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Common questions

How we source data and calculate results

Every rule we show should trace back to the agency that publishes it, and every result should show enough of its math that you can check it yourself. This page explains how that works, and where it has limits.

Updated Wage data last updated

How we source data

Wage rates, overtime rules and labor-law requirements come from state labor department websites and the US Department of Labor (dol.gov). Each state record stores the URL it was taken from, and state pages link to it so you can compare our figure with the agency's own page.

Where a state has its own labor department page, we cite it directly. Where a state has no law of its own and the federal standard applies, we cite the US Department of Labor. Every final paycheck record currently cites an official government or statute page.

The trust model

Every answer follows the same path, and each step is visible on the result.

  1. Step 1

    Official source

    A state labor agency or US Department of Labor page.

  2. Step 2

    Dataset

    The rule or rate is recorded in a dated data file with its source URL.

  3. Step 3

    Calculator logic

    A fixed formula in your browser applies that rule.

  4. Step 4

    Your input

    Your state, dates, pay or hours. It stays on your device.

  5. Step 5

    Result

    The answer, with the numbers and formula that produced it.

  6. Step 6

    Source + assumptions

    The law, a link to its source, and what we assumed.

How each calculator works

Every calculator runs in your browser with the inputs you provide. The formulas are fixed and deterministic: the same inputs always give the same result.

PTO payout
Converts an annual salary to an hourly rate using a standard 2,080-hour work year, then multiplies by your unused PTO hours. If you enter an hourly rate directly, the conversion is skipped. hourly rate = salary ÷ 2,080payout = hourly rate × unused hours
Final paycheck deadline
Looks up your state's deadline for how you left (quit, or fired or laid off) and turns it into a date when the rule is a fixed period. "Immediately" means your separation date. "Within N hours" and "within N days" are counted in calendar time. "Within N working days" skips Saturdays and Sundays. Rules tied to "the next regular payday" depend on your pay schedule, so we show the rule rather than invent a date; "whichever is later" rules show the earliest possible date. This tool gives a deadline, not a dollar amount.
Severance
Estimates severance from your tenure and pay using common employer formulas, such as a number of weeks of pay per year of service. Severance is generally not required by law, so these are estimates of typical practice, not entitlements.
Overtime
Applies the federal time-and-a-half standard to hours over the weekly threshold, then layers in any stricter state daily or weekly overtime rules that apply. overtime pay = 1.5 × regular rate × overtime hours
Notice period and last working day

Both count forward from your resignation date by the notice length you enter, in one of two modes:

  • Calendar days: adds that many calendar days. If the result lands on a Saturday or Sunday, it moves back to the Friday before.
  • Working days: counts only Monday to Friday, starting the day after your resignation date.

Public holidays are not skipped in either mode, so check your employer's holiday calendar. The result also shows the calendar days, working days and weekend days in the period. The notice period calculator adds an editable resignation letter. In the US, two weeks' notice is a convention, not a legal requirement, unless your contract says otherwise.

Minimum wage
Shows the current rate for your state from the dataset, compares it with the federal minimum, and shows any scheduled increase with its effective date.

These tools give informational estimates based on the numbers you enter. They are not legal, tax or financial advice.

How often data is updated

Wage and labor-law data is time-sensitive. Datasets that carry a last_updated date show it on the pages that use them. When a value changes, the next site build publishes it, and the sitemap reports the real modification date.

Datasets, record counts and last updated dates
Dataset Records Last updated
Minimum wage by state Minimum wage pages, overtime checks, state pages 51
State overtime rules Overtime calculator 51
Overtime salary thresholds Overtime exemption checks (federal + states with their own threshold) 7
PTO payout laws PTO payout calculator, PTO law pages 51
Final paycheck deadlines Final paycheck calculator 51
Paid sick leave laws Paid sick leave calculator 51
WARN Act rules WARN Act calculator (federal rule + states with their own law) 12

Datasets marked "No dataset date" don't carry a date stamp of their own yet. Their records still cite a source URL where one is recorded.

How we handle changes and scheduled increases

Many states change their minimum wage on January 1, and some change it mid-year or on a date set by a ballot measure. Each wage record stores the date its current rate took effect. When a future increase is already set, we store it separately with its own date and label it as scheduled. We don't present a scheduled rate as the current one.

Scheduled changes in the current dataset

  • Alaska $14.00 → $15.00 Scheduled
  • California $16.90 → $17.40 Scheduled
  • Colorado $15.16 → $15.71 Scheduled
  • Connecticut $16.94 → $17.48 Scheduled
  • Florida $14.00 → $15.00 Scheduled
  • Hawaii $16.00 → $18.00 Scheduled
  • Maine $15.10 → $15.70 Scheduled
  • Michigan $13.73 → $15.00 Scheduled
  • Minnesota $11.41 → $11.87 Scheduled
  • Nebraska $15.00 → $15.26 Scheduled
  • New Jersey $15.92 → $16.48 Scheduled
  • Rhode Island $16.00 → $17.00 Scheduled
  • Virginia $12.77 → $13.75 Scheduled

When a law changes, we update the record and its source, and the change ships with the next build. If you see a rate that has changed before we have, tell us.

How we handle uncertainty

Labor law is complex and not every detail is published clearly. When we can't fully verify a value against an official source, we don't present it as settled. Records can be flagged as unverified, as a whole or field by field, and those values display a Unverified — confirm with official source label that links to the relevant authority.

All results are estimates based on what you enter and the data we hold. They are not a substitute for advice from a licensed employment attorney in your state.

How corrections work

If a figure looks wrong or out of date, send it through the contact page. The most useful reports include the state, the data point, the value we show, the correct value, and a link to the official source. We check the report against that source and, if it's right, update the record and its citation. The fix goes live with the next site build.

Official source directory

Every source URL cited by our PTO payout law and minimum wage datasets, grouped by state: 92 unique URLs across 67 sites. Expand a state to see its sources.

Federal

Data coverage

State-by-state data covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia (51 jurisdictions) for minimum wage, PTO payout law, final paycheck deadlines, state overtime rules and paid sick leave. Two datasets are intentionally narrower: overtime salary thresholds list the federal rule plus the 7 states that set their own, and WARN Act rules list the federal law plus the 12 states with their own mass-layoff notice law. Everywhere else, the federal rule applies.

Some states let cities or counties set higher rates or add rules. The wage dataset records some regional rates (New York's, for example), but city and county ordinances are not fully covered.

Privacy

Calculations run in your browser. The salary, hours, dates and balances you type are not sent to PTOPayout. The only thing a calculator remembers is the two-letter code of the state you chose, saved in your browser's local storage so the next calculator can preselect it. Read the full privacy policy.