How a pay period works

You would be surprised by the number of people who don't understand how a pay period works.

Let me explain.

The majority of our clients have a pay period of Sunday-Saturday, and contractors are paid weekly. This means that if you work at any point during a Sunday-Saturday period, you will be paid the following Friday (i.e., six days after the close of the period). Why? Because it takes diligent attention for four days to verify timesheet information from the prior week to finalize payroll promptly every Thursday for money to be deposited on Friday.

If the above information was a newsflash for you, let me drive the point home further: Your Friday paycheck doesn’t reflect any of the hours you worked that same week because, well, you had not yet worked those hours according to the information that was finalized Thursday morning.

We typically get a handful of calls from contractors their first Friday after getting hired with complaints that they didn't get paid.

Let me try to get a blanket answer out to some of you future complainers now to save me the phone call later: You're right, you did not. Your first check will be paid out next Friday.

"But I worked this week!"

Yes, you did. And you will appreciate all of that effort…next Friday.

Look at it this way: When you quit in two months, you are going to hang up your apron or gloves or hardhat or whatever, go home, kick back with a cold one…and after you have been hanging out in your PJs for at least six days, NEXT Friday, you are going to get one last paycheck, courtesy, us.

You’re welcome.