# Salaries every week or every month?



## Roi Marphille

Hi!
In some countries like in UK, salaries are settled every week to the workers. In another countries are paid every month following the rule: 12 + 2 extra wages/year. 

How is it in your countries?
Which method is better in your opinion?
I mean, which do you feel it is better for your country in general?

It's curious to see that in the latter countries, the shopping tendencies are very linked to the time of the month. Some families are facing difficulties to reach end of the month, I guess it is quite different if you get paid every week i/o every month  . It may be easier to calculate and coordinate your daily payments...I guess.
What do you think?

PS: no need to point that the best case scenario is to have a fabulous salary and no worries at all!  

BRegards,
Roi


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## Carlston

Roi Marphille said:
			
		

> Hi!
> In some countries like in UK, salaries are settled every week to the workers. In another countries are paid every month following the rule: 12 + 2 extra wages/year.
> 
> How is it in your countries?
> Which method is better in your opinion?
> I mean, which do you feel it is better for your country in general?
> 
> It's curious to see that in the latter countries, the shopping tendencies are very linked to the time of the month. Some families are facing difficulties to reach end of the month, I guess it is quite different if you get paid every week i/o every month  . It may be easier to calculate and coordinate your daily payments...I guess.
> What do you think?
> 
> PS: no need to point that the best case scenario is to have a fabulous salary and no worries at all!
> 
> BRegards,
> Roi


 
En España es como dices 12+2 o 12+4 los más afortunados, a mi me gustaria que se me pagara cada semana, pero entonces, deberiamos nosotros pagar el alquiler cada semana?

saludos


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## Roi Marphille

Carlston said:
			
		

> pero entonces, deberiamos nosotros pagar el alquiler cada semana?
> 
> saludos


sí.


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## geve

In France we're paid every month, on a 12 or 13 basis. It has no influence on your total salary as it just means that your annual salary will be divided in 12 or 13 portions. If you get a "13th month" (it's how it's called), you'll get it at the end of the year, so most people will use it for Christmas shopping - whereas they ought to be saving it for the income tax which comes at the beginning of the year  

Some people prefer to get their salary in 12 and decide themselves how to administer their own money. Some people rather like it in 13 for the above reasons... And I have no idea what the state likes better !

You have a point when you're talking about the difficulties some encounter at the end of the month. A weekly salary might make it easier. But then it would have to be paid on Mondays, or the paycheck will be drunk over the week-end


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## Roi Marphille

geve said:
			
		

> ... And I have no idea what the state likes better !


I guess the weekly system bears to much cost for Banks, State...


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## fenixpollo

In the United States, workers are usually paid every 2 weeks... so I couldn't respond to your poll.


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## el alabamiano

I've been paid by the week, every two weeks, even by the day. Now I have a monthly income, and though it gets a little rough during those 5-week months, I still get by.

The roughest pay period for me, by far, was when I got paid every two weeks. It just seemed to never match "bill time" and I always came up short, or so it seemed.


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## marinax

In Argentina we get paid by month, and (if your employer does things the right way) you should get 13 months.
usually, companies pay during the first working days of the month, but "very good companies" pay the last working day of the previous month ! and that helps a lot...

I know that for some its hard to reach the end of the month, but if you get paid by the week, there is no way to get enough money together in time to pay the large bills !


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## santi

Here in Colombia we get paid every 2 weeks and very few companies pay monthly, the only ones that do are copanies like english institutes that depend on the students pay to pay the teacher's wage and those are ussually scrubby institutes that you never hear of


this is


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## Roi Marphille

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> In the United States, workers are usually paid every 2 weeks... so I couldn't respond to your poll.


ups, I didn't know!
anyway, that doesn't mean that you can not respond the poll...

just a question: do you US-citizens pay the rent every two weeks too?


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## Laia

If you work without contract in Spain, sometimes you are paid every week...


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## BasedowLives

Roi Marphille said:
			
		

> ups, I didn't know!
> anyway, that doesn't mean that you can not respond the poll...
> 
> just a question: do you US-citizens pay the rent every two weeks too?



i pay rent every month.  i get paid every two weeks.


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## fenixpollo

Roi Marphille said:
			
		

> ups, I didn't know!
> anyway, that doesn't mean that you can not respond the poll...
> 
> just a question: do you US-citizens pay the rent every two weeks too?


