Wage Payment Law Summaries

Florida's wage payment law is codified in the Florida Statutes at Title XXXIII, Chapter 532. The full text of this law is available beginning at Wages-Hours 10-46,001.

COVERAGE

All employers are covered by Florida's wage payment law.

WHAT THE EMPLOYER MUST DO

Form of payment. --Any order, check, draft, note, memorandum, or other acknowledgment of indebtedness issued in payment of wages or salary due or to become due must be negotiable and payable in cash, on demand, without discount, at some established place of business in the state, the name and address of which must appear on the instrument, and at the time of its issuance, and for a reasonable time thereafter, which must be at least 30 days, the maker or drawer must have sufficient funds or credit, arrangement, or understanding with the drawee for its payment (Sec. 532.01).

Any person issuing coupons, punch-outs, tickets, tokens, or other devices in lieu of cash as payment for labor, whether redeemable either wholly or partially in goods or merchandise, at his or her or any other place of business, must, on demand of any legal holder of the device (Sec. 532.02):

(1) be liable for the full face value thereof in current money of the United States, on or after the 30th day succeeding the day of issuance;

(2) be liable for payment in current money of the United States, notwithstanding any contrary stipulation or provision contained in the device.

Direct deposit. --None of the provisions of Florida's wage payment law may be deemed or construed to prohibit an employer from causing the amount of an employee's wages or salary to be deposited directly to the account of the employee in a financial institution by electronic or other medium if such direct deposit has been authorized in writing by the employee and if the employee has designated in writing the financial institution of his or her choice in which such deposit is to be made (Sec. 532.04, as amended by S. 440, L. 1997).

No employer may terminate the employment of any employee solely for refusing to authorize direct deposit of wages or salary (Sec. 532.04, as amended by S. 440, L. 1997).

ENFORCEMENT

Any person issuing coupons, punch-outs, tickets, tokens, or other devices in lieu of cash as payment for labor, whether redeemable either wholly or partially in goods or merchandise, at his or her or any other place of business, must, on demand of any legal holder of the device, be subject to suit brought in any court of competent jurisdiction upon failure to comply with either item (1) or (2) in "Form of Payment," above (Sec. 532.02).

Direct deposit. --An employee may bring a civil action against an employer who terminates the employee solely for refusing to authorize direct deposit of wages or salary. The court may provide such equitable relief as it deems necessary or proper, including enjoining the defendant from further violation (Sec. 532.04, as amended by S. 440, L. 1997).

This is a summary of Wage Payment Laws in Florida.