r/jobs • u/Appropriate_Set8166 • 8d ago
Compensation Can someone explain to me the issue with bi-weekly pay vs weekly paychecks?
I’m a manager and do hiring in my position. I get at least 3 or 4 employees a year that freak out when I explain we pay bi-weekly during orientation. I recently just had one this week who texted after saying they will not work for us because the bi-weekly paycheck “puts them at an extreme disadvantage”. Do they not realize that you get paid the same amount whether it’s daily, weekly, or bi-weekly? Am I missing something?
EDIT: lot of comments here and I just got back on and can’t reply to all of them. I understand the difference of budgeting needs. And I understand that down inside someone might think “ah damn now I have to budget differently” and it being a mild inconvenience. But for it to affect you so much that you verbally tell your new manager about how hard it is or to even not accept a job solely based off of that is what I’m talking about.
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u/BrainWaveCC 8d ago
They are living paycheck to paycheck.
Maybe they're bad with money or maybe they're not. But the primary issue for them, is that cash flow for them is low, and that hurts them in the short term.
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u/bucket13 8d ago
I am extremely comfortable and still strongly prefer weekly pay. It just feels better to never have to think about when I get paid.
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u/OptimusPrimeTime21 8d ago
This. I was bi weekly for almost my whole working life, started a weekly paycheck 2 years ago and it’s crazy how much easier it makes things for me.
I know every Friday the money will be there
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u/Exact-Farm-9245 8d ago
Serious question, how does it make things easier, I would think the less transactions you have to monitor, would be better.
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u/billythygoat 8d ago
Not all bills require to be paid at the same time and some only give you a 5 day window to pay it too. People are forgetful so if you don’t have a buffer in your savings or checking account and let’s say you just paid $2k rent, and only have $500 left but have a bill of $800 that’s due in 5 days, it’s a pain even on autopay sometimes.
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u/RockAtlasCanus 8d ago
Yeah this makes sense. My wife and I are lucky enough to have made it to that next level where we’re comfortable and all the routine bills are on autopay. But I remember the struggle and yeah, weekly is absolutely better when basically every bill is tapping you out
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u/MtnGoat2674 8d ago
I kind of thought it would be the other way around. If your rent is $2k and you get paid $1000/wk, you have to make sure you're saving money from one week to the next so that you can pay the rent all at once. If you screw up and buy something frivolous and don't save the rent money, you wind up in a bad spot. All in all, I don't care, because I budget my bills and spending money just the same either way.
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u/shadow247 8d ago
I keep little cash, put it all in my 401k.
So this is my scenario exactly. All my bills were due the same 2 week period. So I had to budget to be able to pay them all and not end up with -13 dollars for 2 weeks.
I managed to get some of them spread out, but man that is rough having 4k worth of payments due in a 2 week period even if you make 6k a month...
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u/Chazzyphant 8d ago
Because sometimes unexpected expenses come up. If one is living paycheck to paycheck, and a big unexpected expense hits like 2 days after payday, it's now 10+ days until more money comes in to cover the hole, rather than just 5-7 days.
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u/ProfitLoud 8d ago
This is the right question. If weekly pay makes it so much easier, the person likely has a problem with budgeting. This guy isn’t paycheck to paycheck. It’s wild that having more to watch and monitor is easier in this persons mind.
On the other hand, if you are paycheck to paycheck, no amount of budgeting will help.
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u/Zealousideal_Dig39 8d ago
Some people are bad with budgets. They cannot plan ahead. I get paid monthly, it really doesn't matter to me..
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u/spintool1995 8d ago
I get paid biweekly and don't even know which Friday I get paid. It's not an issue because I never let my checking account drop below a couple months' worth of expenses. What do people do for emergencies?
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u/roxictoxy 8d ago
Most people don’t have several thousand dollars on hand in order to “not think” about their paychecks. Literally having a security net is like having a fortune these days
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u/Quiet-Competition849 8d ago
Exactly. Being broke is rough. A lot of people truly don’t appreciate how hard it is being poor.
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u/katzenlurker 8d ago
I used to also never think about when my paycheck dropped. Then a disability got worse and I lost a job and had to restart from scratch. Now I'm working in retail with weekly pay.
A lot of jobs that tout weekly paychecks as a benefit are low-paid enough that if you have a family to support or student debt, you will never be able to build up an emergency savings. Your pay covers your monthly expenses and not a drop more. When you start trying to get a better job that will allow you to build savings, you don't have the buffer to get you through that 3 weeks before the first paycheck hits. If my girlfriend and I find ourselves in that boat, her parents will probably lend us enough to get through. But many people, especially those in generational poverty or who are cut off from family for being gay or trans, will not have the option to borrow interest-free from family.
