wage not paid in full...

seasideme

So I have worked my first month with my new employer and I started on 2nd June 2014.

I looked at my bank account just now and I've been paid around half of a full months wage! I have emailed HR/Payroll to find out why.
Someone did mention to me last week that the company keep back some of your wage the first month, I've never heard of a company doing this and thought they were just trying to scare me lol

Next month means a wage of 1.5 months and a bigger tax payment!

Anyone else come across this?

kebabkiller

It is probably due to wage cut off dates.

for example, i get paid on the 20th of each month, but am only paid up until the 12th of the month, those 8 days go into the month afters wage, also you could have been emergency taxed if you employer has not sorted out your tax code.

with regards to tax you may pay a little more this month but it will refunded at the end of the tax year, or more than likely balanced out over the year.

General_Grant

seasideme wrote: »

So I have worked my first month with my new employer and I started on 2nd June 2014.

I looked at my bank account just now and I've been paid around half of a full months wage! I have emailed HR/Payroll to find out why.
Someone did mention to me last week that the company keep back some of your wage the first month, I've never heard of a company doing this and thought they were just trying to scare me lol

Next month means a wage of 1.5 months and a bigger tax payment!

Anyone else come across this?

I expect the response from HR/Payroll will clear things up.

However . . .

As mentioned above, the apparently withheld amount may be due to payroll cut-off dates when they don't know whether you will still be working for them at the end of the month.

If it is the cut-off date, you cannot be sure that they will pay 1.5 months' pay next month, it might be one month's pay. Did those who warned you of the low first month's payment say that it was made up the following month?

The increased tax payment next month, should simply be correcting the under-payment YTD this month and therefore you won't be any worse off from that point of view than if you had received a full month's pay this month and a full month next.

What would be different if you get 1.5 months' pay is NI contributions and this does not even out over the year as it is due when the payment is made.

seasideme

We get paid the last day of the month, I assumed wage period was 1st - 30th/31st like other jobs I've had. I know one was if you missed the cut off you got paid the following month but anything before then you got paid till end of month. My last job was pay date 24th pay period 1-30/31.

Oh well will just have to wait and see what payroll say (if anything), glad I have my holiday savings I can use to make up the short fall.

seasideme

General_Grant wrote: »

I expect the response from HR/Payroll will clear things up.

However . . .

As mentioned above, the apparently withheld amount may be due to payroll cut-off dates when they don't know whether you will still be working for them at the end of the month.

If it is the cut-off date, you cannot be sure that they will pay 1.5 months' pay next month, it might be one month's pay. Did those who warned you of the low first month's payment say that it was made up the following month?

The increased tax payment next month, should simply be correcting the under-payment YTD this month and therefore you won't be any worse off from that point of view than if you had received a full month's pay this month and a full month next.

What would be different if you get 1.5 months' pay is NI contributions and this does not even out over the year as it is due when the payment is made.

Yes this person got part wage, then it was made up the following month. Also another person went to HR/Payroll to sort theirs out.

It could well be to do with the cut off date that has been mentioned.

seasideme

Right so I've had a reply.

When a new employee starts, it is company policy for to pay the employee from start date to the cut off date. On the second month of employment, you will be paid from i.e., May cut off date being 20 May to 30th June. However, you started on 2nd June and you are paid up to the June cut off date 16.06.14.

We can, however, pay you an on-account payment for the shifts you worked after the June cut off date to 30 June 2014. This payment will then be calculated in your July pay as 'an on-account payment'.

So July's pay would be 17 June to 30 July or an I reading that wrong? If I ask for this payment would I then be paid 1 July to 30 July at end of July?

I'm not sure if it is worth it to be honest, I have holiday savings I can fall back on. I would still get the correct pay for 2 months in the end right?

LittleVoice

seasideme wrote: »

Right so I've had a reply.

When a new employee starts, it is company policy for to pay the employee from start date to the cut off date. On the second month of employment, you will be paid from i.e., May cut off date being 20 May to 30th June. However, you
started on 2nd June and you are paid up to the June cut off date 16.06.14.

We can, however, pay you an on-account payment for the shifts
you worked after the June cut off date to 30 June 2014. This payment will then be calculated in your July pay as 'an on-account payment'.

So July's pay would be 17 June to 30 July or an I reading that wrong? If I ask for this payment would I then be paid 1 July to 30 July at end of July?

I'm not sure if it is worth it to be honest, I have holiday savings I can fall back on. I would still get the correct pay for 2 months in the end right?

So HR/payroll can't write English.

Whether the payment for the balance of June includes 16 June is not clear. "Up to" could mean "up to but excluding".

I think your interpretation of what they have written as meaning your next pay would be up to 31 July is correct and that it is only their policy in the first month to withhold pay.

Have you received written particulars of your employment yet? It would have been nice if they had considered advising staff of their policy before applying it.

If you don't take the "on account" payment (the balance of that which was actually earned by you in June), then as written above and in other posts, you should still get the correct pay for the two months, albeit in uneven tranches.

If you do take the "on account" amount, then this will still mean that your NI contributions may be higher for the two months combined than they would have been if your pay had been spread equally between the two.

seasideme

I have a handbook but have seen nothing written about this. I'm unsure whether to apply for the payment or not.

LittleVoice

seasideme wrote: »

I have a handbook but have seen nothing written about this. I'm unsure whether to apply for the payment or not.

By 2 August you should receive proper written particulars of your employment. That is more than just a staff handbook but the principal statement includes your name and that of the employer organisation, your job title (or brief description), place of work and hours, start date of continuous employment, how much you will be paid and how often, and holiday entitlement.

Personally I would generally want to be paid for the work done and would therefore ask for the payment rather than have my employer have the benefit of the later date. However, if it were a question of "face" and I wanted to show my financial situation was fine, I might let it be. Entirely up to your judgment.