Paying Terminated Employees in the District of Columbia

Employers in the District of Columbia must comply with these state requirements when making the final wage payment to terminated employees.

In the District of Columbia, unless otherwise specified in a union contract:

• discharged employees must be paid not later than the day following discharge
• employees who quit must be paid on the next regular payday or within seven days of quitting, whichever is earlier
• strikers must be paid on the next regular payday

For an employee who is responsible for the employer's money, four days are allowed for determining the accuracy of the employee's accounts, at which time all wages must be paid.

In case of failure to pay wages, the employer must pay 10 percent of the unpaid wages for each working day the failure continues or an amount equal to the wages that are due, whichever is smaller.