Wages question???

stephbond89

Hello
Ok I have a question about wages, which might seem a bit weird.

My husbands payday is the 8th of each month, he's always been paid on time never late and always via BACS to our bank account. It used to go into our bank at around 10.30pm the night before, but started getting later and later, we asked the bank about it and they said it was their fault as they changed the time they updated the system...fair enough we said.

Anyway the last 3 months, it has been well into the night when I have still been awaiting wages to go in, and normally it gets to around 4am and Im falling asleep and its still not in, and isn't there until 9am.

They changed their payment from BACS to FPI (the new fast payment thing). Last month it was ridiculous, our standing orders didnt go out on time because our wages were't sent at midnight and so it looked ot the bank like we were not having the money available to honour them- we've now had to change them all to the 9th not the 8th meaning any unexpected chanrges or people taking money goes out before important bills like rent and council!

Tonigth my husband gets a call from his boss who said something weird about his wages that he wouldnt get them until 10am on payday from now on. That they have "made an arrangement" with the bank as they were saying they would honour payments on the 8th but this could be anytime up to 11.59pm on the 8th, and they forced them into an agreement to say employees would get their wages between 9am and 10am every payday....

Now to me this sounds like bull, as as far as I am aware wages should be authorised automatically and sent before midnight the day before, yes the bank may hold it and not update until 9am, but thats differesnt for each bank, and they will still allow standing order etc to leave as although they havnt updated your bank they know the money is there just not available to you yet. This to me sounds like they have changed their payment to FPI and now someone has to manually do the wages and put them into each bank account...very time consuming and slow as far as I am concerned, and so now, we have to wait until someone does this in the works office (after opening time at 9am) until we get our wages...is this right???

Can they do this?? It means if I have direct debits for the 8th, whihc is payday, I would get charged as theyd all be sent back unpaid even though thats our payday and we are getting money...not the banks fault of course.

I just want to know if this sounds right to people in the know, and if they know why exaclty they have said what they did about an arangement.

I know it sounds a silly question, but the company isnt exaclty stable in my eyes and Im a little worried they dont even have the money!!!!!!

SarEl

If they didn't have the money to pay then the salaries would be a bit more than a few hours "late". But they aren't late. They have been paid regularly, and they have been paid on payday. You don't have an entitlement to have them paid by a certain time. The most obvious thing to do would be to switch the dates your direct debits go out. Then there won't be an issue about whether the money has "arrived" or not.

stephbond89

I have done this now, but for a month before we were told about the random change which seemed to happen completely without reason- our direct debits and standing orders were all retured, standing order not a problem as there is no charge, but direct debits all carry a £20 return charge with my bank.

I just dont really understand why on earth its suddenly changed from BACS which went in just after midnight, at the latest it was 1am, to 10am. Yes they're "on time" as in the right date, but with BACS its meant to be just after midnight that you get the money.

Slightly concerning thing is that we have a loan payment going out tomorrow morning, we're not sure what time they put this througha s its a card payment which they take not a direct debit, he has only just been told about this "change", so he would have changed the date of payment, but they say they take payment between 6 and 8am...if we're not paid til 10am it will go unpaid.

Im not really concerned about the direct debits anymore as they are all changed, and I dont really mind so long as we get the wages through, but it seems really dodgy to us that they suddenly go from BACS to this FPI and then make up some bull story about making arrangements with the bank...

Googlewhacker

As above, you really should have your direct debits for the day or two after the DAY the wages come in.

No recourse here.

SarEl

stephbond89 wrote: »

I have done this now, but for a month before we were told about the random change which seemed to happen completely without reason- our direct debits and standing orders were all retured, standing order not a problem as there is no charge, but direct debits all carry a £20 return charge with my bank.

I just dont really understand why on earth its suddenly changed from BACS which went in just after midnight, at the latest it was 1am, to 10am. Yes they're "on time" as in the right date, but with BACS its meant to be just after midnight that you get the money.

Slightly concerning thing is that we have a loan payment going out tomorrow morning, we're not sure what time they put this througha s its a card payment which they take not a direct debit, he has only just been told about this "change", so he would have changed the date of payment, but they say they take payment between 6 and 8am...if we're not paid til 10am it will go unpaid.

Im not really concerned about the direct debits anymore as they are all changed, and I dont really mind so long as we get the wages through, but it seems really dodgy to us that they suddenly go from BACS to this FPI and then make up some bull story about making arrangements with the bank...

