How do most people cope with repeated 5 week months in this country?

[woody87]

DH and I lived overseas for a number of years, fortnightly pay was standard in almost all industries.

Since moving back to the U.K and both commencing work with the NHS I am astounded that people just put up with repeated 5 week pay cycles.

NHS pays on the last Thursday of the month in Scotland, however nursery fees (£800) are due on the 27th of the month with no exceptions and the latest date that council tax, British Gas and my mortgage company will accept is the 28th!

Therefore this month I had to pay almost £2k of bills out of savings three days before we were due to be paid and I fully accept that I am in a fortunate enough position to actually have a small amount of savings that can cover this.

What on Earth do people do if they don't have savings? Overdraft? Then incurring fees that go into the banks pocket?

This country is a fucking riot.

I get the sense you’re not happy about moving back here to engage with us annoying folk in this country 😂

I wasn't trying to be being snide. We've all done it. But in purely financial terms you got the same amount of money.

I really can't understand all the fuss. So four times a year you go five weeks in-between pay days, but eight times a year you get paid every four weeks which isn't as long as most months, so would you not just set some money aside during those months if your money isn't lasting? Regardless of pay dates, an annual salary is an annual salary, whether you are paid it once a year or once a week.
If you get paid early in December and then have a long gap until January pay, don't you have money from your November pay to last until your normal December pay day?!

We get paid last. Thurs of the month. All direct debits go out 1st. They used to all be 28th but called and changed them all. Except rent which is 25th.

Still easily solvable by setting youebdirect debits for the 1st of the month, and then spreading the rest of your money accordingly.

Regardless of pay dates, an annual salary is an annual salary

Exactly. You get 1/12 of your salary each month, so plan ahead and set money aside in 'short' months. And set your direct debits for a date that will always be after payday.

Imagine holding down a job successfully and not being able to manage your own life admin.

Having come from the UK to a country that pays every two weeks, it’s taken me a while to sort our finances.
I found it a lot easier to be paid at the end of the month with all the bills going out on the 1st of the month. Then I knew exactly how much I had for the rest of the month, which was always 30 or 31 days so no moving pieces!
Even 3 years in on the very two week system I’m never 100% sure how much money we have to play with as our bills go out all over the place. However, there are two months every year when we get 3 paycheques a month. These are good months and treat them as extras because I’ve learnt to live on the 2 paycheques a month.
I think YABU to call the UK a ‘f*ing riot’ just because the system is different.

We get paid the same amount, however long the month is.
I have an account for my monthly bills, where on payday I put the required amount to cover all the direct debits. I have another account (Starling, which has different pots) where I save up for the annual bills, such as insurance, christmas savings, club membership etc. I work this out on a weekly cost basis, counting Monday's until the next payday , so some months do have 5 mondays, some 4. So on the 5 week months we have a bit less to spend. Petrol and food come out of what I have left.
It does take a bit of fiddling round initially, but worth the trouble of setting everything up, then when payday comes around it takes a few minutes of shifting money around then what's left in the account is what we have to spend on day to day stuff.

There should be 13 months in a year, it would make thinks far simpler.

🙄

Fellow NHS staff here and the 5 week months are a killer.

I have all my direct debits come out on the 1st. Most companies are happy to change the dates.

We use the tax free childcare scheme so pay into it as soon as we get paid so the money is sitting there for when the bill comes in. Our nursery is flexible with fees. They are due on the 1st but allow 7 days grace. Maybe worth speaking to them?

But surely the 4 week months are a bonus, when you can put a bit aside? I'm confused as to why you see a downside but no upside. You get 1/12 of your salary each month regardless.

I used to be paid every 4 weeks which I preferred as I budgeted my year out of 12 pay packets (separate bills account) leaving me with one per year that was mine all mine. Of course i still was paying bills every month so not a real "bonus" but it felt like one. Bills account/ spending account is great for headspace

I get it OP

I actually found the US with the 2 weekly pay more difficult to manage than monthly here in Uk (paid on last Friday of month currently).

All of our standing orders etc went out at the start of the month, but we only got half pay. I did get used to it though, and like someone mentioned, the 2 months a year with the extra payday were amazing!

I’ll have a 5 week month next month as I was paid last Friday. Thankfully DH gets paid on a set day of the month so it helps even it out. All our bills come out at the start of the month

In some European countries, you also get paid an extra months' salary for holidays, or 13 months.

I’m not really sure I see what the problem is. Just change your direct debit’s to the 1st of the month and then put your money for food and fuel in a separate account. That’s what we do and it’s always worked fine.

We get paid the last working day of the month and all dd’s are set for the 1st-10th some being that late because I refuse to pay £25 to change them.

I've been paid monthly for years...now paid weekly, but never had trouble with either (and I don't earn much.) You are paid twelve times a year, I really can't see why three days extra occasionally makes such a huge difference. I used to set all direct debits to the 4th of the month so they always cleared a few days after payday.

The problem seems to be that you are living beyond your means.

What do you mean? It's not like all of the sudden you have 35 days in a month which would be 5 weeks. We cope as we usually do, because we put money aside to cover bills. In your country you only have 28 days or what's the problem?

I was being paid fortnightly in my job in Scotland (ended a few weeks ago as it was only temp employment)
I couldn't survive without it! I'm (hopefully) about to enter another job which is weekly paid, I would struggle massively with monthly pay

The problem is when someone is using the pay at the end of a month e.g. 28th June to pay bills going out on the 29th and 30th June when those should be paid from the 28th May salary.

It's a pain as you have to restart your claim each time following the period in which you get paid twice (there is no new waiting period), but you also have to consider that in the other 11 months your earnings are under reported (by 7.7%) and you could receive more UC because of that.

Someone paid like the OP could also have a similar problem if their UC assessment period runs from dates near the end of the month. eg. If the assessment period runs 29th to 28th each month then between 29th June and 28th July they would receive two monthly wages (on 30/06 and 28/07), but between 29th August and 28th September they receive no wage!

With the early December pay surely that's in addition to your normal November pay? So it doesn't actually have to last longer, you just have to not spend it early?

I get paid 4 weekly as does my husband. Different weeks for each. I get paid hourly as well so my wage varies each time. It's challenging for budgeting but pay day rolls around very quickly 😊