The Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act, Neb Rev. Stat. §§ 48-1228 to 48-1232, requires that if the employer-employee relationship is terminated, the employer shall pay the employee all of the earned wages on the next regularly scheduled payday following the termination, or within two weeks of termination whichever is sooner. Earned commission is considered earned wages and must be paid as well. However, commission is not payable until the employer has received payment, but as long as the commission has been earned, the employee is entitled to it.
Determining when the commission is earned could potentially be the tricky part. The Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act sets forth that unless the employer and employee specifically agree otherwise then commissions are earned on all orders delivered and all orders on file with the employer at the time of the termination. This is the default standard for when commissions are earned, but the standard can be changed if the employer and employee specifically agree to use a different standard. The Nebraska Supreme Court allowed a different standard in Coffey v. Planet Group. Therefore, it is always a good idea for both employers and employees to know when the commission is earned.