Oregon
Oregon Final Paycheck Laws: One of the Fastest Deadlines in the Country
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 13, 2026). How we verify our legal content
Oregon fires the fastest final-paycheck clock in this cluster: wages are due by the end of the first business day after a discharge, and the deadline for a quit depends on how much notice the employee gave.
Information last verified on 2026-08-12. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
The Discharge Deadline: End of the First Business Day
ORS 652.140 sets Oregon's discharge deadline in plain terms: "all wages earned and unpaid at the time of the discharge or termination become due and payable not later than the end of the first business day after the discharge or termination." That is not a vague "promptly" standard, and it is genuinely fast by national comparison, closer to an immediate-payment rule than to the next-payday rule that governs most of the country. An Oregon employer that fires someone on a Monday owes the full final paycheck by the end of business on Tuesday at the latest.
The Quit Deadline: It Depends on Notice
Oregon splits the quit deadline on whether the employee gave adequate notice. Under ORS 652.140, an employee who gives the employer at least 48 hours' notice before quitting, not counting Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, is entitled to immediate payment on the last day worked. An employee who quits without that notice has a longer, but still fast, window: wages are due within 5 days after quitting (again excluding weekends and holidays) or at the next regularly scheduled payday, whichever comes first.
A third branch covers employees who are regularly required to submit time records so the employer can work out what is owed. Under ORS 652.140(2)(c), an employee in that position who quits without giving 48 hours' notice is paid the employer's estimate of the wages due within five days of quitting, and the balance becomes due within five days after the employee submits the time records. ORS 652.150(1)(b) pairs with that branch: if the estimate comes in short, no penalty is assessed so long as the employer pays all earned and unpaid wages within five days of receiving the records.
The statute's own text uses this exact structure, and the correct citation for both notice scenarios is ORS 652.140, not ORS 652.145. That section applies only to seasonal farmworkers and should not be used as the general quit rule for other Oregon employees.
The Continuing-Wage Penalty
ORS 652.150 is Oregon's late-payment penalty, and it works differently than a flat percentage. It is also not automatic on a late check. The section applies only "if an employer willfully fails to pay any wages or compensation of any employee whose employment ceases," so a genuine dispute or an inadvertent shortfall is not the same thing as a willful refusal. Where that willfulness is present, the unpaid wages continue accruing "at the same hourly rate for eight hours per day until paid or until action therefor is commenced," up to a hard cap of 30 calendar days.
A second and separate cap limits the dollar total, and it is conditional rather than absolute. Under ORS 652.150(2), the penalty ordinarily may not exceed 100% of the unpaid wages. But if the employee submits a written notice of nonpayment and the employer still fails to pay the full amount within 12 days after receiving that notice, the 100% ceiling drops away. ORS 652.150(4) sets the caps aside altogether in two further situations: where the employer violated ORS 652.140 or 652.145 one or more times in the year before the employment ceased, or where the employer terminated one or more other employees on the same date.
The correct citation is ORS 652.150; ORS 652.195 addresses dishonored paychecks specifically and should not be cited as the general penalty rule for a simply late final paycheck.
PTO, Deductions, and Filing a Claim: Not Yet Confirmed
Oregon's treatment of PTO and vacation payout at separation was not independently researched for this article and is not stated here as fact either way. The same is true of Oregon's specific rules on what an employer may deduct from a final check. The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is the known wage-claim agency by name, but its process, forms, and any filing deadline were not confirmed this session. Contact BOLI directly, or see PTO payout laws by state and unpaid wages: how to file a claim for the general frameworks these questions fall under while Oregon-specific detail is confirmed.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Oregon final-paycheck law and does not constitute legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship. Oregon's PTO-payout rules, deduction rules, and BOLI filing process were not independently confirmed this session and are flagged accordingly. Confirm current requirements with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries or a licensed Oregon employment attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Related Articles
- Final Paycheck Laws by State
- Oregon At-Will Employment Laws
- Oregon Whistleblower Laws
- Oregon Statute of Limitations
- Oregon Debt Collection Laws
- How to Stop Wage Garnishment
- Oregon Unclaimed Property
- Oregon Bankruptcy
Last updated: 2026-08-12.