Just like BDL, I pay rent on the 1st of the month, once a month.  I get paid every 2 weeks -- not on the same dates every month.  Like Neal said, if I get paid on the 4th of the month, but rent is due on the 1st, then it's hard to budget for that.  

I responded "monthly" to the poll.  It's preferable to me to budget the month starting with the entire amount you will have to spend, than it is to save up each week or "pay as you go."  Just me, though.


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## GenJen54

I'll in throw another option. I get paid twice a month on the 15th and 30/31st, which is not the same as getting paid every two weeks (or every other week). In one scenario, you have 26 pay periods, in the other, you have 24.

Our mortgage comes every two weeks. We did this as a means of paying off our interest more quickly, and it has helped significantly. By doing this, we pay the equivalent of 1 1/2 extra mortgage payments by the end of a calendar year. 

I have been on a "monthly" wage before where I was paid at the beginning of the month. I can see advantages to both systems, although from a "cash flow" standpoint, the twice/month or every-other-week method, I think, is a bit easier. This way, I know what needs to be paid from which check (1st or 2nd) and it is easier to maintain a budget and earn any little interest I can with money in the bank. 

Of course, not system is fool-proof if one does not budget wisely.




			
				Roi Marphille said:
			
		

> It's curious to see that in the latter countries, the shopping tendencies are very linked to the time of the month. Some families are facing difficulties to reach end of the month, I guess it is quite different if you get paid every week i/o every month.



This is true in the US, as well, especially for welfare and other assistance recipients who do a lot of grocery shopping at the beginning of the month, when their WIC (food-stamp) vouchers come in. Of course, in some families these are "traded" for cash to buy cigarettes and other things, but that is another subject altogether.


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## nabi

santi said:
			
		

> Here in Colombia we get paid every 2 weeks and very few companies pay monthly, the only ones that do are copanies like english institutes that depend on the students pay to pay the teacher's wage and those are ussually scrubby institutes that you never hear of
> 
> 
> this is


 es porque aqui el govierno pretende que cada quince dias el consumo lo cual enriquece a un pais aumente en cada uno de los productos primordialemente de la canasta familiar, e quince dias hay mucha rotacion de dinero lo que en realidad nos señala que nuestro dinero solo nos esta alcanzado para lo basico ( claro solo en algunas personas).


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## cirrus

The situation here is a bit more complicated. In the UK salaries almost by definition are paid monthly and are paid by cheque or directly into your bank account.  Wages are paid weekly and were traditionally paid in cash.  Needless to say this happens less and less often these days not least because it costs a fortune to do four times as much admin, let alone the costs of transporting cash.


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## Roi Marphille

cirrus said:
			
		

> The situation here is a bit more complicated. In the UK salaries almost by definition are paid monthly and are paid by cheque or directly into your bank account. Wages are paid weekly and were traditionally paid in cash. Needless to say this happens less and less often these days not least because it costs a fortune to do four times as much admin, let alone the costs of transporting cash.


sorry my ignorance, I don't understand the difference between _salaries_ and _wages_.


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## clipper

A salary is a yearly amount divided into 12 (at least in the UK) and paid per calendar month, the payments are therefore always 1/12th of the salary.

Wages are an hourly rate and are paid weekly by multiplying the number of hours worked by the rate, hence if you work more you get paid more.

Well that the theory.


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## Fernando

This is very interesting to me.

I can not quite understand. I assume that you are paid for your work. A person can earn both salaries and wages?


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## Roi Marphille

Fernando said:
			
		

> This is very interesting to me.
> 
> I can not quite understand. I assume that you are paid for your work. A person can earn both salaries and wages?


May we understand: 
salary = sueldo
wage = paga
???
I'm not really sure.


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## clipper

Fernando said:
			
		

> This is very interesting to me.
> 
> I can not quite understand. I assume that you are paid for your work. A person can earn both salaries and wages?


 
No, I´m afraid its one or the other!

Traditionally factory/manual workers were waged, whereas managers/white collar workers were salaried.


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## cirrus

I can think of a scenario where you might get both would be if you had two jobs.  Let's say during the day you work at one job and get paid monthly (salary).  You might do something in the evening say working behind a bar to top up your income and get paid weekly (wages).


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## JimPojke

In Mexico we get payed twice a month, the 15th and 30th/31st. And we get an extra bonus (called "aguinaldo") by the end of the year (sometimes a part in december and another in january). It usually goes from 1 to 3 months of salary.


