AIBU to ask which one of these is correct? One for the pendants maybe...?

[Pusheenicorn]

Which of these is correct???

"... which will be payable monthly, on the second to last working day of the month."

OR

"...which will be payable monthly, on the second last working day of the month."

Me and my boss have had such a row over it I thought she was going to sack me lighthearted.

I dunno but surely "penultimate working day" would have been easier 🙈

Agree penultimate is much less clumsy and leaves no room for misinterpretation.

The 2nd makes no sense!

The first one is understandable and the second one isn't.

Hey, I suggested changing it to penultimate before it even became such a heated debate but she was having none of it

Personally I'd say "penultimate" but if that's too formal how about "last but one"?

If you insist on using that phrase then it should be second to last. Or, for ease, I'd say penultimate.

The first sentence, though I agree with pp that penultimate would be a better choice.

I shall just go and ask my necklace...
...(Sorry)

I would also say penultimate and I'm a pedant, not a pendant

*pedant

You need hyphens! Otherwise the first one reads to me like you can pay any time from the second working day to the last. The second one is a bit better.
So second-to-last option one, or second-last option two

As is evident... I am not a pedant... Since I can't even spell it.

My boss has decided she thinks penultimate is more confusing she is wrong so has to be one of the above.

I think it is "second to last" and she things "second last". She is rather insistant she is right but going by MN it seems I am... she isn't going to like this!

Second last doesn't make any sense - it would mean that you had two last days and this was the second of them, so really the last last. Second to last is the standard phrasing but I agree with others that penultimate is so much easier.

I think this is regional dialect. I’ve never heard second-to-last. It’s always second-last here (Scotland).

I agree with you, penultimate is best followed by first option. Second option makes no sense.

To me the 2nd one is correct and I just checked my contract and indeed mine says 'you will be paid in monthly installments, normally on the third last banking day of the month'. This is the NHS. I have definitely had this wording in various contracts though as it is definitely the only phrasing familiar to me!

Second to last sounds clunky and just not right!

I just realised how weird it is that I actually checked my contract I am a bit of a Monica and it just happened to be filed in a cabinet right in front of me

I'd say second last. But just change the payment to the last working day - problem solved!

the second last working day of the month is completely wrong! It means that there would be two last working days in each month, which can't possibly happen.

If your boss won't accept penultimate, then it has to be the second-to-last working day

And as a pedant, please make sure you put the hyphens in!

But if you exclude the actual last day, then the second last is the one we're talking about

Google dictionary defines penultimate as
last but one in a series of things; second last.

As does the Oxford dictionary - I assume that's the Oed, could be wrong

Agree with pps that it might be a regional thing. I would say "second last", never " second to last" but I would never put either in a contract or any other formal document. Penultimate is clearly best!

It's not a regional thing, it's a dictionary thing