As far as I am aware, an employer does not determine when a bank treats funds as cleared - the bank does. There is nothing remotely "fishy" about changing from BACS to FPI - many employers are doing it, just as many retailers and other businesses are. It is nothing more sinister than the latest trend in banking. The employer is doing what they must do - ensuring that payment reaches you in cleared funds by pay day. Wat time is arrives in your account is not something that they are responsible for, nor liable for. You may recall that in the "old days" people often didn't get their wage packet until the afternoon of pay day - I recall the wives waiting arund some places of employment for their menfolk to rush out during break and hand over the packet. There is no legal requirement to have the money at any specific time. Sorry.

stephbond89

But what I am asking is this "arrangement" they say they have with the bank, surely this isnt right!!! Theyd have to have an arrangement with EVERY bank in britain to ensure their wages showed at 9-10am! It sounds like they're having to do it manually when work begins at 9am by this new FPI which sorry but if it means later payment (ok still on the right day, but still much later than it used to be!) is a bit rubbish for wages payment....and that they're tring to cover that up by saying this about an "arrangement" so they dont get employees saying get staff into work before 10am to ensure we have wages in time for going and doing the shopping after the school run.

SarEl

stephbond89 wrote: »

But what I am asking is this "arrangement" they say they have with the bank, surely this isnt right!!! Theyd have to have an arrangement with EVERY bank in britain to ensure their wages showed at 9-10am! It sounds like they're having to do it manually when work begins at 9am by this new FPI which sorry but if it means later payment (ok still on the right day, but still much later than it used to be!) is a bit rubbish for wages payment....and that they're tring to cover that up by saying this about an "arrangement" so they dont get employees saying get staff into work before 10am to ensure we have wages in time for going and doing the shopping after the school run.

I'm sorry but you aren't getting it. I don't know much about banking and maybe someone can answer the question as to why is is being done like this. But it doesn't matter why. You aren't entitled to anything other than being paid on pay day. Which is happening. When on that day your bills go out or when you do the shopping isn't the employers problem - only that they ensure that your husband receives his pay on payday. Sorry, but a phrase involving flogging and dead horses comes to mind - there is nothing here to complain of in law. Nobody is doing anything wrong.

stephbond89

bleedin hell i am more concerned about why they're bullsh*tting us if there is nothing dodgy going on with them. I clearly stated Im not bothered when I get wages NOW I have changed my Direct debits tho the first time it happened they didnt tell us and all of them came back unpaid cauing problems with the bank and many companies too. Would have been nice to have been told, and now I know that the case is its not "late", buit it still begs to question why bother making up some story about arrangements with the bank, which is clearly a lie. And ot me it DOES matter why, as now it may be 10am, but what if next month its 3pm, then 10pm then not til the 9th at 9am. It all makes a difference, and when you count pennies and dont know what your wages are until they hit your bank account, it means worry until you know what you have, it makes even more of a difference. If they're lying about why its happening, then it clearly means they're covering up something.

Zazen999

Are you still getting the wages by midnight on pay day?

Googlewhacker

stephbond89 wrote: »

bleedin hell i am more concerned about why they're bullsh*tting us if there is nothing dodgy going on with them. I clearly stated Im not bothered when I get wages NOW I have changed my Direct debits tho the first time it happened they didnt tell us and all of them came back unpaid cauing problems with the bank and many companies too. Would have been nice to have been told, and now I know that the case is its not "late", buit it still begs to question why bother making up some story about arrangements with the bank, which is clearly a lie. And ot me it DOES matter why, as now it may be 10am, but what if next month its 3pm, then 10pm then not til the 9th at 9am. It all makes a difference, and when you count pennies and dont know what your wages are until they hit your bank account, it means worry until you know what you have, it makes even more of a difference. If they're lying about why its happening, then it clearly means they're covering up something.

Try not to worry about it, only worry as soon as you don't get paid on time. Until then if you worry you won't do yourself any good

stephbond89

yes we are, but my main concern is why they're bothering saying "oh we made an arrangement with the bank to make sure you get the wages between 9 and 10am", surely the FPI needs to be manually done???? Not automated to be done at say 4am or something, they need someone to go in and press "send", but they're saying somehting about an arrangement with their bank to ensure people get their wages by 10am on payday. It sounds liuke they're completely bulling about something, and it does make me wonder why on earth they're bothering if not to cover up...if they said "well now we use FPI it needs someone to manually do it not automated like BACS was so its not done til someone gets to work". What happens if their system dies for example? Nobody gets paid? It just confuses me, Im not the smartest person when it comes to banks and all this BACS FPI stuff confuses me like hell. But BACS went in at midnight, now this one goes in at 10am? I KNOW theyre not breakin thge law, not the point of what Im asking- but it does worry me. And surely they should have told us BEFORE 7pm the night before payday...if Id had direct debits set up, theyd have all been sent back resulkting in charges and unpaid bills.