is pay calculated per day or per working day?

[MamaChocoholic]

work have decided the easiest way to refund me some expenses is to allow me to return to work from maternity leave a few days early, but give me additional leave to cover those days (it's a long story). so I need to work out how many days I need to cover the expenses. I am taking my monthly take home pay, and if I divide it by 22 (approx, the number of working days in the month), I need 2 days pay. if I divide it by 30 (approx the number of days in a month) I need 3 days pay. which is right?

and if I need 3 days pay, can I return to work, or payroll at least, on a Sunday? (surely not)

Working days I'd say

I really don't understand why you have to work to get a refund of expenses. Sounds like madness to me. Either way surely your employer is in the best position to calculate this.

Suggest you get their explanation and calculations in writing before agreeing to it though.

thanks LIZS, that's what makes sense to me.

it's complicated SageMist! I did some work for them a few months ago, and agreed in advance that they would pay my childcare (I had 4 month old twins). it should be covered by KIT days, but it was more work than that (even though I am only claiming the max 10 days), and childcare for two small babies is expensive, so I would not have done the work had childcare not been covered. now they have discovered that the institution doesn't cover childcare. given that my administrator's initial approach to KIT days was "I'll write them in my desk diary, is that ok?" (not "I'll tell payroll so they know to pay you") I'm not convinced that she is in the best position to calculate this! and as it's a workaround for institutional rules, I'm not inclined to phone HR directly myself

I work out an hourly rate which has been annualised to take into account of different number of days each month, even though paid on a salary, so same amount each month.
For our staff, they work 1957.5 hours a year - this is 7.5 hrs/day for 261 working days (basically 365 days less 104 weekend days - does fluctuate slightly every year). Then I divide their annual salary by the number of working hours, to give an 'hourly rate' - it takes out the effect of the number of days/working days each month so it doesn't vary throughout the year.
If they are part-time staff, they are all on pro-rated salaries, so use the same calculation on the full-time equivalent.
Don't know if that helps at all?
However, as SageMist says, if they are refunding expenses, how on earth is it easier for them to do it this way rather than just paying you the actual amount of your claim?

thanks Ellypoo, I will go with working days then. (see above for complicated back story).

Working days. Usual calculation of a daily rate for someone if they work 5 days a week is their annual salary divided by 260. But I wouldn't let them do that tbh.

plus if they do it this way, my wages come out of a different pot of money (mine, rather than theirs!)

why not, flowery?

You will be paying tax in the "reimbursement" if they do it through giving you days off.

But it soinds like they are not actually reimbursing you anything.

You go back to work early (paid or unpaid)
Then the give you some holidays to cover the days you went back early?

Sounds confusing. If they agreed to expense reimbursement, they need to write you a cheque. It is not your problem if the institution doesn't cover Childcare, this is what was agreed.

yes HRN, but it was agreed by someone who clearly didn't know the rules (my boss). he has appealed all the way to head of institution who says no. this seems the easiest way for me to get the money. yes, I will officially return to work earlier, and my direct boss will give me additional discretionary leave. I am calculating the number of days according to my take home pay, so I don't think tax will be a problem. the only side effect I can see is that because I am on a fixed term contract, my job will run out a few days earlier. but I will need to get a new job anyway before this one runs out!