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## BasedowLives

Roi Marphille said:
			
		

> May we understand:
> salary = sueldo
> wage = paga
> ???
> I'm not really sure.



i don't know if those are the right words in spanish but heres a good example.

i did a job where i got paid 50 dollars for 1 day per week, as long as i got the job done and no matter how many hours i worked.  that would be a salary.

now, i have a job where i get 7.60 for every hour.  that would be a wage.


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## GenJen54

Salaries and wages, at least according to US accounting standards (the IRS) are two distinct categories. 

As has already been mentioned, when one is salaried, one gets a specific pre-argreed upon amount, no matter how long he/she works.  These are typically "white-collared" jobs.  In such a case, salaried individuals are considered exempt.  To the IRS, and more importantly to their employer, they are not privy to overtime pay, no matter how many hours they may work in a given week. 

Workers who collect wages, however, are required to be paid overtime (typically 1 1/2 x their hourly wage), if asked to work beyond their typical schedule.


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## Hakro

In Finland people get salaries every week, every two weeks or every month, depending on the branch. Weekly salaries are common only in the construction branch. The salary for the holiday time (generally 3-4 weeks) is 50 % higher, and some companies pay an extra two weeks or one month salary at the end of the year.

But you have to think about other possibilities, too. As a free lance journalist I dont get my salaries every week or every month but only after a job done, and not immediately but generally 3 - 6 weeks later. I really have to plan how to spend my money. Many independent enterprisers - plumbers etc. - have a similar situation.

On the other hand, I'm very happy with this because the more and the better I work the more I get money. I think that this kind of "salary by job" should be used always when possible. It gives you motivation to work more and better.


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## santi

nabi said:
			
		

> es porque aqui el govierno pretende que cada quince dias el consumo lo cual enriquece a un pais aumente en cada uno de los productos primordialemente de la canasta familiar, e quince dias hay mucha rotacion de dinero lo que en realidad nos señala que nuestro dinero solo nos esta alcanzado para lo basico ( claro solo en algunas personas).



depende que es lo basico para ti, yo personalmente tengo un buen sueldo comparado con los que ofrece este pais,la razon siendo es porque trabajo para una firma americana,asi que no es que me sobre pero vivo algo comodo,pero si estoy de acuerdo contigo aqui el sueldo solo alcanza para comprar lo que uno nescesita,pero si uno maneja su dinero bien creo que es una buena forma de hacer o pagar lo que uno debe pagar y tambien ve uno lo que le queda.si esperas a que te paguen un mes despues tienes que balancearte bien por un mes y no por quince dias.


this is.


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## jinti

Like most people in the US, I get paid every two weeks.  This means that there are two months a year in which I get 3 paychecks.  (Those are the *good* months!)  I have never been fortunate enough to have a job which gave me a "Christmas bonus" or extra money at the end of the year, although I know people (who apparently made better career choices) who do get bonuses. 

Like many New Yorkers, I generally work more than one job.  I have a full-time salaried position (these are advertised with the annual income, never monthly or bi-weekly) and then one or two hourly positions (advertised with the rate per hour).


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## Heba

In Egypt, Slaray is paid monthly.
Personaly, I believe that it is better that way.


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## cubaMania

These are the payment frequencies provided for by the IRS tax withholding tables in USA:
daily
weekly
every two weeks
twice per month
monthly
annually

Annually is almost never used.  Daily is used infrequently.  All the others are in common use.  I think the most frequent is twice per month (usually on the 15th and the last day of the month.)


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## whatonearth

I don't agree with the opening statement of the thread - in the UK workers are paid monthly if you work a permanent full-time job, with your annual wage divided into 12 equal payments. If you work part-time or do contract or temporary work then you are usually paid weekly.


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## Like an Angel

Fernando said:
			
		

> This is very interesting to me.
> 
> I can not quite understand. I assume that you are paid for your work. A person can earn both salaries and wages?


 
Creo entender la diferencia y no, no puedes ganar _salaries_ y _wages_, al menos en la misma empresa, a excepción que trabajes como operario de una maquinaria (wages) durante el día y personal de limpieza en la noche (salaries). 

_Salary_ es lo que llamamos salario o sueldo mensual en Argentina y _wages_ es también un sueldo o quincena, pero se calcula diferente. Mientras el salario mensual no varía trabajes 22 días (en diciembre) o 20 días (febrero), la quincena (wages) va a depender de los días y horas trabajadas en el mes, por lo general se abonan cada 15 días, por ello el nombre, y se paga así a operadores de planta, operarios de maquinarias, etc.; en cambio se abonan sueldos mensuales a administrativos, maestros, empleados de comercio (aunque estos suelen tener extras por comisión), etc.


