Nebraska wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

The minimum wage in Nebraska is $15.00 an hour, and a final paycheck is due by the next payday or within 14 days, whichever comes first. If you were not paid, file a free wage claim with the Nebraska Department of Labor.

Checked against official sources: Oct 23, 2026

$15.00minimum wage in 2026

$2.13tipped cash wage

Nodaily overtime

Payday or 14 daysfinal pay if fired

Payday or 14 daysfinal pay if you quit

See belowtime limit to file (see details)

Get your letter ↓

Where to file in Nebraska

Wage claims in Nebraska go to this state office. Filing is usually free.

Office: Nebraska Department of Labor, Office of Labor Standards
Phone: 402-471-2239

File online Official wage claim page

For federal minimum wage and overtime you can also contact the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: 1-866-487-9243. How federal claims work.

How to file a wage claim in Nebraska

Gather your records
Dates and hours worked, your pay rate, pay stubs or bank deposits, texts or schedules, and the employer's name and address.
Ask in writing first (optional)
A demand letter gives your employer a deadline to pay and shows you tried. Use the free letter on this page.
File with Nebraska Department of Labor
You file a wage complaint online with the Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL), Office of Labor Standards. The form covers past-due or unpaid wages, unauthorized deductions, minimum-wage violations and other paycheck problems. NDOL contacts your employer, can investigate and issue a citation, and can collect money for you. Filing is free. You can also sue your employer in court if your wages are not paid within 30 days of the regular payday.

Minimum wage and overtime in Nebraska

Nebraska's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour since January 1, 2026 (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1203). Since July 18, 2026, employers may pay a lower youth minimum wage of $13.50 an hour to workers who are 14 or 15 and not emancipated. Under the 2026 law (LB 258), the adult rate rises by 1.75% every January 1, starting January 1, 2027. NDOL must publish each new rate by October 15. Student-learners in a real vocational training program may be paid 75% of the minimum.

Minimum wage (2026): $15.00
Tipped cash wage: $2.13
Next change: Rises 1.75% on January 1, 2027 (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1203(2)); NDOL publishes the exact rate

Overtime

Nebraska has no state overtime law of its own. NDOL sends overtime questions to the US Department of Labor. Under federal law (FLSA), most hourly workers get 1.5 times their regular pay for hours over 40 in a workweek. Nebraska has no daily overtime.

Paydays: Your employer must pay all wages on regular paydays that it sets or agrees with you, and must give 30 days' written notice before changing paydays. State law sets no minimum number of paydays per month (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1230(1)).

Your final paycheck in Nebraska

If you are fired or laid off: Your final pay is due on the next regular payday or within two weeks of the date you leave, whichever comes first.
If you quit: Same rule: the next regular payday or within two weeks, whichever comes first. Earned but unused vacation must also be paid.
Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1230(4); § 48-1229(6)

When was your final paycheck due in Nebraska?

Enter how your job ended and your last day of work. We show your state’s rule and, when the rule is a simple number of days or your next payday, the date.

Penalties your employer may owe

If you sue and win, the court awards your unpaid wages plus court costs and reasonable attorney's fees (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1231). The employer may also have to pay an extra amount equal to the judgment, or two times the unpaid wages if the nonpayment was willful. That extra money goes to the State Treasurer for public schools, not to you (§ 48-1232). NDOL can fine the employer up to $500 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for later violations (§ 48-1234). For minimum-wage suits, you pay no filing fee and the court awards attorney's fees (§ 48-1206).

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not retaliate or discriminate against you for filing a wage complaint or lawsuit, or for testifying or helping in an investigation (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1235). If your employer is not covered by the Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act, you can sue for damages and attorney's fees (§ 48-1231(2)).

Federal law also makes it illegal to fire or punish you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating in an investigation (US DOL Fact Sheet #77A).

The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces federal wage law without regard to immigration status, and its services are free and confidential whether you are documented or not (US DOL).

