Payroll Records

Washington State law requires employers to keep workers’ payroll records for at least three years. Employees have the right to request copies of these records at any reasonable time. Payroll records can be kept electronically or on paper.

Payroll records must contain the worker’s:

• Name
• Address
• Occupation
• Dates of employment
• Hours worked on a daily and weekly basis
• Rates of pay
• Total wages earned
• Deductions

Pay Stubs

Itemized pay statements, commonly known as “pay stubs,” are a record of a worker’s earnings in a pay period. They can be provided electronically or on paper. Agricultural workers have a right to request a pay stub at any time and can request to regularly receive pay stubs on their payday.

Employer’s must include the following details on each pay stub:

• Business name, address, and telephone number
• Worker’s name
• Number of hours worked (or days based on an 8-hour day)
• Number of piece work units earned, if paid on a piece rate basis
• Rates of pay
• Gross pay
• Pay period
• Detailed deductions

See L&I’s Record Keeping for Agriculture policy for additional details and definitions.

Workers’ Rights

Workers can file a worker’s rights complaint with L&I if they have concerns that they:

• Haven’t received their pay stub,
• Aren’t being paid properly, or
• Are being retaliated against.