Utah · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Utah wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

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

$7.25minimum wage in 2026
$2.13tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
Within 24 hoursfinal pay if fired
1 yeartime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Utah

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

Office
Utah Labor Commission, Utah Antidiscrimination and Labor Division (UALD), Wage Claim Unit
Phone
801-530-6800
Languages
Wage claim intake questionnaire available in Spanish
Claim limit
UALD accepts wage claims from $50 up to $10,000 (Utah Code § 34-28-9(1)(c)-(d)). Claims of $10,000 or less must go through UALD before you can sue; larger claims can go straight to court (§ 34-28-9.5).
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 Utah

  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 Utah Labor Commission

    File a wage claim with the Wage Claim Unit online, or fill out the Wage Claim Assignment Form / intake questionnaire and email it ([email protected]), mail it, fax it to 801-530-7609, or bring it to the office. Include a pay stub or W-2 if you have one, and the dates you worked without pay. UALD sends your claim to the employer, who has 10 business days to answer; you may be offered free mediation, then an investigator issues a Preliminary Finding, and either side can ask for an informal hearing within 10 days. Filing is free; if the employer does not pay a final order, UALD files it in court and acts to collect.

  4. Watch the deadline

    File with UALD within 1 year after the day the wages were earned (Utah Code § 34-28-9(1)(e)). To collect the final-paycheck penalty in court, sue within 60 days after you were separated (§ 34-28-5(1)(c)(ii)). Federal FLSA claims: 2 years (3 if willful).

Minimum wage and overtime in Utah

Utah's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal rate. Workers under 18 may be paid a $4.25 training wage for their first 90 days. Tipped workers who get at least $30 a month in tips may be paid $2.13 an hour in cash if tips bring them up to $7.25. No increase is scheduled.

Minimum wage (2026)
$7.25
Tipped cash wage
$2.13

Overtime

Utah has no state overtime law. The Labor Commission sends overtime claims to the US Department of Labor (Salt Lake City office 801-524-5706). Under the federal FLSA, most hourly workers get 1.5 times their regular pay after 40 hours in a workweek. No daily overtime.

Paydays: At least twice a month (semimonthly) on paydays set in advance, and pay for each period is due within 10 days after it ends; yearly-salaried employees may be paid monthly by the 7th of the next month (Utah Code § 34-28-3(1)).

Your final paycheck in Utah

If you are fired or laid off
Within 24 hours after you are fired or laid off (mailed with a postmark no later than one day after, direct deposit started, or handed to you within 24 hours).
If you quit
On the next regular payday, if you had no written contract for a set period.
Law
Utah Code § 34-28-5

When was your final paycheck due in Utah?

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 you are fired and make a written demand, and the employer still does not pay within 24 hours, your daily wages keep running until paid, up to 60 days (Utah Code § 34-28-5(1)(c)); you must sue for this within 60 days of separation. UALD can add a penalty of 5% of the unpaid wages per day for up to 20 days, half of which goes to you (§ 34-28-9(2)). In court, a judge can award actual damages plus 2.5% of the unpaid wages per day for up to 20 days after the final order (§ 34-28-9.5(3)).

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not fire, demote, or otherwise punish you because you filed a wage complaint, testified, or are about to; you can file a request for agency action with UALD, which can order lost wages and benefits (Utah Code § 34-28-19).

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

An employer may not hold back or divert your wages unless a court order or state or federal law requires it, or you agreed in writing (Utah Code § 34-28-3(6)). Your employer also may not make you pay back or return part of your wages (§ 34-28-3(7)).

Good to know in Utah

  • To get the final-paycheck penalty, send your employer a written demand for your pay; without a written demand there is no penalty (Utah Code § 34-28-5(1)(c)(iii)).
  • UALD helps only people who work for private companies; state, county and city workers must use their employer's grievance process or go to court.
  • If your employer disputes part of your pay, it must still pay the amount it agrees you are owed, and cashing that check does not give up your claim to the rest (§ 34-28-6).

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Utah

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.

Utah overtime rule: Utah has no state overtime law. The Labor Commission sends overtime claims to the US Department of Labor (Salt Lake City office 801-524-5706). Under the federal FLSA, most hourly workers get 1.5 times their regular pay after 40 hours in a workweek. No daily overtime.

Penalties your employer may also owe in Utah: If you are fired and make a written demand, and the employer still does not pay within 24 hours, your daily wages keep running until paid, up to 60 days (Utah Code § 34-28-5(1)(c)); you must sue for this within 60 days of separation. UALD can add a penalty of 5% of the unpaid wages per day for up to 20 days, half of which goes to you (§ 34-28-9(2)). In court, a judge can award actual damages plus 2.5% of the unpaid wages per day for up to 20 days after the final order (§ 34-28-9.5(3)).

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 Utah’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 Utah

Where do I file a wage claim in Utah?

With Utah Labor Commission, Utah Antidiscrimination and Labor Division (UALD), Wage Claim Unit. Phone: 801-530-6800. File a wage claim with the Wage Claim Unit online, or fill out the Wage Claim Assignment Form / intake questionnaire and email it ([email protected]), mail it, fax it to 801-530-7609, or bring it to the office. Include a pay stub or W-2 if you have one, and the dates you worked without pay. UALD sends your claim to the employer, who has 10 business days to answer; you may be offered free mediation, then an investigator issues a Preliminary Finding, and either side can ask for an informal hearing within 10 days. Filing is free; if the employer does not pay a final order, UALD files it in court and acts to collect.

What is the minimum wage in Utah in 2026?

Utah's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal rate. Workers under 18 may be paid a $4.25 training wage for their first 90 days. Tipped workers who get at least $30 a month in tips may be paid $2.13 an hour in cash if tips bring them up to $7.25. No increase is scheduled.

Does Utah have daily overtime?

Utah has no state overtime law. The Labor Commission sends overtime claims to the US Department of Labor (Salt Lake City office 801-524-5706). Under the federal FLSA, most hourly workers get 1.5 times their regular pay after 40 hours in a workweek. No daily overtime.

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

Within 24 hours after you are fired or laid off (mailed with a postmark no later than one day after, direct deposit started, or handed to you within 24 hours).

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

On the next regular payday, if you had no written contract for a set period.

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

File with UALD within 1 year after the day the wages were earned (Utah Code § 34-28-9(1)(e)). To collect the final-paycheck penalty in court, sue within 60 days after you were separated (§ 34-28-5(1)(c)(ii)). Federal FLSA claims: 2 years (3 if willful).

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Utah?

If you are fired and make a written demand, and the employer still does not pay within 24 hours, your daily wages keep running until paid, up to 60 days (Utah Code § 34-28-5(1)(c)); you must sue for this within 60 days of separation. UALD can add a penalty of 5% of the unpaid wages per day for up to 20 days, half of which goes to you (§ 34-28-9(2)). In court, a judge can award actual damages plus 2.5% of the unpaid wages per day for up to 20 days after the final order (§ 34-28-9.5(3)).

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

Your employer may not fire, demote, or otherwise punish you because you filed a wage complaint, testified, or are about to; you can file a request for agency action with UALD, which can order lost wages and benefits (Utah Code § 34-28-19).

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

Small claims in Utah
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

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