Louisiana Minimum Wage — Louisiana has no minimum wage law of its own, so the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour applies. That rate has not changed since 2009. In 2026, state lawmakers rejected a bill that would have created a $12-per-hour state minimum, and no increase is scheduled for 2027. Tipped employees may be paid a cash wage of $2.13 per hour under federal rules, as long as their tips bring total hourly earnings to at least $7.25. There is also no Louisiana overtime statute: the federal Fair Labor Standards Act controls, so nonexempt employees must receive time and a half (1.5x their regular rate) for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, with no daily overtime requirement. Because no state law supplements the FLSA in Louisiana, covered workers depend entirely on federal protections — and a salaried job title alone never makes you ineligible for overtime. If your employer isn’t paying you correctly, contact Frisch Law Firm for a free consultation.
Last Paycheck
Louisiana employees who are laid off, fired, or who quit must be paid their wages in full at the next regular payday, not to exceed 15 days from the date of their discharge or termination. Wages include vacation time earned by the employee. An employee should send a written demand for payment of their final wages to their employer. After receipt of a written demand, the employer must pay all wages owed to the employee on a timely basis or be subject to a penalty that may be imposed by a court. Claims against an employer for late payment may be filed by way of a private lawsuit. The Louisiana Workforce Commission does not have the authority to enforce this law. You may review this law at (R.S. 23:631) – (R.S. 23:632).
Unauthorized Deductions from Paycheck
Under Louisiana law (R.S. 23:635), an employer is prohibited from penalizing an employee or deducting any sum of money as a penalty or fine from the employee’s wages, except where the employee damages property belonging to the employer or property in the possession of the employer. The deduction, though, cannot exceed the actual damage done.