More Oregon Laws
- Oregon At-Will Employment Laws
- Oregon Debt Collection Laws
- Oregon Statute of Limitations
- Oregon Whistleblower Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast does an Oregon employer have to pay a final paycheck after firing someone?
By the end of the first business day after the discharge or termination, under ORS 652.140, one of the fastest deadlines of any state.
What if I quit my Oregon job instead of being fired?
With at least 48 hours' notice, wages are due immediately on the last day worked. Without that notice, wages are due within 5 days or the next regular payday, whichever comes first.
What penalty applies if an Oregon employer pays late?
ORS 652.150 penalty wages apply only where the employer willfully failed to pay. Where they do, unpaid wages continue accruing at the employee's hourly rate for 8 hours a day, capped at 30 days. A 100% ceiling normally limits the dollar total, but the employer loses it by failing to pay in full within 12 days of a written notice of nonpayment, and ORS 652.150(4) removes it entirely in some cases.
Is ORS 652.145 the right law for a general Oregon quit deadline?
No. That section applies only to seasonal farmworkers. The general quit and discharge rules are both in ORS 652.140.
Does Oregon require PTO payout when you leave a job?
This was not independently confirmed for this article. Contact the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries for a current answer.
Updates
Corrected the ORS 652.150 penalty discussion: penalty wages require a willful failure to pay, and the 100% cap is conditional rather than absolute, since an employer loses it by not paying in full within 12 days of a written notice of nonpayment and ORS 652.150(4) sets it aside entirely in some cases. Also added the ORS 652.140(2)(c) time-records branch of the quit deadline and its penalty safe harbor.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 652: Hours; Wages; Wage Claims; Records
§ 652.140Payment of wages on termination of employment; exception for collective bargainingIn force
(1) When an employer discharges an employee or when employment is terminated by mutual agreement, all wages earned and unpaid at the time of the discharge or termination become due and payable not later than the end of the first business day after the discharge or termination. (2)(a) When an employee who does not have a contract for a definite period quits employment, all wages earned and unpaid at the time of quitting become due and payable immediately if the employee has given to the employer not less than 48 hours’ notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, of intention to quit employment. (b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this subsection, if the employee has not given to the employer the notice described in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the wages become due and payable within five days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, after the employee has quit, or at the next regularly scheduled payday after the employee has quit, whichever event first occurs.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-03 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oregonlegislature.gov
Cited in 139 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):State ex rel Nilsen v. Johnston (1962) held that termination of employment under ORS 652.140 means a severance of the employment relationship rather than a temporary cessation of work. Wilson v. Smurfit Newsprint Corp. (2005) applied that reading to hold employees were terminated when their mill was sold.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Nordling v. Johnston (Oregon Supreme Court 1955, 205 Or. 315)✓Three loggers hired at piece rates were fired after a week and not paid. The court held whether they were employees rather than independent contractors was a jury question, and read the companion penalty in ORS 652.150 to run at each man's rate of pay, not his total earnings.
- State Ex Rel Nilsen v. JOHNSTON ET UX (Oregon Supreme Court 1962, 233 Or. 103)✓A pole cutter stopped work when rain halted the job, then demanded his wages; the employer paid five days late and called the penalty statute vague. The court read termination in ORS 652.140 as severance of the employment relationship, not a temporary halt in work, and affirmed.
