Do you understand your paycheck??

[UM Review RN]

I don't. I don't believe I should be an accountant or a genius to understand my paycheck, either.

I've actually had inservices on "How to Read and Understand Your Paycheck."

Do you understand how they got all those numbers?

Do you keep track of your hours and check your pay each time?

Have you ever had a problem with getting paid the correct amount?

[shodobe]

After 30 years and multiple differnet payroll systems, I have gotten fairly good at deciphering the mystery we call our "paycheck"! We recently switch to one that is so wrought with diffenet deductions for this and that, you really need an inservice on how to decide if it is right or wrong. Since I work a lot of OT and another facility which is within the same corporation the double time adds up real quick. I keep an an approx of my hours and as long as my take home check is over $4000 every two weeks, I am OK. But, keeping an eye on your money is important because last year I found out that the hospital wasn't paying me correctly in differential and they hadn't been for over 5 years! In the end they owed me almost $8000 in back pay which I gladly excepted! So, keep an eye on finances because the MAN won't.

[GIRN]

By law, they have to pay you for your lunch if you don't get to take it. And if they won't relieve you of your duties so you can leave the floor...they can't say you're taking it. In our state, they have to offer you a lunch if you work more than 5 hours, but the 15 minute breaks are at the mercy of the business' demand.

I write every minute down, including call pay and OT. I'd say at least once every 3 months, there's a sizeable error to my disadvantage and I have to take my documentation in to our timekeeper to make it right. (I have to say, there have been errors made to my benefit, too, so I really don't think it's being done on purpose...it's a complicated system.) If you don't understand how you're being paid for the different kinds of hours you work...you need to make an appointment and ask them to explain it until you really get it. That's their responsibility as an employer. They can't expect you to go on blind faith that it's always accurate. That's why the law mandates that every employee has to receive a check stub with the figures laid out for you, so you can approve it before you cash the check.

[OC_An Khe]

Understanding your pay checks is a lot simpler then then some dosage calculations and much easier then A&P. You do need to understand their particular jargon. yes you need to keep close eye on what you work and how you are getting paid. It is your responsibility. There are state/federal laws regulating this and if you feel you are consistently being shorted, even if the make it up, I would be making a call to your appropriate state agency. You'd be surprised how fast problems get straightened out when the state or feds start asking questions. Not getting a meal break nor getting paid if you don't get it, not being paid for OT because you should be better organized and get your work done, or your manager didn't approve it? All these are violations.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

a but, keeping an eye on your money is important because last year i found out that the hospital wasn't paying me correctly in differential and they hadn't been for over 5 years! in the end they owed me almost $8000 in back pay which i gladly excepted! so, keep an eye on finances because the man won't.

$8,000 and you gladly excepted it?! wow! if my hospital had owed me that much money, i would have insisted they pay it! that's too much money to let them get away with!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i don't understand my paycheck, and i have an mba! i keep a close eye on it, and if there's something i truly have a problem with, i ask someone to explain it to me. but this year my evaluation was four months late which meant my raise didn't start until four months after it should have. i got a retroactive pay raise, but they shoved into into several different categories, none of which made sense and taxed the ever lovin' daylights out of it, so i'm not sure i got the whole thing. my manager insists i'll get it all back at tax time, but i'm not convinced. for the most part, though, it makes sense.

years ago, i worked in a hospital where someone in the payroll department was shorting everyone by $.01/hour and pocketing the difference. now if your paycheck was short by $.01/hour, would you make a big stink about it? that's about $.36 a week. would you even notice? that payroll employee was supplementing her own income something like $40,000 a year!

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

I always keep track of my time in a book, I write down when I clock in & when I clock out. I am the only RN in the unit (dialysis clinic) & can't leave for lunch. The company didn't think I should be paid for lunch, but I beg to differ, if I can't leave the building then your paying me. I really have to keep track of this because I've been shorted several times.

Just curious, if you don't get to take lunch does your company pay you for it? This happens alot with my co-workers & they never get paid.

I can't leave my unit for lunch either because I work night shift. We go to the day room for "lunch" but it's really annoying if family members are about because you feel you can't take it. If they catch you taking "lunch" they seem to wonder what you're doing, sitting about eating and watching TV. I don't get paid for it as I consider I have enough down time that I can take my lunch, but I am peeved I can't get off the unit if there are other people about.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i can't leave my unit for lunch either because i work night shift. we go to the day room for "lunch" but it's really annoying if family members are about because you feel you can't take it. if they catch you taking "lunch" they seem to wonder what you're doing, sitting about eating and watching tv. i don't get paid for it as i consider i have enough down time that i can take my lunch, but i am peeved i can't get off the unit if there are other people about.

and it's really irritating if some of your co-workers invite family members to sit in the break room and eat with you because you're always on display. this happens sometimes even on day shift. it sucks!

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

When I went through orientation at my current hospital, one of the first things they told us was to check your paystub every week for errors! I think hospitals like to use those funky abbreviations and make the checks difficult to read so the workers have a hard time realizing they've been screwed.:icon_roll They've "forgotten" to pay me for a whole shift, left out my call pay, neglected to give me my charge pay etc etc etc. I'm in that payroll office every week. If they don't shape up, I'm going to my union rep.

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

For those who have problems with the facility not clarifying the mystique, or helping with questions, or paying when there is a mistake, remember:

Your State Department of Labor is very interested in this.

You don't even need an attorney to straighten it out. Just keep logs for yourself of when you clock in and out, and when you do and don't take lunch, and then take your pay stubs and your log and go talk to these nice people. Trust me, it gets results.