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## Brioche

Roi Marphille said:
			
		

> sorry my ignorance, I don't understand the difference between _salaries_ and _wages_.


 
In Australia, if the payment for working is quoted as a yearly figure, it is called a salary. Salaries are paid for managerial, professional, public service (civil service) and clerical occupations.

In Australia, salaries are usually paid fortnightly.
Fortnight [from 'fourteen nights'] is a BE word meaning '2 weeks'.

Wage earners are usually paid for exactly the number of hours they work, (plus over-time - if any). Wages are usually paid weekly, but some employers pay fortnightly. Wage earners are most likely to be blue collar, retail and hospitality workers. 

In some occupations, salary earners are expected to work outside normal hours, or work extra hours, without any extra payment. They may get time off in lieu to make up for the extra/odd hours.

For example, teachers don't get a paid extra to come to parent-teacher interviews, speech nights, sports carnivals, or other school functions which are held outside the normal school day. It is considered part of the job and covered by the salary.

Permanent teachers in Australia are employed for the whole year, and get paid the same each fortnight during school holidays (vacations).

I don't know of anyone who gets paid monthy.


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## SweetMommaSue

Coming in a little late in the game, I see, but I´d like to participate nonetheless. 

My husband is a wage-earner, hence, he is paid hourly. If he were to work over-time, he´d be paid over-time at "time and a half" except for holidays and Sundays (I believe) which would be "double-time". However, his company pays its employees well, and doesn´t really allow for over-time. He has a part-time job as a front desk clerk at a hotel which is also paid by wages. In this case, the manager will call him in (or another part-timer) to fill-in when the full-timers go on vacation and take sick days. The part-timers are also called in when schedule discrepancies occur that could make a full-timer go into overtime. The company doesn´t like to pay overtime. In both jobs, he gets paid every 2 weeks.

Once I complete my degree, I´ll be a salaried teacher.  I´ll find out how often I´ll get paid later. I didn´t inquire about that part of the deal.

But for accuracy´s sake, I´d revise the poll to include the other options of first/last of the month plus mid-month, and every 2 wks (or fortnightly).

So, now you have another input, but I didn´t vote in the poll. I will if you change it, though. 

I hope you get tons of inputs! It´s fascinating to see how things work in other countries!

Smiles,
Sweet Momma Sue


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## Roi Marphille

SweetMommaSue said:
			
		

> But for accuracy´s sake, I´d revise the poll to include the other options of first/last of the month plus mid-month, and every 2 wks (or fortnightly).


yeah, I'm sorry. Regretfully I was full ignorant about it when I set the poll...  I don't know if I can change it now. 
Thanks anyway to you and everybody for your worthy comments and sharing experiences.


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## blancalaw

> yeah, I'm sorry. Regretfully I was full ignorant about it when I set the poll... I don't know if I can change it now.
> Thanks anyway to you and everybody for your worthy comments and sharing experiences.


You could change the poll but it would throw off the results because people can't revote.
I voted every week but I used to get paid every 2 weeks with my previous job. My current job pays me twice a month, which throws me off because I am used to being paid every other Friday. Now paydays come and I don't even realize they are here.
Sure it is hard to pay the big bills if you are paid once a week, but one can manage if they budget right. Personally I like the bi-weekly payment plan because there are 2 extra pay periods in a year, meaning 2 months I get paid 3 times.


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## Outsider

In Portugal, salaries are reported and paid by the month. I don't think we make a distinction between "salary" and "wage", though some people do get paid overtime.


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## Bilma

JimPojke said:


> In Mexico we get payed twice a month, the 15th and 30th/31st. And we get an extra bonus (called "aguinaldo") by the end of the year (sometimes a part in december and another in january). It usually goes from 1 to 3 months of salary.


 

Most workers (obreros) get paid by the week in Mexico.  Office people twice a month.


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## Etcetera

In Russia, people get paid once a month in most companies. 
I haven't had an opportunity to compare, so I preferred not to participate in the poll.


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## Orestes

JimPojke said:


> In Mexico we get payed twice a month, the 15th and 30th/31st. And we get an extra bonus (called "aguinaldo") by the end of the year (sometimes a part in december and another in january). It usually goes from 1 to 3 months of salary.


