Why Is My Pay Different From What I Expected?
Understanding why there are discrepancies between your expected pay and the amount received can be crucial, especially when these variations impact your daily earnings. This guide will explain the possible reasons for lower-than-expected payouts, how they are processed, and what steps you can take.
Common Reasons for Pay Discrepancies
1. Break Deductions
Automatic Break Reductions: The system may automatically deduct unpaid break time from your working hours—even if you didn’t take a break. For instance, if you worked onsite 11.5 hours but the system assigned a 30-minute break, payable hours would be adjusted to 11 paid hours. If this happens, confirm your break times in the kiosk and request an update from your supervisor if no break was taken.
2. Previous Payment Adjustments
Overpayment Deductions: If you were overpaid in a prior shift, the extra amount may be deducted from your current payout to balance your account. These overpayment corrections ensure accurate payroll records without further action on your end.
Payment Reversals: Businesses may update hours after payment, leading to a correction or "reversal" applied as a negative adjustment to your payout. This correction reflects the updated and accurate hours worked rather than the originally reported total.
3. Additional Fees
Trust and Safety Fees: A standard trust and safety fee of $0.50 per hour reduces your net earnings. For example, a gross earning of $28/hour for 11 hours turns into $302.50 after these charges.
Quick Pay Fees: If you use Quick Pay to expedite transfers, a processing fee is deducted. For example, $153.70 payout reflects a $2.34 deduction for this service.
4. Clock-Out and Reporting Issues
Clock-Out Time Discrepancies: Payment is based on recorded timestamps. If a supervisor clocks you out early or forgets, it could reflect fewer hours worked, even if you completed your shift. Ensure clock-outs are accurate for the most reliable earnings.
Reported Hours Adjustments: Businesses might make adjustments to your logged hours to reflect accurate work periods, impacting pay.
5. Negative Balance Offset
When adjustments result in a negative balance (e.g., overpayments or additional adjustments), future payouts are used to cover the outstanding balance before transferring the remainder to you.
Steps to Resolve Payment Concerns
Verifying Discrepancies:
Check Your Earnings Tab: Open the app, navigate to the Earnings tab, and compare shifts included in your payout. Make a note of missing payments or discrepancies in calculations.
Review Shift Details: Identify specific shifts or clock-out errors contributing to inconsistencies. Collaborate with your supervisor to validate times and request adjustments if needed.
Understand Future Adjustments: Note that any overpaid balances or employer-corrected hour submissions can naturally offset subsequent payments.
Seeking Support:
If self-verification doesn't resolve your concern, consult with the worker support team to clarify issues like unpaid breaks, clock-out errors, or missing adjustments. Provide detailed information (e.g., shift times/dates) to speed up investigations.
Conclusion
Pay discrepancies often stem from payroll system adjustments, business-reported changes, or standard deduction policies. By understanding the factors explained here, you can confidently address and resolve such issues, ensuring an accurate payout every time.