Please help me understand how my pay works!

[TipTopCatHat]

I started a new job and worked out I'd get paid £712.55 a month. I got paid today and it was £853.96. I called HR and they said we get paid fortnight in advance but the difference isn't two weeks worth of pay? I'm so confused, I don't know what to tell UC what I get paid a month anymore as I thought it was £712.55. Apparently we'd need to pay two weeks back if/when we leave. I really don't understand! My salary is £8550.60. Any help would be appreciated!

When did you start? Have you earned a day or two holiday but can't take it as it's the end of the tax year?

Speak to HR pr payroll. Nobody here can help with the ins and outs of how your particular payroll department works.

Ditto the above about speaking to your own HR/Payroll, it could be any number of reasons but it’s not unusual for the first payslip to be different to what you would usually receive.

Have you seen your payslip? Is there any chance you've had a tax refund? I get paid a mid month for the whole month and it doesn't affect his much I get paid.

Is it two weeks pay minus your NI/pension? Or tax if you’ve been employed elsewhere before this job?

It's likely that you get paid once a month to say 15th. So the pay you receive on 15th March is for the whole month - two weeks in arrears and two weeks in advance.
I would guess that you started a few days before 1st March and the extra is for this.
If your salary is £8550.60 then your usual pay will be £712.55 gross (or £164.43 per week).

Any chance you've calculated your pay wrong? 8550.60 is very specific for a salary - is that not your take-home pay?

Started four weeks ago

@DerelictWreck that's what the contract says

So going forward will it be £712.55? And this is just for the work I did in Feb added on?

You payslip should show in some way that you have been paid for hours worked in February.

I've not had one yet, probably should wait to see that, thanks all

The first wage package is not a good indicator of what the rest will be. Obviously it can be Iess or more days then usual, but also pension contributions could be missing/wrong, tax code could be wrong. (I’ve had both of those happen at new roles.) It does sound like you have been paid for 6 weeks though. The month you have worked and then the two weeks coming up. (I get paid on the 15th too and that is how it works for us.) I would make a list of questions and email hr or payroll, not always easy to work out yourself.