Deductions and tips

Your employer may take money out of your pay only when the law or a court order requires or allows it, or when you agreed in writing (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1230(1)). NDOL says deductions cannot drop you below minimum wage. Tipped workers may be paid $2.13 an hour, but wages plus tips must reach the full minimum wage, and the employer must make up any difference (§ 48-1203(3)).

Good to know in Nebraska

Earned but unused vacation counts as wages and must be paid when you leave (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1229(6)). NDOL's Wages Fact Sheet says the same for earned but unused PTO.
Commissions on orders delivered or on file when you leave are wages due to you, unless your contract says otherwise (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1229(6)).
If you are paid by payroll debit card, you get at least one free withdrawal of your full net pay each pay period (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1230(3)).

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Nebraska

Work out what you should have been paid: at least the minimum wage for every hour, plus overtime. Then compare it with what you got.

How were you paid?

Your hourly rate ($)

If a higher city or county minimum wage applies where you work, enter that rate if it is more than you were promised.

Hours worked per week

Number of weeks you worked like this

Total you were actually paid for those weeks ($)

Before taxes, if you know it. Leave it empty to see only what you were owed.

Fill in your pay, hours and weeksThe result appears as you type.

Nebraska overtime rule: Nebraska has no state overtime law of its own. NDOL sends overtime questions to the US Department of Labor. Under federal law (FLSA), most hourly workers get 1.5 times their regular pay for hours over 40 in a workweek. Nebraska has no daily overtime.

Penalties your employer may also owe in Nebraska: If you sue and win, the court awards your unpaid wages plus court costs and reasonable attorney's fees (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1231). The employer may also have to pay an extra amount equal to the judgment, or two times the unpaid wages if the nonpayment was willful. That extra money goes to the State Treasurer for public schools, not to you (§ 48-1232). NDOL can fine the employer up to $500 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for later violations (§ 48-1234). For minimum-wage suits, you pay no filing fee and the court awards attorney's fees (§ 48-1206).

Tipped workers: this calculator does not count tips. In many states your employer may pay a lower cash wage if your tips make up the difference to the minimum wage; see your state’s page.

An estimate from the numbers you enter and Nebraska’s rules, not legal advice.

Free demand letter for unpaid wages

A short, firm letter asking your employer to pay what it owes by a deadline. Many workers get paid at this step, and in some states a written demand starts penalties or makes the employer pay your attorney fees later. Fill this in, download the letter, sign it, keep a copy and mail it.

Your full name (required)

Where should they send your money? (your mailing address) (required)

Phone

Employer’s business name (required)

The name on your pay stubs, checks or the business sign. If you only know the owner’s name, use that.

Employer’s address (required to mail it)

How will you send it?

Your job

First day you worked there

Last day you worked there (leave empty if you still work there)

Your pay rate ($, optional)

Per

Amount you are owed ($) (required)

Not sure? The wage-theft calculator has a button that puts the amount here.

Days the employer has to pay

We suggest 10 days.

What happened (optional)

One or two sentences with dates, hours and amounts.

Other formats

Mail it by certified mail with return receipt (ask at any post office) and keep the receipt: it proves when your employer got the letter.

Questions about wage claims in Nebraska

Where do I file a wage claim in Nebraska?

With Nebraska Department of Labor, Office of Labor Standards. Phone: 402-471-2239. You file a wage complaint online with the Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL), Office of Labor Standards. The form covers past-due or unpaid wages, unauthorized deductions, minimum-wage violations and other paycheck problems. NDOL contacts your employer, can investigate and issue a citation, and can collect money for you. Filing is free. You can also sue your employer in court if your wages are not paid within 30 days of the regular payday.

What is the minimum wage in Nebraska in 2026?

Does Nebraska have daily overtime?

When is my final paycheck due in Nebraska if I'm fired?

Your final pay is due on the next regular payday or within two weeks of the date you leave, whichever comes first.

When is my final paycheck due in Nebraska if I quit?

Same rule: the next regular payday or within two weeks, whichever comes first. Earned but unused vacation must also be paid.

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Nebraska?

Can my employer fire me for filing a wage claim in Nebraska?

Employer still won't pay? Small claims court is often the next step for amounts under the state limit.

Small claims in Nebraska

Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.