I think that's how almost everybody gets paid in Mexico. Anyway, there are a few who get paid weekly.


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## Bilma

Orestes said:


> I think that's how almost everybody gets paid in Mexico. Anyway, there are a few who get paid weekly.


 

Office people yes, not workers in factories.


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## irene.acler

In Italy people are paid monthly, as far as I know.
I'd say it's better to be paid monthly, even though I haven't experimented yet a weekly pay.


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## Brioche

I said higher up that I don't know anyone who gets paid monthly in Australia.

Well, I do now!

There is at least one private school where the teachers are paid monthly. The salary is paid into their bank accounts on the week-day closest to 15th of the month.


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## HUMBERT0

Orestes said:


> I think that's how almost everybody gets paid in Mexico. Anyway, there are a few who get paid weekly.


Not everybody. Were I live it’s common to be paid weekly, no matter if you are a regular employee, administrative, or management. 
I known of companies that pay every 15 days, however usually these companies originally came from the central part of the country, and also people who work in the public sector, employees of the federal, state and the city government.


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## mirx

HUMBERT0 said:


> Not everybody. Were I live it’s common to be paid weekly, no matter if you are a regular employee, administrative, or management.
> I known of companies that pay every 15 days, however usually these companies originally came from the central part of the country, and also people who work in the public sector, employees of the federal, state and the city government.


 
Sueldos y Salarios.

I used to work in México and altough I had a rate-per-hour wage, I still got paid the 16 and the last day of the month (28, 30, 31).

Now I get paid weekly and I like this method much better, it's easier for me to administer my budget that way, I save a little every week.

And a question.

¿How is that, that american workers get paid 3 times a month during two months of the year?


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## jinti

mirx said:


> ¿How is that, that american workers get paid 3 times a month during two months of the year?


Well, we generally get paid every two weeks, which is not the same as twice a month.  There are 52 weeks in a year, so we get paid 26 times, which is slightly more than twice a month.

For instance, at my job we get paid every other Friday. Every year, several months have 5 Fridays. If the first Friday is a payday, then so are are the 3rd and 5th. So that month we get paid 3 times. This happens twice a year.

This way, all pay periods are of equal length -- two weeks -- so your pay is the same every time. How does it work for people who are paid monthly? February is shorter than March, for example, so is your pay adjusted accordingly?


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## mirx

jinti said:


> Well, we generally get paid every two weeks, which is not the same as twice a month.  There are 52 weeks in a year, so we get paid 26 times, which is slightly more than twice a month.
> 
> For instance, at my job we get paid every other Friday. Every year, several months have 5 Fridays. If the first Friday is a payday, then so are are the 3rd and 5th. So that month we get paid 3 times. This happens twice a year.
> 
> This way, all pay periods are of equal length -- two weeks -- so your pay is the same every time. How does it work for people who are paid monthly? February is shorter than March, for example, so is your pay adjusted accordingly?


 

I got it now, the thing is that in México we usually say that we are paid every two weeks, but in reallity is just  in the half and and of the month, When he have months like february you will be paid only for the days that you worked, so your salaries/wages usually vary slightly every payment period.

Cheers.


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## CrazyArcher

In Israel wages are paid strictly on monthly basis. Anything else is unheard of. Actually, when I read a story of an Israeli who worked in the US and got his salary every 2 weeks, I found the idea original and atractive...


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## Kajjo

jinti said:


> This way, all pay periods are of equal length -- two weeks -- so your pay is the same every time. How does it work for people who are paid monthly? February is shorter than March, for example, so is your pay adjusted accordingly?


In Germany you are usually paid monthly. There is no adjustment for the number of days in a specific month. Very many people negotiate year salaries which are paid in 12, 13 or 14 parts (12 months and bonus salaries at the end of the year), so it doesn't really matter how long a month is. Since it is the same every year and the same for everyone I do not see any problem in the varying month lenght anyway.

Kajjo


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## sarcie

jinti said:


> How does it work for people who are paid monthly? February is shorter than March, for example, so is your pay adjusted accordingly?



As Kajjo said, there is no adjustment to the pay to take into account the fact that some months are shorted than others here in Germany. I don't think there needs to be, because if you are adult enough to hold down a salaried job, you are adult enough to budget your pay according to your requirements! Besides, it's not like you're getting paid for the days you work - you are paid a certain salary for the whole year, and one-twelfth of it is distributed to you each month.


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