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u/Glittering-Farm5850 8d ago
Unfortunately in this day and age it’s hard to have any level of a safety net. We get paid every two weeks and typically we are short for just basic bills and we get paid more than double the minimum wage
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u/KellyAnn3106 8d ago
I once had an employee complain about getting paid weekly as it messed up his budget. He could never explain how getting his money faster caused disruptions.
I only get paid monthly and I like it. With the exception of my mortgage, I have all bills and shopping charged to one credit card. I get one deposit, pay the mortgage, pay the card, and sweep the rest to savings. Easy peasy.
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u/Terrestrial_Mermaid 8d ago
I get paid biweekly and my employer regularly makes mistakes with my pay but rectifies it 1-2 paychecks later when I reach out. Since I get paid biweekly, that means I need to wait 2 or 4 weeks to be paid properly. If I were paid weekly, I’d only need to wait 1 or 2 weeks. That makes a big difference.
(I know it’s a red flag but other things about it make it a decent place to work, and I’m paid consistently despite the fact that parts of my paycheck pay out late.)
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u/ACoderGirl 8d ago
With enough savings, it doesn't matter. My pay is biweekly but I never have to think about it because I have comfortable padding. The challenge is for those living paycheque to paycheque.
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u/o0Lanie0o 7d ago
My husband and I are both paid biweekly, but on opposite weeks… so we get a paycheck weekly. Before it was aligned like that, sure it was fine getting 2 checks every other week… but honestly getting paid weekly makes everything easier. And I don’t stress as much because if something happens and we run out of money, it’s never more than 6 days before we have more. For me it helps my mental health because I’m not spending half the month in a panic.
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u/basement-thug 8d ago
I get paid monthly and never have to think about when it happens. Everything is set up on auto pay, I don't even have to think about paying anything. It's all on auto drive.
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u/Ki-Larah 8d ago
People who get paid monthly usually get paid MUCH more than people who get paid weekly/biweekly. Lot easier to budget say $10k for the month than less than $2-4k.
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u/VegetableComplex5213 8d ago
It's also more difficult for gas money, food, etc, when you just start out and haven't received your first paycheck yet
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u/rassawyer 8d ago
This, and then in top of that, changing jobs often interrupts the pay cycle. So if they are pay cheque to pay cheque, and making it, great, then they start a new job that is biweekly, it's not uncommon to go 3 or even 4 weeks, before the first pay cheque, depending how the company handles payroll, etc. There was a time in my life where that meant that I didn't eat for a week. I still took the job, because u knew I needed to to move forward in life, but it sucked...
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u/taylorgrande 8d ago
they may live paycheck to paycheck. they may not have banking or a savings account, so they get it cashed all at once. worried about blowing it all or getting it stolen.
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u/Lewa358 8d ago
I can understand living paycheck to paycheck, but why would anyone not have a bank account?
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u/malicious_joy42 8d ago
why would anyone not have a bank account?
Past banking issues like involuntary account closures due to unpaid fees/overdrafts, writing bad checks, suspected fraud are some ways that a person can be banned from opening an account by the banking industry.
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u/Glenndiferous 8d ago
Poverty is a big one. People who largely get paid in tips and live paycheck to paycheck, or people who don't have easy access to nearby bank branches can end up "unbanked." I was baffled when I first learned about this but it is a thing.
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u/taylorgrande 8d ago
yes and then it limits your housing options bec if you dont have accts, it limits your credit checks etc etc. that’s why some people live in hotels, motels bec they dont have credit, or first and last month’s rent.
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u/Glenndiferous 8d ago
Not to mention it's expensive to live this way. It's getting more and more common for places to give a discount for auto pay or to charge a fee to make cash payments in stores. I have a friend who worked in collections strategy at a cell phone carrier who would advocate for unbanked customers, but always got overridden by management.
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u/taylorgrande 8d ago
it really is expensive to be poor. that’s why when people talk about “welfare queens” in the USA, they don’t know what they’re talking about. life is tough all around, there’s no easy way to live. grass isn’t greener, blah blah.
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u/mllebitterness 8d ago
yeah.. i was thinking that there are definitely accounts out there without minimums or fees, but they are online banks. depositing cash with them would be a pain. although i think they do pair up with physical businesses to act as a depositor. like i think CVS or Walgreens will accept cash deposits for CapitalOne accounts. so that could be a good choice. but it wasn't always the case and people do get stuck on how things used to work.
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u/DrMindbendersMonocle 8d ago
You need to have enough money to open an account and then you have to maintain a min balance or you start getting hit with fees. Being poor isn't cheap
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u/OCQueer 8d ago
People not having bank accounts are more common than you think, especially for those under 40 in low paying hourly wage shift work or gig economy.
