Hawaii Payroll Rules

Frequency of Payments

You must pay your employees twice per month on regular paydays, designated in advance. You must pay your employees within seven (7) days of the end of the pay period.

Manner of Payments

You may pay your employees by cash or check. Hawaii has no law indicating whether you can pay your employees via direct deposit.

Payment Upon Separation

If you discharge an employee for any reason, then you must pay them at the time of discharge.

If the employee quits or resigns voluntarily and gives one-day notice (or less), then you must pay them by the next regular payday.

If the employee quits or resigns voluntarily and gives you more than one-day notice, then you must pay them at the time of their quitting.

If the employee is suspended or resigns due to a labor dispute (like a strike), then you must pay them by the next regular payday.

Deductions

You may only withhold amounts from an employee’s paycheck

• when authorized by federal or state law, or
• with written consent.

You cannot deduct the following:

• fines;
• cash shortages from a money till, cash box, or register used by two (2) or more people;
• cash shortages from a money till, cash box, or register used by a single employee, if that employee is not given the opportunity to account for all money received at the start of their shift and all money turned in at the end of their shift;
• cost for breakage;
• bad or dishonored checks; or
• medical or physical examination or medical report expenses required by the employer or by law.

If the losses are not due to the employee’s willful or intentional disregard, then you cannot deduct the following:

• losses due to faulty workmanship;
• lost or stolen property;
• damage to property;
• default of a customer’s credit; or
• nonpayment for goods or services received by customers.

Uniforms & Other Required Equipment or Tools

Hawaii does not have any laws about whether you can require an employee to purchase a uniform or equipment necessary for them to do their job.

Pre-Hire Medical, Physical, & Drug Tests

You cannot require an applicant to pay for the cost of any pre-hire exams.

Notice of Wage Reduction

You must notify the employee, in writing or by posting a notice, of any changes to their rate of pay or the day, hour, and/or place of payment.

Paystubs

You must provide a legible printed, typewritten, or handwritten paystub to each employee on every payday. With written consent, the paystub may be sent electronically. It must include:

• total hours worked,
• overtime hours worked,
• straight-time compensation,
• overtime compensation,
• other compensation,
• total gross compensation,
• amount and purpose of each deduction,
• total net compensation, and
• the dates of the pay period.

Recordkeeping

For each employee, you must keep the following records for at least six (6) years:

• full name, social security number, or identifying number or symbol (used in place of or in addition to name on record);
• home address;
• date of birth (if under 19);
• occupation;
• rate of pay and length of pay period;
• hours worked each workday;
• total hours worked each workweek;
• total daily or weekly straight-time wages;
• total weekly overtime wages;
• amount and purpose of additions to or deductions from wages paid each pay period;
• total wages paid each pay period and the dates of each pay period;
• date of hire; and
• date of termination.

Notices

You must notify each new employee, in writing, of their rate of pay and the day, hour, and place of payment.

You must notify each employee, in writing or by posted notice, of policies regarding vacation and/or sick leave.

You must notify employees, in writing or by posting a notice, of any changes to their rate of pay or the day, hour, and/or place of payment.