7 days of your written request, your wages keep running as a penalty until paid, for up to 60 days.
If you quit
Missouri law sets no special deadline when you quit; you should be paid on the regular payday.
Law
RSMo 290.110

When was your final paycheck due in Missouri?

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 minimum wage or overtime underpayment, the employer owes the unpaid wages plus an additional amount equal to twice the unpaid wages as liquidated damages, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees; an agreement to work for less is no defense (RSMo 290.527). For a late final paycheck after a written request, up to 60 days of continued wages as a penalty (RSMo 290.110). Paying below the minimum wage is also a class C misdemeanor (RSMo 290.525).

Retaliation and immigration status

It is a crime (class C misdemeanor) for an employer to fire or discriminate against you because you told the Division of Labor Standards you were not paid minimum wage or overtime, started a case, or testified (RSMo 290.525(7)).

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

Tipped workers who keep their tips must be paid at least 50% of the minimum wage ($7.50 an hour in 2026), and the employer must make up any shortfall so total pay reaches $15.00 (RSMo 290.512). No general Missouri statute on deductions was confirmed; federal rules bar deductions that cut pay below the minimum wage.

Good to know in Missouri

  • Send a written request for your final pay after you are fired - it starts the 7-day clock for the up-to-60-day penalty (RSMo 290.110).
  • Under the state minimum wage law, unpaid minimum wage or overtime can cost the employer the wages plus double that as liquidated damages (RSMo 290.527).
  • A Spanish version of the Missouri minimum wage poster is available from the Department of Labor.

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Missouri

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.

Missouri overtime rule: You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Workers at seasonal amusement or recreation businesses get overtime after 52 hours. Workers exempt under federal overtime law are also exempt under Missouri law. There is no daily overtime.

Penalties your employer may also owe in Missouri: For minimum wage or overtime underpayment, the employer owes the unpaid wages plus an additional amount equal to twice the unpaid wages as liquidated damages, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees; an agreement to work for less is no defense (RSMo 290.527). For a late final paycheck after a written request, up to 60 days of continued wages as a penalty (RSMo 290.110). Paying below the minimum wage is also a class C misdemeanor (RSMo 290.525).

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 Missouri’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 Missouri

Where do I file a wage claim in Missouri?

With Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations - Division of Labor Standards (DLS). Phone: 573-751-3403. For minimum wage and overtime, file the free Minimum Wage Complaint Form online, call the Division of Labor Standards at 573-751-3403, or e-mail [email protected]; DLS then investigates. DLS can only figure back pay up to the $15.00 minimum wage plus overtime - not a higher promised rate - and it cannot take your case to court for you. To collect the rest, an unpaid final paycheck, or damages, you must sue the employer yourself (small amounts can go to small claims court).

What is the minimum wage in Missouri in 2026?

Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour since January 1, 2026 (RSMo 290.502). Retail and service businesses with less than $500,000 in yearly gross sales do not have to pay the state rate (federal law may still require $7.25). Since August 28, 2025 the state rate also applies to public employers. After the 2025 law change, no further automatic increase is scheduled.

Does Missouri have daily overtime?

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Workers at seasonal amusement or recreation businesses get overtime after 52 hours. Workers exempt under federal overtime law are also exempt under Missouri law. There is no daily overtime.

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

Due on the day you are fired or let go. You can ask in writing (to your supervisor or timekeeper) for the money to be sent to you; if it does not arrive within 7 days of your written request, your wages keep running as a penalty until paid, for up to 60 days.

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

Missouri law sets no special deadline when you quit; you should be paid on the regular payday.

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

3 years to sue for unpaid minimum wage or overtime under the state minimum wage law (RSMo 290.527). Note: an older general statute (RSMo 516.140) sets 2 years for minimum wage/overtime suits; see notes. Federal FLSA: 2 years, or 3 if willful.

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Missouri?

For minimum wage or overtime underpayment, the employer owes the unpaid wages plus an additional amount equal to twice the unpaid wages as liquidated damages, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees; an agreement to work for less is no defense (RSMo 290.527). For a late final paycheck after a written request, up to 60 days of continued wages as a penalty (RSMo 290.110). Paying below the minimum wage is also a class C misdemeanor (RSMo 290.525).

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

It is a crime (class C misdemeanor) for an employer to fire or discriminate against you because you told the Division of Labor Standards you were not paid minimum wage or overtime, started a case, or testified (RSMo 290.525(7)).

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

Small claims in Missouri
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

Other states