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Original poster

To feel pissed off about this (salary)

58 replies

FlappicusSmith · 25/02/2026 22:54

I accepted a job at a salary of X amount. Received and signed contract, which says £X salary for '36 hours p/w (full time)'.

I just got my first payslip and my gross monthly pay is less than I was expecting. i.e. it is less than 'X divided by 12'. Some ChatGPT'ing has revealed that apparently in this sector it's 'normal' to quote 'spine' salaries based on a 37hr week and that my paid salary reflects that my contract is for 36hrs.

At no point was this communicated to me. My contract says 'full time'. Nowhere does it say anything about that being pro-rata. Neither was it communicated during the offer/ negotiation/ acceptance stage.

Has anyone come across this before? In my many, many years of working I have never heard of this and I'm really miffed!

OP posts:
UpDownAllAround1 · 25/02/2026 23:10

Don’t annoy HR if you are in a probation period. Seems minimal impact really

Original poster
FlappicusSmith · 25/02/2026 23:10

Started on the first day of the month.

Having done the sums, my monthly gross was exactly 36/37 x offered salary, so I do think that's what's happened.

Wtaf!

OP posts:
Toomuchprivateinfo · 25/02/2026 23:09

It’s more likely to be that Feb is a short month and assuming you started on the 2nd or afterwards that has made it slightly lower, being your first month. I expect next month you’ll see x/12.

EATmum · 25/02/2026 23:08

Did you start at the beginning of the month? It might sound like daft question but if the first day of the working month is (say) 3rd or something, payroll will often pro rate the amount accordingly unless your start date is showing as 1st.

Peridoteage · 25/02/2026 23:07

It doesn't matter whats "standard in the sector" if the contract is vague or misleading, challenge it. Im guessing it's local government or TA or higher ed and they do this to make the salaries look higher, very few roles are ever actually 37 hours.

Original poster
FlappicusSmith · 25/02/2026 23:05

And yes, I have queried it with HR. I just wanted to see if anyone else had come across this before...

OP posts:
Original poster
FlappicusSmith · 25/02/2026 23:00

Ah, maybe that's it! I hope so @AnotherDelphinium. Although Googling, it does seem to be a thing in this sector (spine salaries are based on 37hr weeks and anything less than that is paid pro-rata)...

OP posts:
AnotherDelphinium · 25/02/2026 22:59

Nope. I’d ignore chatGPT and query it with HR or similar.

It would be an unauthorised deduction from your salary if you contract says one thing and you’re paid another.

A possible explanation I can think of is that you’re paid on a “days worked” basis, so rather than it being XX/12 and you’re paid the same each month, it’s XX/260 and then you’re paid for each day worked that month, and February is a short month so you’re paid “less”.

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