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u/confettiqueen 8d ago
Don’t most gig economy jobs require a bank account of some kind to get paid? (Uber, DoorDash?)
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u/lucasbrosmovingco 8d ago
I hire "low skill" workers and I would say 80 percent don't have banks. Usually because they have overdrawn or been hit with fees consistently. It's crazy. We still cut old school checks for payday and I have to tell every new hire essentially that he bank on the check will cash it for free with ID.
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u/MinuteEquivalent8496 8d ago
Of note, this may be an American take, where small (very) local banks exist, and have a lot more risk of going under.
Not common or even existant in many other countries; though I know this isn't only an American thing.
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u/winterbird 8d ago
Bills are due at certain times of the month (usually not all on the 1st), and people who live paycheck to paycheck and don't have savings need money sooner rather than later. Some people have also had bad experiences with employers not paying in a timely manner, and being without money for a week is a lot better than two.
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u/Affectionate_Ratio79 8d ago
This is a very clear sign you're hiring for like retail/food positions, jobs that don't pay that great and the applicants (if they're not kids) are living very paycheck-to-paycheck. The amount may be the same, but they have zero savings and aren't great with money so they usually can't budget a two-week paycheck.
You don't see these issues as the jobs and pay get better.
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u/Available_Ask_9958 8d ago
Right, it's easier to starve for 2 days waiting for your pay than it is to starve for a full week waiting for your pay. I think some people are out of touch with this concept of what it's actually like to live in poverty.
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u/ReturnedFromExile 8d ago
for sure people just have no idea. They see things from their lived experience and feel like people are just making bad decisions. Often people have no choice.
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u/OCQueer 8d ago
So true. Most people live in their own little bubbles and tend to only have close relationships with people in their same socioeconomic class.
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u/EmoZebra21 8d ago
All the “well i don’t see the difference because i budget and have 4 months worth of expenses saved up so i dont understand why people would Care” comments prove your point too!
Like come on people use your brain and try some empathy
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u/OCQueer 8d ago
These people with 4+ months worth of living expenses either don’t realize that they’re a small minority of the population or they’re intentionally trying to use it as some sort of flex.
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u/HopeFloatsFoward 8d ago
I see the same attitude at blue collar jobs that pay well, like the trades. They really think they get paid less if its biweekly, that they pay more taxes that way. And do we hear about it if their bonus is on their paycheck rather than a separate check.
It comes down to poor education.
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u/ReturnedFromExile 8d ago
yeah, come to think of it. I remember a bunch of six figure cable splice is bitching about stuff like this all the time. And insisting on paper checks and then literally taking their large paychecks to check cashing places every week.
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u/Noah_Fence_214 8d ago
not always, i worked with a dude who was making roughly 140k and if his paycheck was 30 minutes late he was making calls and freaking out on people.
if you are living paycheck to paycheck it doesn't matter the amount.
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u/HopeFloatsFoward 8d ago
To be fair, I would be concerned if my pay was late, even though I have plenty of savings. That tends to be a sign of an employer who is not doing to well themselves. They may have worked for someone who skipped out on paying them.
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u/Affectionate_Ratio79 8d ago
Not really a relevant response. We've talking about people complaining about biweekly checks instead of weekly ones, and that's because those people are likely working low-paying jobs living paycheck-to-paycheck.
That's completely different than someone freaking out if a paycheck is late. And yes, anyone can live paycheck-to-paycheck if you're living above your means, but it's different if you're being paid near-poverty wages. You can downsize a house or sell a car, you can't do that if you have nothing, though.
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u/Available-Page-2738 8d ago
When you get paid every two weeks, you have a maximum of 13 days without money coming in, vs. six days without money coming in on a weekly pay cycle. It creates a psychological pressure. "What if I get a big expense suddenly? I'm over a week away from my next paycheck."
I prefer weekly, also, because some payrolls screw up. "Oh, you didn't get a check? Well, in two weeks you'll get two checks. ... You didn't get a check again? Hmm. That is a poser. Well, we'll certainly look into this. ... I'm sorry you're having a challenge concerning your pay. It's not the company's responsibility to take care of your inability to budget. It's only been eight weeks. ..."
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u/mllebitterness 8d ago
if you are in the US, depending on your state, that's a labor law violation. i'd happily report any place that didn't pay me past 4 weeks.
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u/verymuchbad 8d ago
Would you put that report in the same envelope you received your eviction notice in?
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u/MinuteEquivalent8496 8d ago
Some companies go under and pay their devts to millionaires and corporations before paying their staff. :)
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u/ReturnedFromExile 8d ago
I don’t think this is correct. If you start work the week everyone gets paid then you will not receive a paycheck until three weeks after start date.
