Employment · all 51 jurisdictions
Retaliation after a protected complaint, a claim separate from the underlying conduct.
The rule here is mostly federal, so the answer is close to the same wherever you live. State pages exist only where that state adds something of its own.
everywhere in the u.s.
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| state | free route |
|---|---|
| AL Alabama | Alabama has no state fair employment agency, and that is the whole answer to your deadline. There is no state office to take a discrimination complaint against a private employer — the Alabama Department of Labor refers you to the EEOC — so the 300-day extension never applies here and you have 180 days from the day it happened. Almost every national article you will read says 300. In Alabama that is wrong, and the difference is four months.↗ |
| AK Alaska | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Its own window is 300 days too, and it wants the complaint drafted, notarised and filed inside it — so start earlier than the date suggests. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| AZ Arizona | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General's Office exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). Its own deadline is shorter than the federal one: A.R.S. § 41-1481(A) gives you 180 days to file the state charge. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| AR Arkansas | Arkansas has no fair employment agency, and that is the whole answer to your deadline. The EEOC's own Little Rock office lists the state and local agencies it works with, and for Arkansas the list is empty — so there is no state proceeding to institute, the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) never triggers, and you have 180 days from the day it happened. Nearly every national article says 300. In Arkansas that is wrong, and the difference is four months.↗ |
| CA California | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the California Civil Rights Department takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. And California is the most generous clock in the country: three years from the day you were last harmed to bring the state claim, which is nearly four times the federal window. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| CO Colorado | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Colorado Civil Rights Division: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| CT Connecticut | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Its own deadline matches: for anything that happened on or after 1 October 2021, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f) gives you 300 days as well. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| DE Delaware | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Office of Anti-Discrimination at the Department of Labor is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Delaware makes you go there first — 19 Del. C. § 712(c)(1) says you shall first file a charge within 300 days, and it counts from the act or from the day you discovered it. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| DC District of Columbia | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the DC Office of Human Rights takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Its own window is a full year from the day it happened or the day you found out, and the act has to have happened in the District. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| FL Florida | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Florida Commission on Human Relations takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Florida gives you 365 days for the state complaint, and the Commission prints both dates on the same page. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| GA Georgia | Georgia has a Commission on Equal Opportunity, and it will not take your case if you worked for a private employer. In its own words, the Act it enforces makes it unlawful for a state agency to discriminate — so its jurisdiction is Georgia's own government and nothing else. For everyone else in the state there is no office with authority over the conduct, the 300-day extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) never applies, and your EEOC deadline is 180 days. This is the state most likely to cost you the claim, because the commission exists and looks like the answer.↗ |
| HI Hawaii | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| ID Idaho | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Idaho Human Rights Commission takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Idaho Code § 67-5907 gives you one (1) year to file the state complaint under oath, which is longer than the federal window and not a substitute for it. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| IL Illinois | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Illinois Department of Human Rights takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Illinois is one of the longest state clocks in the country and almost nobody prints it: 775 ILCS 5/7A-102(A)(1) gives you two years. A charge you file with the EEOC inside 300 days is deemed filed with the Department the same day. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| IN Indiana | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Indiana Civil Rights Commission exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). The Commission's own warning is worth repeating in its own words: you may have as little as 180 days to file. The 300 days is the EEOC's number, not the Commission's. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| IA Iowa | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Iowa Office of Civil Rights is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Its own deadline is the same 300 days, counted from the discriminatory practice. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| KS Kansas | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Kansas Human Rights Commission exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). Do not wait for the federal date. K.S.A. § 44-1005(i) gives you six months for the state complaint — about half the federal window — unless what happened was a continuing pattern, in which case it runs from the last act. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| KY Kentucky | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). Its own employment deadline is 180 days, which is shorter than the federal one and is the date to work back from. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| LA Louisiana | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| ME Maine | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Maine Human Rights Commission is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Its own deadline is the same 300 days from the date of the discrimination. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| MD Maryland | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Its own deadline is 300 calendar days as well, counted from the day the discrimination took place. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| MA Massachusetts | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. M.G.L. c. 151B § 5 sets the same 300 days for the state complaint, so the two clocks run together here. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| MI Michigan | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Michigan Department of Civil Rights exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). Its own door closes first: the Department takes a complaint about discrimination within the past 180 days, and it prepares the formal complaint for you only if the incident falls inside that. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| MN Minnesota | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Minnesota Department of Human Rights takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Minn. Stat. § 363A.28 gives you one year from the occurrence to file the state charge, which is two months longer than the federal window. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| MS Mississippi | Mississippi runs no fair employment agency, so there is no state office to take a discrimination complaint and no state proceeding to institute. The EEOC's Jackson office lists the state and local agencies in its area and names none here. That leaves you on the unextended federal clock: 180 days from the day it happened, not the 300 you will read almost everywhere.↗ |
