Wisconsin employers are mandated by law to pay workers at statutorily defined intervals for work an employee has performed. When a person quits or is discharged from a job, the employer is also mandated to pay for the remaining unpaid hours within a set period as well. Except for logging and farm labor employers, companies must pay workers a minimum of once monthly. The pay to workers must cover all hours worked not more than 31 days in the past. Logging and farm labor employers must pay workers at a minimum of once quarterly.
If workers are absent when they were to be paid, the employer must pay them within six days. Certain employees are exempt, including those who are covered under a collective bargaining agreement that provides an alternate payment interval, school district employees who want to extend their salaries over 12 months instead of taking all of it during the school year, part time volunteer firemen and EMTs who agree to be paid less frequently and unclassified workers with the University of Wisconsin.
An employee who quits or who is terminated must be paid within 24 hours by the employer. If an employee dies, the employer must pay the employee’s spouse within five days of the spouse’s request.
When an employer violates the wage payment laws in Wisconsin, employees are able to seek enforcement action by filing wage claims. Through such a course of action, a worker may be able to recover all back pay as well as possible additional amounts. Those who believe their employer has violated the wage payment and employment laws of the state may benefit by consulting with an employment law attorney to determine the remedies that may be available.
Source: Wisconsin State Legislature , “ When wages payable; pay orders.“, January 02, 2015