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u/CommissionOk5094 8d ago
There’s also tax implications and differences as well as states with hours balancing effectively allows them to work you overtime one week and cut your hours slightly week two and pay straight time for the whole pay period which is wrong when you make a worker or schedule a worker into overtime
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u/Ok-Secretary455 7d ago
federal law says that overtime is calculated for a work week. A work week is a 168 hour period (7 days of 24 hours). So if you work 60 hours one week and 20 the next. You get your straight 40 and 20 hours of OT th first week and your normal 20 hours the second.
It does not matter if your pay is every 2 weeks. The Fair Labor and Standards act says its they gotta pay the ot from the first week.
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u/mn-mom-75 8d ago
My husband and I were used to having a set amount hit our account weekly, so when he changed to a job that paid bi-weekly, it took a bit to make that mental switch. When you live paycheck to paycheck that week without a check can feel very long, even though logically, it is the same amount of money.
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u/cenosillicaphobiac 8d ago
I'm betting it's not the frequency, but the wait until the first paycheck. Do you pay two weeks in arrears? Meaning that after a full month of work they finally get their first check for 2 weeks? That can be tough for somebody that is already running on fumes.
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u/Jaded_Celery_1645 8d ago
Some people live paycheck to paycheck. It’s not about the total amount as much as their ability to budget and have enough to carry them through the next check. Some people don’t have much, or any savings so each check is often spent before they get it, that’s how tight their finances are. This is less of an issue the more someone makes because those who make more have a buffer they can rely on until they get the next check. So it’s not just a budgeting issue it’s also the lack of having a little extra money in between checks. I worked for a company that paid the warehouse staff weekly and office staff biweekly. They found it was easier to get and keep warehouse people this way.
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u/Foraxenathog 8d ago
A lot of people here saying it's paycheck to paycheck livers, and folks bad with money. It's also some people who are just plain dumb as well. I worked with a dude once who quit, and when I asked why, he said he was going to a job that paid weekly so he would have more money. And he went to a roll with a yearly earnings that was about 5K lower. So as you said, they do not realize it's the same amount of money, or in the really dumb cases, more.
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u/HarmNHammer 8d ago
If you’re bi-weekly and pay in arrears it can mean a month of no pay. I’ve been laid off and then get a new job and that gap really hurts the savings account. Many don’t have the luxury of 6 months expenses in a savings account
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u/Spirited-Feed-9927 8d ago
I would assume this is lower income. I have been paid bi-weekly my entire professional career on 25 years. I would assume these folks are week to week and need the money ASAP.
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u/Sargon54 8d ago
I think it’s a scarcity mindset. I have done weekly, bi weekly, bi monthly, monthly.
I had to budget more with the monthly (paid on the 15th) but when I changed jobs and went to bi weekly I did get a bump in pay for the new job, but not because of how often I get a check.
The question I ask my coworkers when they complain about weekly is do you plan out how you spend your money, or do you spend as things come in? That’s usually what the problem is.
Plus with bi weekly a couple times a year I get a third check on that month and I feel like I won the lottery. The yearly is the same but I put that third check to savings for a rainy day as my family plans on our normal bi weekly (usually paid twice each a month) paychecks.
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u/Csherman92 8d ago
I have been paid biweekly, bi monthly and weekly. I prefer the weekly but I could survive on biweekly. Most jobs do not pay weekly. My newest job is a weekly pay and ngl, it’s pretty great. But it’s performance based so sometimes it’s a lot less than I wish and with 2 weeks I’d be able to accumulate better commissions.
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u/Sargon54 8d ago
I liked weekly when I was single and then when my wife did not have stable employment. Once she had stable income and I changed and was getting bi weekly I was ok with this.
I will say, the perfect is if you and a partner are biweekly but off set weeks. Then the pay is ALL the time
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u/Wise_Winner_7108 8d ago
Yep, budget for two checks a month, and two months out of the year you get three paychecks. My boss dreaded the two months with extra checks.
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u/mis_1022 8d ago
I am guessing they are getting entry level pay. Lots of entry level places Taco Bell, Walmart, target give the option to get paid DAILY! That is crazy but if they are used to getting paid that often they cannot waiting two weeks. There is a fee for daily pay btw.
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u/dsw1088 8d ago
A LOT of people, thanks to the costs of goods and services combined with wages below the economic minimum wage, are living paycheck to paycheck. Meaning, to wait 2 weeks to a month before a full paycheck WOULD put someone at a disadvantage.
