Month in hand. Or is it 2?

LukeWard

Hi,

I started a job on the 3rd of February after doing 2 weeks unpaid training. I was told that I had to work a month in hand and then told I wouldn't be paid until the 31st of March, is this right?

I've never worked a month in hand, but this still seems a little odd, I'm working two months with no money. And apparently, I can't get help from the Job Center after being on benefits for over a year.

I'm yet to be given an employment contract, although I have been told I was given the job after training. I've filled in a payroll form and had it sent off and also a from with the title 'Employees without a P45' (Is it a P60?) I believe that was last week.

I'm just a little confused as to where I stand, I've just had my insurance cancelled and can't pay that, I've got goods on hire purchase and a phone bill to pay, I've been told I should be payed on the end of February/beginning of March by various people, I've yet to ask about it in work because I've only thought about it over this weekend.

Thanks in advance!

Elle7

Is it that you are paid a month in arrears, but then the next payday falls on the 31st?

If payroll runs on the 29th/30th/31st, you might have just missed it when you started, and you wouldn't be "owed" anything until 31st March.

You could ask if they can loan you any money, though. Where I work at the moment people are paid at the end of the month for the work done that month, but new joiners don't get paid that month. So when a new person joined on 12th Jan, for example, she worked 12th - 31st, she wasn't on payroll. She'll get paid for the first time on 28th Feb, for the first full month she worked. She did ask for a loan from HR though, and they were happy to help her out with travel costs.

LukeWard

But I started the beginning of this month, wouldn't the cutoff for the payroll be closer to the end of the month? If so, wouldn't I get payed the end of this month?

I was offered the job and agreed to start work in January on a Thursday but my first official day was the 3rd of February.

There is no HR department where I work, It's a small company, one building and me and my brother are the only employees at present with trainees starting tomorrow

getmore4less

You need to clarify the pay period and the pay date.

A lot of companies use the calendar month paid at the end of the same month.

Month in hand would be paid a month later.

other may use a different pay period eg 15-14 and pay at the end of the month this avoids paying some days in advance like the above does if paid in the same month as the pay period.

Also allows for extras like overtime for the pay period to be paid in the same month.