New Hampshire wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

How to file a wage claim in New Hampshire

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 New Hampshire Department of Labor

   File a wage claim with the New Hampshire Department of Labor online, or send the Wage Claim Form to the Hearings Bureau by mail (95 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301) or email ([email protected]). A wage claim is a request for a hearing: your employer is told about the claim and can respond, and both sides present evidence to a hearing officer. If you only want to report a problem, the Department also takes wage complaints, which are different from claims. Questions: 603-271-6294.

4. Watch the deadline

   Within 36 months from when the wages were due (NH Department of Labor wage claim page).

Minimum wage and overtime in New Hampshire

New Hampshire's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. The state rate equals the federal minimum wage (US DOL, State Minimum Wage Laws). No increase is scheduled.

Minimum wage (2026)

$7.25

Tipped cash wage

$3.27

Overtime

Time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, following the federal FLSA (RSA 279:21, VIII). No daily overtime.

Paydays: Weekly or every two weeks. Paying twice a month or monthly needs written permission from NHDOL (US DOL, State Payday Requirements).

Your final paycheck in New Hampshire

If you are fired or laid off

Within 72 hours of being fired (RSA 275:44).

If you quit

By the next regular payday; if you gave one pay period's notice, within 72 hours (RSA 275:44).

Law

RSA 275:44

When was your final paycheck due in New Hampshire?

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.

Retaliation and immigration status

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 deduct from wages only when the law requires it (such as taxes) or for something that benefits you with your prior written permission, such as insurance (RSA 275:48). Required uniforms with the company logo must be free, and their cost cannot be taken from your final paycheck.

Good to know in New Hampshire

• If you report to work at the employer's request, you must be paid for at least 2 hours (RSA 275:43-a).
• Your employer must tell you your rate of pay in writing when you are hired and when it changes (RSA 275:49).

Forms

• Wage Claim Form

Wage-theft calculator for New Hampshire

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 New Hampshire

Other states