- Wilson v. Smurfit Newsprint Corp. (Court of Appeals of Oregon 2005, 197 Or. App. 648)✓Workers at a Newberg paper mill kept their jobs after the mill was sold but were not paid within one business day. The court held they were terminated under ORS 652.140(1) when the sale closed, so their wages, including severance, came due then and penalty wages followed.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 652.150Penalty wage for failure to pay wages on termination of employmentIn force
(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, if an employer willfully fails to pay any wages or compensation of any employee whose employment ceases, as provided in ORS 652.140 and 652.145, then, as a penalty for the nonpayment, the wages or compensation of the employee shall continue from the due date thereof at the same hourly rate for eight hours per day until paid or until action therefor is commenced. However: (a) In no case shall the penalty wages or compensation continue for more than 30 days from the due date; and (b) A penalty may not be assessed under this section when an employer pays an employee the wages the employer estimates are due and payable under ORS 652.140 (2)(c) and the estimated amount of wages paid is less than the actual amount of earned and unpaid wages, as long as the employer pays the employee all wages earned and unpaid within five days after the employee submits the time records.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oregonlegislature.gov
Cited in 145 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Nordling v. Johnston (Oregon Supreme Court 1955, 205 Or. 315)“…and attorney's fees. ORS 652.140; Oregon Laws 1947, ch 193 (ORS 652.150); OCLA § 102-607 (ORS 652.200). From a…”
- Sabin v. Willamette-Western Corporation (Oregon Supreme Court 1976, 276 Or. 1083)“…O.U., and also to recover a penalty of 30 days’ wages under ORS 652.150 for wilful failure to pay both the vaca…”
- State Ex Rel Nilsen v. JOHNSTON ET UX (Oregon Supreme Court 1962, 233 Or. 103)“…alized the defendants in the amount of $111.80, pursuant to ORS 652.150. In addition, it allowed $75 attorneys…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 652.145Payment of wages for seasonal farmworkersIn force
(1) Notwithstanding ORS 652.140, if an employee has worked for an employer as a seasonal farmworker, whenever the employment terminates, all wages earned and unpaid become due and payable immediately except: (a) Wages are due and payable by noon on the day after termination of the employment of the seasonal farmworker if: (A) The termination occurs at the end of the harvest season; (B) The employer is a farmworker camp operator described in ORS 658.715 (1)(b) or (c); and (C) The farmworker is provided housing that complies with ORS 658.705 to 658.850 at no cost to the worker from the termination of work until wages due are paid. (b) If the employee quits without giving the employer at least 48 hours’ notice, wages earned and unpaid are due and payable within 48 hours after the employee has quit, or at the next regularly scheduled payday after the employee has quit, whichever event first occurs.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oregonlegislature.gov
Cited in 3 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2021
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Migis v. Autozone, Inc. (Court of Appeals of Oregon 2016, 282 Or. App. 774)“…he entire clause preceding the reference to ORS 652.140 and ORS 652.145 (¿.e., “willfully fails to pay”) if par…”
- Bobadilla-German v. Bear Creek Orchards, Inc. (Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2011, 641 F.3d 391)“…BOBADILLA-GERMAN v. BEAR CREEK 4997 Or. Rev. Stat. § 652.145 (emphasis added).3 The administra- tive…”
- Hernandez v. Siri and Son Farms (District Court, D. Oregon 2021)“…ights Act of 1866, 42 U.S.C. § 1981; and Oregon state law, ORS §§ 652.145, 652.150. Compl. ¶¶ 49–57, ECF No. 1. D…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 652.195Liability for dishonored check for payment of wages; penaltiesIn force
(1) An employer that issues to an employee a dishonored check for payment of wages due is liable to the employee for the remedies provided in ORS 30.701. (2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries may assess a civil penalty in an amount equal to the statutory damages provided by ORS 30.701 against an employer that issues a dishonored check to an employee for payment of wages due. (3) The commissioner may not assess a civil penalty under this section against an employer that has issued a dishonored check for payment of wages due to an employee if the employee has commenced an action under ORS 30.701 against the employer for the same dishonored check. (4) If the commissioner has assessed a civil penalty under subsection (2) of this section, an employee may not bring an action under ORS 30.701 against the employer for the same dishonored check. (5) All sums collected as penalties under this section shall be paid to the employee to whom the employer issued the dishonored check.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at oregonlegislature.gov
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Sources and References
- ORS 652.140, Payment of Wages on Termination of Employment(oregon.public.law)
- ORS 652.150, Penalty Wage for Failure to Pay Wages on Termination(oregon.public.law)
- ORS Chapter 652, Hours; Wages; Wage Claims; Records (Oregon Legislature official chapter text, including ORS 652.140 and 652.150)(oregonlegislature.gov)