Disclaimer: The content provided below is for informational purposes only and does not substitute legal advice.
Last updated October, 2026
Texas Employee Handbook Overview
When building a Texas employee handbook, include the state and federal policies that apply to your business. Whether all your employees work in Texas or only a few do, a Texas-specific section helps explain the rules that affect them.
Texas generally does not require private employers to have an employee handbook. The laws that apply to your business still matter, though, and a clear handbook helps employees understand your policies and their rights. Below are Texas topics to address, followed by federal and other useful policies.
What should be included in a Texas employee handbook?
The right policies depend on your workforce and business. Texas does not require every item below to appear in a handbook, but these state rules and practices are worth addressing when they apply.
- Texas Anti-Discrimination Policy: Employers with 15 or more employees generally may not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information. Texas also protects hair texture and protective hairstyles associated with race. Its sexual-harassment protections apply to employers with at least one employee, so include a clear way to report concerns and explain how the company will respond.
- Texas Final Pay Policy: Explain when final wages will be paid, based on how employment ends:Do not delay a final paycheck because an employee has not returned company property or signed a timesheet. State when commissions and bonuses are earned and paid. Texas requires unused vacation or PTO to be paid at separation when a written policy or agreement promises it; wage deductions generally require a legal basis or the employee’s written authorization.
- If the employee is fired, laid off, or otherwise involuntarily separated, final pay is due within six calendar days.
- If the employee quits or resigns, final pay is due on the next regular payday.
- If the employee dies, final wages belong to the estate and should be paid to an authorized estate representative or, when Texas requirements are met, an eligible surviving spouse.
- Texas Military Leave Policy: Covered employers—generally those with at least 15 employees—may not terminate an employee because they are ordered to authorized training or duty with the military forces of Texas or another state. Eligible employees have the right to return to their employment after giving notice of their intent to return as soon as practicable. Federal USERRA protections may also apply.
- Texas Voting Leave Policy: If an employee has not voted early and does not have at least two consecutive hours outside normal working hours while the polls are open, provide reasonable paid time off to vote on election day.
- Texas Workplace Privacy Policy: If you monitor company devices, communications, or work areas, explain those practices to employees. Texas does not impose a blanket advance-notice requirement for every form of workplace monitoring. Audio recording and other methods can raise separate consent and privacy requirements.
- Texas Day of Rest Policy: Merchandise retailers generally may not require an employee who works more than 30 hours in a week to work seven consecutive days. These employees must receive a period of at least 24 consecutive hours off for rest or worship in each seven-day period. The law also protects a requested period for one regular weekly worship service.
- Texas Jury Duty and Court Attendance Leave: Protect permanent employees from being fired or penalized for jury or grand-jury service. Do not discipline an employee for complying with a valid subpoena in a civil, criminal, legislative, or administrative proceeding. Separate job protections apply when a permanent employee must attend certain juvenile or truancy proceedings as a parent or guardian. Texas generally does not require private employers to pay for jury-duty leave.
- Texas Religious Accommodation Policy: Employers with 15 or more employees must reasonably accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs and practices unless doing so would cause undue hardship. Retail employers should also account for the weekly-worship rule described above.
- Texas Workers’ Compensation Coverage Notice Policy: Tell each new employee at hiring whether your business carries workers’ compensation insurance and post the required notice where employees can see it. If coverage begins or ends, notify employees within 15 days. Most Texas private employers may choose whether to carry coverage, but the notice requirements apply either way.
Federal Policies
Don’t forget the federal policies. Which ones apply can depend on your company’s size, industry, and workforce. A useful handbook addresses the relevant requirements and makes your everyday practices clear.
Core federal policies
- Equal employment opportunity and anti-discrimination
- Anti-harassment and complaint procedure
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), if applicable
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and reasonable accommodation, if applicable
- Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), if applicable
- Nursing-parent break time and space requirements
- Military service leave under USERRA
- Wage and hour compliance under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Federal-contractor policies, if applicable
Highly recommended policies
- At-will employment notice
- Workplace violence prevention
- Code of conduct
- Conflicts of interest and business ethics
- Disciplinary procedures
- Use of company property
- Employee classification and pay practices
- Health and safety
- Confidential company information
- Open-door policy
- Anti-harassment policy acknowledgment
- Use of communication and computer systems
- Workplace searches and inspections
Additional policies to consider
- Industry-specific policies
- Sick leave, vacation, and PTO
- Company vehicles
- Punctuality and attendance
- Benefits
- Work schedules
- Employment records
- Smoking
- Overtime
- Performance reviews
- Social media
- Remote work
- Introductory periods
- References
- Hiring relatives and significant others
- Business expense reimbursement
Choose the policies that fit your business when you create your handbook.
Poster Requirements
Labor law posters are another part of keeping employees informed. You need the federal and Texas notices that apply to your business, displayed where the intended employees—and, for some notices, applicants—can readily see them. Missing a required notice can lead to penalties and make it harder to show that employees were informed of their rights.
What if employees work remotely?
Keep required physical posters at worksites where employees report. Electronic access may also be needed for remote workers, but whether electronic posting can satisfy a particular requirement depends on that notice’s rules. A link alone does not automatically replace a required physical posting.
Which posters do I need?
Requirements vary with your workforce and business. Use the U.S. Department of Labor’s Federal Poster Advisor to check federal notices. The Texas Workforce Commission provides free Texas posters, including the applicable Payday Law and unemployment notice. Texas employers must also display a workplace-violence reporting notice in English and Spanish and a notice showing their workers’ compensation coverage status. Other posters, including equal employment opportunity notices, may apply depending on the employer.
You can download and print required government posters for free.
How to create a Texas Employee Handbook?
An employee handbook helps your team understand how your company works. To make it useful, choose policies that fit your business, explain them plainly, and review them as federal, Texas, and applicable local rules change.
You can draft a handbook with an attorney or build one yourself. Handbooks.io helps you create and edit a handbook by answering questions about your company, then selecting the policies you need. You can update it as your business changes. Let’s build this thing!
Get started on building your handbook
Creating a handbook starts with a few questions about your business, such as:
- How many employees do you have?
- Do you have employees in multiple states?
- Do you use an introductory period?
- Do you offer paid holidays?
- What is your payroll schedule?