Final paychecks are where routine separations turn into wage claims. Texas gives employers six calendar days to pay a discharged employee, lets your own written policy decide whether PTO is paid out, and treats most unauthorized deductions as violations of the Texas Payday Law — three rules that get missed when payroll is rushing to close out a departure.
This packet slows that moment down. It walks whoever handles the separation through six parts: classifying the separation, confirming the deadline, reading the PTO policy before deciding payout, testing every proposed deduction for written authorization, screening for wage dispute risk, and creating a signed approval record before the check is released.
Who should use this decision packet
- Texas business owners processing a termination or resignation without in-house HR
- Payroll administrators who inherit separations at the last minute
- Office managers asked to 'hold the last check' or deduct for unreturned equipment
- HR teams that want a consistent final-pay file for every separation
What it helps prevent
- Texas Payday Law wage claim exposure and administrative penalties
- Missed final-pay deadlines on involuntary separations
- Unauthorized deductions that convert a routine separation into a wage dispute
- PTO payout decisions that contradict your own written policy
- Payroll processing a final check no one with authority actually reviewed
What’s inside
- Part 1 — Separation Snapshot
- Part 2 — Separation Type and Final-Pay Deadline
- Part 2a — Deadline Confirmation
- Part 3 — PTO / Vacation Payout Review
- Part 4 — Deduction Review
- Part 5 — Wage Dispute Risk Screen
- Part 6 — Payroll Approval Record
Before you process payroll, terminate, classify, deduct, or respond to a claim, get the decision reviewed.
Faulkner HR Solutions helps Texas employers, nonprofits, municipalities, and growing businesses fix the people systems behind recurring workplace problems. If this resource raised a risk flag, do not guess your way through the next step.