Am i being paid under the national minimum wage?

skidaddle_2

Hi all,

Am new to posting here...so please excuse me if I have posted in the wrong place!

I work 35 hours a week at national minimum wage and am paid for every working day of the month on the last working day of every month.

I've been checking my payslips because i've suspected something's not quite right for a while.

When I started my current job in June I was told it was hourly pay but my payslips say nothing about hourly rate or my pay rate, they just state "basic pay".

If I worked 154 hours at 5.52 before tax it should have been £850, but my payslip says Basic Pay £798.56 which works out at £5.18 an hour.

I am on week 1 at the moment waiting for the inland revenue to fix that, but that shouldn't make a difference before tax should it?.

Any help would be hugely appreciated as I don't want to make a complete t*t out of myself by accusing my boss before i've got a basic idea on what's going on.

Thanks!

mcduff16

Hi there

You don`t say how old you are-

From the 1st of October 2008 there are three levels of minimum wage depending on your age-

• £5.73 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older
• £4.77 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive
• £3.53 per hour for all workers under the age of 18

Hope this helps :cool:

soolin

Are you actually 'working' for 154 hours or at work for 154 hours as many people mistakenly assume they need to include their lunch hours and breaks which are of course unpaid. So for instance someone working 9-5 a day will actually be working 7 hours a day (assuming they take an hour lunch) which is 35 hours a week

Other than that it might be as McDuff says and it could be that you are young enough to be on a lower hourly rate.

skidaddle_2

I'm 23, sorry for the late reply.

No, I am in work 8 hours a day, with an hour for lunch.

Hope this helps.

Any

What does your contract read? Does it say
a/Annual pay
b/working hours in a week?

Then you would calculate: annual pay (let's say £9582 a year)/52 weeks/5 days in a week/7.5 hours in a day (if contract reads 37.5 p/w)=£4.91 p/h..

skidaddle_2

I have never actually signed a contract.
The job i'm in is part of the new deal scheme i did a 3 week work trial they then hired me, my boss said she'll hire me in 6 monthly periods but have never actually signed anything....

Any

If you have been told that you get paid per hour, then you should be completing time sheets.
How could you not sign a contract? Have you never even received Offer of employement letter? I wouldn't work without a contract - especially because the pay and the holiday entitlement is stated there.
Request a contract of employment, even if it is limited for 6 months you still must get something.
If you work 7 hours as you say, then you are paid under minimum wage. According to my calculation you are paid £5.26 p/h.

skidaddle_2

The only time that I have ever had to complete a timesheert is when I have worked through an employment agency.

The only offer of employment I have received was a verbal one...I should also say i work for a solicitors which is why i'm not too keen on making any accusations.

But, like i said We are paid from the first working day of the month up until the last working day...if we have a sick day or something then it is taken from the next months pay as we're paid in advance by 3 days i think.

It works out at about £5.18ph which i know is way under the minimum wage...i don't want to go throwing accusations around , but our accountant is very vague when I ask about anything pay related.

lauren_1

Some places do not pay for breaks - Are you including a paid lunch break in your workings out?

skidaddle_2

I don't get a paid lunch break...I'm in work for a total of 8 hours, only working for 7 of them.

Any

You are not prepared to ask as your accountant is vague and your employer is solicitor so you don't want to throw accusations (to ask to have the payroll system explained is not accusation by the way), so what are you asking us to do now?
I am an accountant and I process the payroll and I just showed you how I have calculated your wages so I don't know how to help now. Need a hint from you.