Unpaid wages in Massachusetts: what the law says

What the statute says

Final pay after being fired

0 days

Final pay detail

M.G.L. c. 149 s. 148: an employee discharged from employment 'shall be paid in full on the day of his discharge' (in Boston, as soon as the laws requiring payrolls, bills and accounts to be certified have been complied with).

Read the full rule

An employee who leaves voluntarily 'shall be paid in full on the following regular pay day.' There is therefore no fixed day-count for a voluntary quit, so final_paycheck_days_quit is omitted rather than guessed. The same section sets ordinary payday timing at within 6 days of the end of the pay period for employees working 5 or 6 days a week, and within 7 days for those working 7 days a week.

Penalty for paying late

Massachusetts has no California-style per-day waiting-time penalty. The penalty mechanism is instead the mandatory treble-damages award under M.G.L. c. 149 s. 150 for any lost wages and other benefits, plus litigation costs and reasonable attorneys' fees.

State minimum wage

$15.00 / hour

Overtime beyond federal law

M.G.L. c. 151 s. 1A: 1.5x the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a work week. Weekly threshold only - no daily overtime requirement.

Read the full rule

Not stronger than FLSA on the threshold, but the state exemption list is its own (roughly 20 enumerated categories, including an executive/administrative/professional exemption still written at '$80 or more per week'), so some employees exempt under the FLSA are covered by the state rule and vice versa.

Liquidated damages

M.G.L. c. 149 s. 150: a prevailing employee 'shall be awarded treble damages, as liquidated damages, for any lost wages and other benefits' - i.e. mandatory 3x, not discretionary - together with the costs of litigation and reasonable attorneys' fees.

Time limit to sue

3 years

Who handles complaints

Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General

Read it yourself

Official sources. If a number below matters to your case, open the statute and read it — laws get amended, and cities often stack stricter local rules on top.

• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, s. 148 — M.G.L. c. 149 s. 148 - Payment of wages; timing on discharge and on quitting
• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, s. 150 — M.G.L. c. 149 s. 150 - Enforcement; 3-year limitations period; mandatory treble damages; AG complaint process
• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 151, s. 1 — M.G.L. c. 151 s. 1 - Minimum wage: wage under $15.00/hour conclusively presumed oppressive; floor of $0.50 above federal rate
• Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 151, s. 1A — M.G.L. c. 151 s. 1A - Overtime: 1.5x over 40 hours per week, with enumerated exemptions

Last checked: 2026-08-17