New Hire? Read the Fine Print

On the first day of any new job, you spend your first hours filling out employee paperwork. You’re excited and happy about your new job and looking forward to getting some money coming in. You’re anxious to get started so you rush through paperwork. After all, you know what your salary will be, what benefits are available and what hours you’ll work, why bother reading the fine print?

For the sake of your short-term financial security, you should read the fine print. You and maybe your family are depending on your paycheck to pay bills, and you won’t get unemployment anymore. You finish your first week and expect a paycheck. If you’ve signed up for automatic deposit, you look at your bank account online. If you chose getting a check, you expect to pick one up after working a week. You will probably be disappointed.

Somewhere in the fine print you didn’t read on the first day is the payroll schedule. First of all, the payroll schedule tells you how often you get paid and what days are included in each paycheck. The paperwork probably also let you know when the next company pay day will be and how long it will take to receive your first check.

According to an article by Indeed:

“When starting a new job, there may be a slight delay in seeing your first paycheck. This can sometimes happen because of a lag between your first workday and the company's next pay period. However, knowing when to expect your first paycheck can help you plan your budget.”

Let’s say, for example, you start your job on Monday, July 25, 2022, and you get paid every two weeks. That doesn’t necessarily mean that on Friday, August 5th, you get paid two weeks salary. It takes some time for the payroll department to get you set up in the system. That may cause a few days delay and you may not get anything on the first official pay day.

Some companies pay every week, some every two weeks, and others twice a month on the 1^st and the 15^th. If your company pays twice per month, your first paycheck on August 1^st might be for a few days work or nothing at all depending on the payroll setup lag.

Your employer’s policy might be to pay you several days to a week after the end of a pay period, too. Each state has laws about how much of a delay is allowed. On rare occasion, you may wait several weeks or even a month for your first check. You will eventually get everything you’ve earned but if you have bills to pay(who doesn’t) and have invested money in a uniform or other work necessities, not getting paid when you expect could cause personal financial insecurity. I’ve even seen people get frustrated enough by the situation to quit a great job.

Read all your paperwork and fill in forms carefully, when starting your new job. There’s more information to know than your salary and work schedule. Understand the pay schedule, and if you aren’t clear, ask your employer about when your first check will come, so you and your family can plan ahead.

Today’s Decisions affect your tomorrows and your paycheck.

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