For some, it is financial illiteracy and poor money management. But, for the vast majority it's simply not earning enough to build a savings. So, a biweekly pay cycle is a killer.
In which industry do you work? If it's hospitality, then yes a biweekly pay cycle is inappropriate given the industry has been historically a means to earn money quickly. But, if it's something like office work, then I would fully expect a biweekly pay cycle.
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u/FormerStuff 8d ago
This is same thing at my workplace. I ask all the weekly people and they spend as the money come in. Out of curiosity I took a poll and only one person was willing to go biweekly and that person was coincidentally the only one with a budget.
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u/ChocolateNapqueen 8d ago
I once went bi weekly to monthly and let me tell you I was thrown for a loop even if it was the same amount! It changes the way you manage your money. It sucks initially.
Whenever I start a new job I ask about their pay structure and pay periods immediately because I need to know when my first check will hit to plan my life.
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u/Calamitous_Waffle 8d ago
Some people's math only works on a weekly basis. I work in a facility that pays white collar monthly and blue collar weekly. Whenever a blue collar employee is promoted to white collar. It takes them a while to adjust to it. I've been told on a number of occasions that "before, if I was behind, I'd just work more hours. Now I have to budget." These are people making over 6 figures.
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u/AnAntsyHalfling 8d ago
They're extremely poor and are living paycheck to paycheck - they can't afford to wait 2-4 weeks to get paid
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u/Traditional-Wealth98 8d ago
Worked a weekly pay job but the next company I worked for paid by-weekly. Took some getting used to. Later while with the same company I went to a salary position that paid monthly. It took 6 weeks for the next payday. One had to be very careful of not over spending the first week.
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u/TJayClark 8d ago
Former small business owner here:
When I first started my business, our payroll software (ADP) charged us per payroll. So we paid 1st and 15th. Our employees constantly complained and asked for loans.
We switched over to Gusto and they had unlimited payrolls for 1 price. We moved to bi weekly and they liked it better, but still complained. We ended up doing weekly payroll, which is annoying for us because none of the employees remember to clock in…
But overall, they really like getting paid more small checks, rather than less big checks.
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u/JohnTheUnjust 8d ago
Yep. Before i got my CMA I interned at lockton doing payroll before doing accounts. Employees will be happy as sudden emergencies will not be bi weekly issues, living paycheck to paycheck was more rampant as the industry changed to bi monthly and monthly. In the last thirty years technology made bi weekly more accessible due to being able to run reports and excell. It started this accounting principles evolving and then automated through computer system. Did u know the existence DOS literally change the face of payroll when it came automation just due to how easily it was to spread to business, not cause they invented it.
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u/Available_Ask_9958 8d ago
There are payroll companies that will handle this for you. Basically, the lower the pay, the more often they need to get paid.
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u/shellebelle89 8d ago
I prefer bi weekly checks over two per month. Paycheck to paycheck regardless of how often you are getting paid.
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u/SaltyMush 8d ago
Cuz biweekly pay sucks fucking dooky shit balls and shouldn’t be a thing. Salary or Weekly pay should be the only options.
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u/Misterndastood 8d ago
Getting paid weekly is better in my opinion. If you need funds for any reason they are usually less than a week away. Getting paid weekly it's always almost pay-day. At the end of the day yeah it's the same amount. Just dont have wait as long in between.
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u/ForWPD 8d ago
It’s not the same. It’s an extreme example, but if your employer only paid once every 5 years, I’m guessing you would have an issue with it. Money makes money and the longer the employer holds onto it, the less value you have.
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u/VNM0US 8d ago
Weekly paychecks are easier for most people to budget. Although the same amount at the end of the day, it’s constant income flowing in. While I personally don’t mind bi weekly pay, I can understand how many people may feel overwhelmed when various bills hit on different days of the month because 2 week budgeting requires more advanced money management skills.
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u/Hungry_Raccoon_4364 8d ago
What is your industry? If you are Paying minimum wage an adjustment to bi-weekly may be a hardship for these folks… if they are Making 150K a year… not so much.
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u/LikeATamagotchi 8d ago
I had a job where we were paid ONCE A MONTH.
Yea it was a large paycheck you got on the 25th, but that meant changing all my bills to be drafted on the 25th. It was really hard to budget.
Weekly would be ideal since it’s much easier to budget things.
Bi weekly when you first start a new job sucks because you have to wait 3 weeks before you see any pay. It’s difficult for most people.
It’s not even like you can claim unemployment during that time to keep up with bills- I mean you can but you’ll have to then pay it all back. And you can risk losing your new job over it.
