If your employer hasn't paid your final wages, this page lays out exactly what Louisiana law requires, what it costs your employer to ignore it, and how a properly cited demand letter invokes both. Every deadline, penalty, and citation below was verified against the current statute text or official state guidance.

Louisiana's final paycheck deadlines at a glance

If you were fired or laid off Earlier of: next regular payday, or 15 days after separation
If you quit Same one rule
The penalty for nonpayment Penalty wages: 90 days' wages OR full wages from DEMAND until tender, whichever is LESS — plus mandatory fees after 3 days from first demand

When your final paycheck is due in Louisiana

Fired or resigned, one rule: all wages are due on or before the earlier of the next regular payday or 15 days after separation (La. R.S. 23:631).

What late payment costs your employer

The penalty is keyed to the demand: a failing or refusing employer owes EITHER 90 days' wages at the employee's daily rate, OR full wages running from the time the employee's demand is made until payment is tendered — whichever is less (R.S. 23:632(A)). Attorney fees are MANDATORY, taxed as costs, in any well-founded suit filed after 3 days have elapsed from the first demand following discharge or resignation. The 2012 good-faith carve-out (§ 632(B)): a genuine good-faith dispute limits exposure to wages plus judicial interest — but a bad-faith refusal restores the full Subsection A penalty.

Why the demand letter matters in Louisiana

THE LETTER IS DOUBLY THE TRIGGER — it starts the penalty-wage meter AND the 3-day fee-shift clock. Courts construe "demand" liberally (even oral suffices), so the dated written demand is simply the clean evidentiary version. Note the asymmetry: the penalty is measured in DAYS OF WAGES, not a percentage of the debt — a worker owed one week of pay can face an employer exposed to roughly 13x that in penalty wages.

Vacation and PTO in the final check

Accrued vacation IS a statutory "wage" if an oral or written policy provides it.

What a strong Louisiana demand letter looks like

An effective Louisiana letter does the following: date the demand, calculate the daily rate, state that penalty wages now accrue daily up to the 90-day cap, and calendar day 3 as the mandatory-fee trigger. Here's how the opening of a strong one reads:

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Louisiana Final Paycheck Demand — Preview
[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, LA ZIP] [Date] [Employer Name] [Employer Address] RE: Demand for Payment of Unpaid Final Wages — La. R.S. 23:631, 23:632 Dear [Employer Name], This letter is not a request. It is formal notice. I demand payment of my unpaid final wages in the amount of $[AMOUNT], earned through my last day of work on [LAST DAY WORKED]. Under La. R.S. 23:631, 23:632, my final wages were due as follows: earlier of: next regular payday, or 15 days after separation. As of today, [NUMBER] days have passed without payment. Be advised of your exposure under Louisiana law for continued nonpayment: penalty wages: 90 days' wages OR full wages from DEMAND until tender, whichever is LESS — plus mandatory fees after 3 days from first demand... Accordingly, demand is hereby made for payment of $[AMOUNT], together with all amounts the law allows, within ten (10) days of the date of this letter — no later than [RESPONSE DEADLINE]. If payment is not received by that date, I will pursue every remedy available under law without further notice. I would prefer to resolve this without litigation — but I am fully prepared to proceed. Govern yourself accordingly, [Your Name]

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Primary sources

law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/revised-statutes/title-23/rs-23-632/
www.grhg.net/navigating-the-louisiana-wage-payment-act/

This guide is general information about Louisiana law, not legal advice. Statutes are paraphrased; verify current law for your situation. For significant or contested claims, consult a licensed Louisiana attorney.