If your employer hasn't paid your final wages, this page lays out exactly what Wyoming 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.
Wyoming's final paycheck deadlines at a glance
| If you were fired or laid off | The employer's usual practice on regularly scheduled payroll dates (or per CBA) |
| If you quit | Same one rule |
| The penalty for nonpayment | On winning in court: MANDATORY 18% annual interest from the discharge date + a reasonable attorney fee + ALL costs of suit |
When your final paycheck is due in Wyoming
Quit or discharged, wages are due in cash or bankable check no later than the employer's usual practice on regularly scheduled payroll dates, or per the collective bargaining agreement (§ 27-4-104(a)). The employer may offset sums the worker incurred during employment; commission sales agents are carved out pending audit or verification.
What late payment costs your employer
Wyoming's deadline is soft, but its interest meter is the sharpest in the country: when the worker establishes in court the amount justly due, "the court SHALL allow to the plaintiff interest on the past due wages at the rate of eighteen percent (18%) per annum from the date of discharge or termination... together with a reasonable attorney fee and all costs of suit" (§ 27-4-104(b)). The civil action doesn't preclude criminal prosecution: willful violations are a misdemeanor with fines of $500–$750 per offense (§ 27-4-105). There is no administrative penalty — DWS collects, holds unclaimed wages four months, and refers order-defying employers to the county attorney.
Why the demand letter matters in Wyoming
THE TWO-DOCUMENT VACATION DEMAND — earned vacation IS wages payable at separation UNLESS the employer's WRITTEN policy provides forfeiture AND the worker ACKNOWLEDGED it in writing (§ 27-4-501(a)(iii); WY AG Opinion No. 53). Missing either document, the balance is wages riding the 18%-plus-fees machinery. The letter demands production of both.
Vacation and PTO in the final check
Payable by default; forfeiture requires the written policy plus the signed acknowledgment — per the state's own DWS FAQ and the AG opinion.
Aggregators still publish the repealed "within five (5) business days" deadline. The current rule is regular payroll dates. Never cite five days.
Every figure on this page was verified against the current statute text or official state guidance.
What a strong Wyoming demand letter looks like
An effective Wyoming letter does the following: run the meter math — every month unpaid adds 1.5% by statute, and fees plus ALL costs are mandatory on victory. Offset disputes get the conceded-wages recital: written notice of the conceded amount, unconditional timely payment, acceptance not releasing the balance. Here's how the opening of a strong one reads:
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Primary sources
law.justia.com/codes/wyoming/title-27/chapter-4/article-1/section-27-4-104
wyomingworkforce.org/workers/labor/faq/
law.justia.com/codes/wyoming/title-27/chapter-4/article-5/section-27-4-507/
This guide is general information about Wyoming law, not legal advice. Statutes are paraphrased; verify current law for your situation. For significant or contested claims, consult a licensed Wyoming attorney.