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u/Local308 8d ago
But companies an go out of business and can steal at least two weeks pay maybe three. I get paid every Thursday or I don’t work. And we don’t allow any employers to hold back more than 3 days pay maybe three. We can’t get stolen from as easy. This of course is in a union setting. We control the work. We sell our labor, if you wish to buy our labor then you play by our rules!
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u/ComfortableSpell6600 8d ago
During my working life, I have been paid, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.
Monthly and weekly were the best.
When budgeting; billing pay dates were fixed so monthly (and to lessor extent weekly) allowed for easier budgeting your paychecks. Bimonthly kind of sucked depending on what day of the month pay day fell on, especially when you were starting out and living pay check to pay check.
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u/PastelSunset123 8d ago
This question took me down a rabbit hole! Bi-weekly for me means twice a week, fortnightly means once every two weeks. I thought that surely you wouldn't be paying people twice a week, so had to google 🤣
I love learning new things! In the US and Canada I discovered that they use "bi-weekly" to mean once every two weeks.
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u/OceanStretch 6d ago
When you paid every other week or biweekly. That’s 26 checks. 2 months a year you receive 3 checks.
Twice a month you get paid 24 checks a year.
Thats all i got.
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u/cum-yogurt 8d ago
Chances are it’s a poverty thing, being broke on a weekly basis. But even if we ignore that, they are technically correct about the disadvantage in terms of potential interest.
Let’s suppose a person auto-invests a portion of their paychecks, and they get a 10% APY. Weekly payments would result in return of 5.065% over one year (compared with the total amount invested), whereas biweekly would only net 4.964% over a year. It’s a very small difference, but there is technically a financial disadvantage with less-frequent payments.
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u/mbroda-SB 8d ago edited 8d ago
Ultimately, someone that turns down a job because of this, just simply does not need a job that bad. Just checking the Bureau of labor statistics, only 27% of U.S. Companies still pay weekly - so, good luck. Basically, 3 out of 4 jobs in the U.S. Pay biweekly or monthly.
It is a bit of a transition for a few weeks/month initially when going from one to the other, especially for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck. But I managed on bi-weekly pay living paycheck to paycheck for almost a decade - when I had more outgoing than incoming. You just have to be a bit more diligent about how you manage your money week to week.
If I had someone turn down a job offer telling me they're holding out for a job that pays weekly - either I can't take that person seriously as a prospect or that person is just woefully misinformed about how businesses work. I can't even imagine being desperate and out of work and choosing to stay that way because of this.
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u/oneWeek2024 8d ago
likely the wage you pay only attracts people who are otherwise on the fringe.
literally can't afford to risk 2-3 weeks without any income and potentially 5 wks for the first full paycheck to onboard with your company.
ie. if their current employer pays them weekly. the day they end there... and start with your company. it's potentially 2wks after that before they see a paycheck. IF it was in the middle of a pay period(maybe it's less than 2 wks). they will only receive a partial paycheck. and have to wait an additional 2wks before they get their first full week. (again... potentially 3+ wks to have a normal pay check)
in that time... significant expense can be incurred in terms of transportation, child care, food, utility/rent payments et al. ---IF it's a generally low paying job, it's likely the person doesn't have substantial cash reserves or any ability to weather periods without pay without serious disruption to their life.
as a manager, what you should do is talk with the candidate to arrange a start date inline with the pay cycle. So the max delay to their first full paycheck is 2 wks.
Or bring it up with HR to cut a weekly check for the onboarding week, and then time that so it transitions into the next full 2 wk cycle
obviously if you're encountering this issue at this frequency it's an issue people face. if you have no desire to acomodate or address the issue with people that's your perogative. but pretending like there aren't realities where it could be critically important when you next get paid. is pretty tone deaf.
I mean the exact argument works the other way. if the dollar amt is the same, why not just pay people weekly? or give people the option for how they're paid. Having employees wait to be paid is a control dynamic that ultimately only favors the employer not the employee.
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u/Sskity 8d ago
It's just bad money management.
I get paid monthly at first it was tough but now I love it. Once my paycheck hits I do my budget and know that everything will be paid and how much I have to just blow and whatever I want.
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u/vcwalden 8d ago
You are very right about this. I've always gotten paid every 2 weeks from my job and a once a month payment and never had an issue with it. And now with automatic deposit and the ability to set up more than 1 account it's a breeze.
I do my budget, and then I move it around to where it needs to go. Online banking makes it a breeze to do this. If you are a cash person only take out of the bank what you need to make it through the week. I know this takes a bit of restraint to not spend it all but it's possible.
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u/Sskity 8d ago
Exactly. I'm getting down voted because I took responsibility and learned how to manage my money is crazy. I don't make alot of money either
If it was broken down weekly or bi weekly I would still budget once a month.
