Paycheck mailed late

[rella23]

I am a peds home health nurse with one full time patient. The agency I work for does not offer direct deposit. Pay day is every other Tues and pay checks are available for pick up between 2pm-5pm. The problem is that I work every Tues 830am-6pm 30 miles from the office. Since I am alone all day with a child I obviously can not leave to get my check. This has been my schedule for a long time and the agency knows this. As a result I have asked them to mail my paycheck. About half the time my check is put in the mail Monday night and I get my check when I get home on Tues. The rest of the time they do not mail my check until Weds and I do not get it until Thurs afternoon.

In many states it is the law when direct deposit is not offered that the check must be post marked the day before payday. Here in Idaho, however, there is no such law. I am an LPN and the combination of my student loan debt and my salary forces me to live paycheck-to-paycheck. Not knowing what day I will get paid has made it very hard to pay all my bills on time.

In addition to the obvious logistical problems this creates, I also feel that it demonstrates that the agency does not respect me or the work that I do. I have talked to several members of the office staff regarding this issue. Most of them have treated me the same way they treatment when I have to work them on anything; like it is a nuisance even to talk to me and like it is my job to make their job easier. I'm curious what experiences other nurses have had with agencies and what other payroll policies are out there.

[sharpeimom]

my husband's paycheck is direct deposited on the last working day of each month. he gets paid once per month which

was a huge adjustment for me (the keeper of the checkbook and bill payer) since i was used to being paid every other

week at my nursing job. just once a month? yikes! i burned right through his check by week two the first three months!

the obvious answer, suggested by my mom, was to put half into savings when it went in to checking, and transfer later in

the month.:doh:now why hadn't that simple idea occurred to either of us?

something that might help you is to change and adjust any due dates that don't line up with when you get your paychecks.

i had to do that when the university where my husband teaches switched from paying on the 14th to the last working day.

i pay online and set things to come out on payday so there aren't any oopsies. from the 14th to the 30/1 of the month was

a huge oopsie! most utilities are very helpful and accommodating if you tell them what's going on and are honest with them.

your employer may have no idea how much difference a single day can make to you. another idea for you might be to take out a very

small loan -- something like $2,000 or so, and put in savings. use it to pay back the loan, and so two day late pay checks won't

be a hassle any more. you can lend yourself money to pay any pressing bills from savings and then return it when you get

your check. the savings idea will also let you build up a stash of canned pantry staples, tp, kleenex, paper towels, jello, dog

and cat foods, cat litter, etc. all bought on sale and using coupons, of course.

as my mom used to tell me from time to time, "don't let ____ drive you nuts by letting them live rent-free inside your

head." don't give your payroll dept. so much power!:hug:

[caliotter3]

My agency does what they please. One time they did not pay me and kept saying they would check on it and check on it and check on it, then they did not pay me until the next payday. So I wracked up a hefty late fee on my rent and they did not pay that either. A relative told me I could go to the labor board if I wanted to, (looked up the law on their website), but then I could do without a job too, so I never expect my paycheck when it is supposed to arrive. If I were you I would fix your finances so you are one paycheck AHEAD of your bills and then that way, you will have another two weeks leeway. That is what I have found that I have to do. The other solution is to get that second or third job and fix the finances accordingly. My home care client is in the hospital again, as usual; no work, no pay, and rent time is around the corner along with the other bills so I know it is again, past time for me to get the second job lined up. No one to blame but myself.

[LaRN]

go pick your check up on wednesday