Pay starting a job half way through the month?

Bigwigg

Hi just after some advice, I started a new job on the 18th of February and got paid at the end of February, my pay packet was lower than expected so I’ve queried it and it’s seems they have based it on as February only has 28 days, my salary is less - salary worked out on 28 calendar days not on the number of working days. This has left me £200 down on what I was expecting - is that normal practice?

Comms69

Bigwigg wrote: »

Hi just after some advice, I started a new job on the 18th of February and got paid at the end of February, my pay packet was lower than expected so I’ve queried it and it’s seems they have based it on as February only has 28 days, my salary is less - salary worked out on 28 calendar days not on the number of working days. This has left me £200 down on what I was expecting - is that normal practice?

I'm confused slightly; did they take your salary


e.g. £2800, divide by 28, to give a £100 day rate, or? Just isn't clear;


either way I suspect it's perfectly legal, assuming you're over NMW.


In anycase, kicking up a fuss over £200, is a quick way to be shown the exit.

Bigwigg

Yes they did it on a day rate, my salary divided by 12, divide by 28, x by 11 , 18th of February to the 28th.
As February has less calendar days I’m down on my salary although ordinarily if I’d started at the beginning of the month I’d just have got my salary divided by 12, no less money for February, just seems an odd way to do things.

Energize

If you are starting or finishing partway through a month in a salaried position it's quite normal not to receive x fraction of the month salary. The salary is averaged over 12 months so you get paid the same every month even though there are a different number of working days in the month.

PasturesNew

They all do it differently. One of the "norms" would be to divide the salary by the number of working days that year, then multiply that amount by the number of actual days you worked in that first month ....

You need to get down on paper the figures for how they worked it out and the figures for how you worked it out ..... to start to understand if you're wrong, or if they stiffed you.

Sky_

You actually got paid more per day than you would have in a longer month. E.g. if you're paid £1000 a month, then 1000/28=35.71; Whereas 1000/31=32.26.

So I think you've profited from starting in February compared to starting in another month, such as January or March.

Dean000000

Emergency tax may account for less cash money in the bank?

badmemory

Surely a 28th of your monthly salary is more than a 31st of your monthly salary !

Xbigman

badmemory wrote: »

Surely a 28th of your monthly salary is more than a 31st of your monthly salary !

Correct. But then did the op work their salary out as 11 days being 2 weeks and 1 day out of 4 weeks (28 days) or did they average it and say they worked 2 weeks and 1 day out of 30.5 days (rough average number of days in a month).
The company might also work it out on the number of working days in a week, year or month. These all produce minor variations in the figures. Note the word 'minor'. It shouldn't give a variation of £200 in a month. I think it most likely the company are right.



Darren

Bigwigg

I thought the employer would work out my part salary on the number of working days in the month and how many I worked -
Say my salary is £40,000
I worked 9 out of 20 working days in February- £40,000 / by 12 / 20 * 9= £1500

They worked it out from the number of days I worked of all the calendar days in February
£40,000 /12 /28*11 = £1310

So yes , its nearly £200 different

Dazed_and_confused

It really doesn't matter what you thought.

Each employer will have their own method for calculating your monthly salary entitlement and that is what counts.

And don't forget if you left a job to move to this employer and were paid by your old job in the tax month to 5 March 2019 there is a strong chance you will owe some tax as well, especially if your new employer used the emergency tax code on a non curative basis.