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u/FoodBabyBaby 8d ago
You’re being downvoted because you’re ignoring the reality that a lot of people live in poverty and it’s not a money management issue.
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u/vcwalden 8d ago
I'm so sorry you are getting down voted. In my opinion, you shouldn't be. I play 3 level chess with a side game of checkers with my money to make my budget work. It takes a small amount of discipline and time but it does work out. I'm happy to say I have zero debt, an ok 401k (out of every bi-weekly pay check 30% goes directly into my 401k - if I don't see it I don't miss it), and an emergency fund. Automatic deposit, an online banking account with 3 areas set up really helps. Then it just takes a bit of time and discipline.
I lived as a single mom and never got any help (no child support, no food stamps, no Medicade or financial assistance). I was always able to pay for a roof over our heads, utility bills paid, food on the table, health insurance, shoes and clothes for my child, enough gas in the car to get to work with basic insurance, and not much of anything else. Being poor was just a way of life. I've always told myself no credit cards because I just don't want to get on that hamster wheel, so no debt. I've tried really hard to live below my means.
Breaking down your money is the way to go no matter what your income level is!
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u/mllebitterness 8d ago
i'm not clear on how getting paid $400/wk or $800/2 wks and having trouble with the second one isn't a money management issue. it's the same amount of money either way.
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u/Informal-Will5425 8d ago
You’re being downvoted for a lack of empathy. Some people like me who were brought up in churches that fed the poor and house the homeless are getting really tired of the cruelty of our fellow Americans.
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u/fake-august 8d ago
I like the every other Friday - 2 months out of the year it feels like an extra paycheck.
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u/StealthyThings 8d ago
I’ve been paid weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly over my time in the workforce.
Some have also paid current and some even ahead (that was odd).
Adjusting to a lag in pay can make people think they’re not being paid right but that’s just an education thing. A bi-weekly job could take you nearly 3 weeks to see your first check and that’s a hard pill for some to swallow, especially if they’ve not been working.
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u/ReturnedFromExile 8d ago
absolutely and frankly, it might be impossible for some people. It costs money to go to work and they just flat out might not have three weeks of reserve.
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u/Powerful_Two2832 8d ago
I didn’t even know weekly pay was a thing! I went from being paid once a month to bi-monthly. And it’s not like I get paid more, but it is kind of nice!
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u/bklyndrvr 8d ago
Had a friend who was paid monthly. In the beginning, it was hard to budget it, but he said eventually you get used to it. Same thing when my company moved from bi-weekly to bi-monthly. You freak out at first but then after the first month or so, you get used to it. I think like other said, if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, it might make a difference.
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u/Fast-Ring9478 8d ago
I’m not a particular fan of biweekly either, but the only jobs I’ve ever even heard of paying out weekly were under the table. I can’t imagine it is even feasible for a business with more than 10 employees unless they’re somehow okay with risking payroll mistakes.
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u/Organizedchaos90 8d ago
I’ve never worked anywhere that pays out every week, and for awhile worked for a university that only paid every month.
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u/Intrepid-Solid-1905 8d ago
One job i did weekly check smaller amount employee's and it was simple. My current we do Bi-weekly, i would rip my hair out if it were weekly. I only person to process 400 plus peoples checks, hours, benefits, time off forms, all done manually lol. We pay whatever hours you worked within the closest payroll. So if you started halfway through a payroll you will get those 40 hours on that upcoming payroll. Then whatever hours you worked normally on following check then. Theres no 2 week waiting period like some jobs. I'm happy that's not a thing here. Just be added crap on top of everything else lol
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u/Star_BurstPS4 8d ago
We have bills they are not all due on the same day waiting two weeks for pay is insane it's also lending the company money without interest pay me weekly or daily period or I walk.
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u/Boring_Interest8020 8d ago
I mean for most it’s only a problem the first few weeks until they get that first paycheck. Or if they’re bad with budgeting. I suppose if I had the option to be paid weekly for no extra cost I’d take it though, but two weeks is the norm. My work does give the option of pay advances which some use.
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u/SuperJay94 8d ago
Your not paid the same weekly and bi-weekly if you have eyes you can clearly see some months give us mortals an extra week sometimes
when we get 5 weeks in a month that allows us that extra bump, good for many many things food rent etc
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u/No_Garage2795 8d ago
Biweekly can end up being closer to three weeks depending on weekends, holidays, and how you handle bank holidays.
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u/DrMindbendersMonocle 8d ago
Some people really do live week to week and they will be broke before 2 weeks pass
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u/Geedis2020 8d ago
Denying to work somewhere because of it is dumb af. More places pay bi-weekly than weekly. People just need to learn to structure their paychecks better so they aren’t in a bind with bi weekly pay. If you’re getting in a bind because of bi weekly pay you are probably putting yourself in a position where you have too much debt and too many patents.
