Can an employer hold your last check if you have a unpaid loan with the company?

In most cases, the answer is yes. Standard business practice for a company that makes loans to employees is to have the employee sign a pay-back agreement. In the agreement, there usually is a section that specifies what happens when the employee leaves the company before the loan is paid. In most cases, the agreement stipulates that the employer can deduct the balance of the loan from the employee's final paycheck.