| MO Missouri | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Missouri Commission on Human Rights exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). The Commission states both numbers itself: 180 days for the Missouri Human Rights Act complaint, and 300 for the federal one. The state date is the one that arrives first. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| MT Montana | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Human Rights Bureau at the Department of Labor and Industry exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). The Bureau puts it bluntly: you have only 180 days from when the act happened, or from when you discovered it, to have a written complaint filed. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| NE Nebraska | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-1118(2) sets the same 300 days for the state charge, so both clocks end on the same day. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| NV Nevada | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Nevada Equal Rights Commission is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. NRS 233.160 gives the Commission the same 300 days for an employment complaint. Watch the separate court clock: NRS 613.430 cuts off a private action much sooner. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| NH New Hampshire | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). RSA 354-A:21 gives you 180 days for the state complaint, four months less than the federal window, and that is the date to plan around. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| NJ New Jersey | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Division on Civil Rights exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). Its own deadline is 180 days, and the Division warns that merely alerting it to a possible violation is not a complaint and does not move that date. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| NM New Mexico | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Human Rights Bureau at the Department of Workforce Solutions is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Its own deadline is the same 300 days, counted from the most recent act you are complaining about. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| NY New York | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the New York State Division of Human Rights: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| NC North Carolina | North Carolina has a deferral agency and it is almost certainly not for you. The Civil Rights Division of the Office of Administrative Hearings takes deferred charges from State or local government employees covered under Chapter 126, and the statute that created it says exactly that (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-759). If you worked for a private employer there is no state office with authority over what happened, so the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) does not reach you and your EEOC deadline is 180 days rather than 300. State and local government employees in North Carolina get the longer clock; almost nobody else does.↗ |
| ND North Dakota | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Human Rights Division of the Department of Labor: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| OH Ohio | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Ohio Civil Rights Commission takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Ohio gives you the longest employment window of any state charge on this site: Ohio Rev. Code § 4112.051 says the charge shall be filed within two years. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| OK Oklahoma | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Office of Civil Rights Enforcement at the Attorney General's Office: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| OR Oregon | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Civil Rights Division of the Bureau of Labor and Industries takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Oregon is the outlier on this site and it is worth reading twice: ORS 659A.820(3) gives you five years to file an employment discrimination complaint with the Bureau. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| PA Pennsylvania | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). Its own deadline is shorter: 43 P.S. § 959(h) gives you 180 days, and Pennsylvania courts are strict about it. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| RI Rhode Island | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-5-17 gives you one year for the state charge, which is two months more than the federal window. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| SC South Carolina | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). Its own deadline is 180 days — but the Commission says something useful that most agencies do not: if more than 180 days have passed but fewer than 300, come anyway, because the federal charge is still live. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| SD South Dakota | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Division of Human Rights at the Department of Labor and Regulation: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| TN Tennessee | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Civil Rights Enforcement Division of the Attorney General's Office: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| TX Texas | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| UT Utah | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Utah Antidiscrimination and Labor Division: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| VT Vermont | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Civil Rights Unit of the Attorney General's Office: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
| VA Virginia | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the Office of Civil Rights at the Attorney General's Office takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Virginia is unusually generous and it is written into the code: Va. Code § 2.2-3907 says the complaint shall be filed no later than two years from the day the practice occurred. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| WA Washington | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days and not the 180 you will read almost everywhere, because the Washington State Human Rights Commission exists — that agency is the whole of what triggers the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1). The state door shuts first and by a wide margin: RCW 49.60.230(2) gives you six months, roughly half the federal window. Work back from the state date. Meet that one and the federal one takes care of itself.↗ |
| WV West Virginia | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, because the West Virginia Human Rights Commission takes charges of the same kind — the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on nothing else. Its own deadline is 365 days from the most recent date of discrimination, two months past the federal one. The state claim outlives the federal one here, so do not let the 300 days go by on the assumption that the longer number covers both.↗ |
| WI Wisconsin | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than 180, and the Equal Rights Division at the Department of Workforce Development is the reason: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. Wis. Stat. § 111.39(1) sets the same 300 days, and the Division will not investigate a complaint filed after it. Both clocks end on the same day, and filing with either office is free.↗ |
| WY Wyoming | Your EEOC deadline here is 300 days rather than the 180 most national articles print, and the reason is the Labor Standards Division of the Department of Workforce Services: the extension in 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) turns on whether a state agency has authority over the same conduct, and here one does. That office takes the charge and it costs nothing. It also sets a filing deadline of its own, and in a dozen states that one is shorter than the federal window — ask the office for its date rather than counting on the 300.↗ |
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