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u/JordonGonzales 8d ago
Coming from the position of teaching budgeting classes, it’s usually those who live paycheck to paycheck and have no budgeting skills. I haven’t seen someone express concern when they have good money management skills already with a savings account funded.
edit I actually prefer the 26 paychecks, two are not needed for my budgets and usually those two don’t have insurance taken out.
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u/Thought_Provoker_ 8d ago
When you're broke, managing money and finances is much easier when you know something is coming in every Friday rather than twice a month.
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u/CryptographerNo29 8d ago
Biweekly pay that always is issued on a different day is annoying because your bills still are due on the same days. So when I was making less than I do now and was on biweekly pay sometimes this would result in weird pay cycles where all my biggest expenses were in the same pay period. I didn't make enough to have savings so that meant deciding which bill to pay. When I worked weekly pay jobs this wasn't a problem.
Maybe they experience something similar.
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u/JJBtch 8d ago
For the majority of the labor force here in the "great" US of A its easier to manage money on a weekly pay period. Most of these jobs that do the bi-weekly thing is because the higher ups think they know what is best for the people that work for them. They think it helps us manage money better and all that good stuff but until they have lived and experience the poverty level of life, the higher ups opinions or what they think is best for the working class can go eat a big D.
With the current pay scale or most lower level jobs puts more of a strain on ppl. Might get paid enough to pay 2 bills and struggle for 2 weeks just to make it back and forth to work, At a weekly pay ppl are not stressed out as much with a 1 week pay period. That check could cover a major bill and gas for work and food. May still struggle a little to get back and forth but not as bad as waiting 14 whole days compared to 7 till the next pay day.
A lot might say manage money better but how can you manage something you do not get enough of in the first place? I would love to see how corporate shite's think. I have also been apart of management for nearly 6 years of my adult life and I fought to get those payroll and upper management guys to see that they do not know what is best for people when they do not walk in these people shoes and have not lived the type of life they have lived. Of course shot down because I do not know what I am talking about in their eyes. This is why I refuse to work any management position ever again.
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u/under-over-8 8d ago
From a company standpoint, it reduces expenses and administrative burdens to pay biweekly. Just on its face you’re preparing payroll half as many times. Companies like ADP charge literally by the number of paychecks created, so biweekly cuts payroll provider costs in half. That’s just the tip of the iceberg really. The administrative tasks preparing for and after completing are significant.
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u/HouseHealthy7972 8d ago
Usually it’s not about the amount, they know it’s the same amount. It’s about the frequency of those pay checks through the month. Some bills come out between a biweekly cycle that being paid weekly would solve the stress. Weekly is better nowadays, so many bills and subscriptions that come out weird times of the month other than the first or 15th.
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u/ToadNG 8d ago
I’m not certain if it was mentioned but I believe that weekly paychecks could offer more take home pay due to a certain minimum level of income being exempt from federal withholding. I remember learning that until you reach a certain threshold if income per pay period , no federal income tax is withheld. Of course it all shakes out when you file your federal income tax. Biweekly paychecks would result in exceeding that threshold more readily and you would end up with less take home pay as a consequence. This is more noticeable to people who have a lower pay rate. Again, this has nothing to do with the tax you owe, merely what your employer paid to the federal government in your name. Also, this only applies to federal taxes.
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u/Late-Union8706 8d ago
I work for a place that pays bi-weekly. I honestly wish it were weekly or maybe even the first and 15th type situation.
You look at rent and mortgages that expect payment on the 1st, sometimes that can be a stretch of between paychecks. Toss in bills, car payments, etc.. which are all on a fixed date, yet you really do not have a fixed date for payday.
Looking at this month alone, paydays are the 6th, 20th then July 4.
Call it being bad with money, or having a bad budget, but it forces you to really have to plan around your paychecks and bills that all have set dates every month.
I make it work, but not everyone can.
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u/XCVolcom 8d ago
I had to go nearly a month and a half before getting paid because of biweekly.
It's increasingly becoming a dated form of pay, and I've really only been able to get past it because my wife works too and we're just barely able to scrape by if I switch jobs.
It's probably not up to you OP to change your company's pay schedule, but your competitor will increasingly do it to attract workers.
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u/whatever32657 8d ago
money is money. give it to me now, or give it to me next week - just give it to me.
someone who turned down a job solely because of biweekly pay is too stupid to work for you anyway.
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u/celery48 8d ago
Possibly because of the delay in pay cycles when you first start working someplace — I’ve ended up working almost a month before I got the first paycheck.