In California, if an at will or at-will employee quits a job, then the employee is entitled to receive all unpaid earned wages within 72 hours of providing notice of the intention to quit. If an at-will employee gives the employer at least 72 hours of notice, then the employer must pay all wages at the time of quitting. An employer is only allowed to mail the employee’s final paycheck to the employee if the employee requests to receive it by mail.
On the other hand, when an employer terminates or fires an employee, the employer must pay all wages earned and unpaid to the employee immediately.