How to Total Day-Rate Pay When Your Pay Period Runs 21st to 20th
A pay period is the range of work days one paycheck covers. Many day-rate jobs do not use the calendar month: a period that starts on the 21st covers the 21st of one month through the 20th of the next. If you add up "this month" instead, your total will not match the paycheck even when nothing is wrong.
Worked example
Your rate is 200 per day. The period is March 21 to April 20. You worked 9 full days and 2 half days in March 21–31, and 12 full days and one 1.5-day shift in April 1–20, plus 30 in travel money. Units: 9 + 1 + 12 + 1.5 = 23.5. Pay: 23.5 × 200 = 4,700, plus 30 = 4,730. Days you worked on April 21 or later belong to the next period.
Steps
- Find your period start day (the day after the last period ended). Here it is the 21st.
- List every worked day from the start day through the day before the next start day, crossing the month boundary.
- Write units per day: 1 for a full day, 0.5 for a half day, 1.5 for a long shift.
- Add the units and multiply by the rate for 1 unit. If different sites pay different rates, do this per site.
- Add extra pay you were promised for those days, such as meals or travel.
- If you estimate deductions, apply the rate your employer actually uses. That is an estimate, not a tax calculation.
Common mistakes
- Counting March 1–31 when the paycheck covers March 21–April 20.
- Forgetting the days at the end of the previous month that belong to this period.
- Counting a half day as a full day, or missing a second site on the same day.
Let the calendar count it
Wagedays lets you set the period start day (1 to 31), tap each day you worked, and shows the period total by site, paid and unpaid. Records stay on your phone with no account. Totals are simple calculations from the numbers you enter, not tax or payroll advice.
Wagedays — coming soon to Google Play