How to check a shift-work paycheck
A practical process for finding the source of a paycheck difference before contacting payroll.
Your deposit looks too small, but the pay stub has so many lines that you cannot tell whether the problem is hours, rates, premiums or deductions.
Short answerReconcile the check in layers. Start with dates and hours, then rates and premiums, then taxes and deductions. Do not begin with the net deposit.
Start with the correct pay period
Confirm the pay-period start and end dates. A recent shift may belong to the next check because of the payroll cutoff. Also identify the employer's workweek boundary so overtime hours are placed in the correct week.
Reconcile hours before dollars
Compare your own record with regular, overtime, leave and unpaid hours on the stub. Include shifts that crossed midnight, training, required pre-shift work and corrected punches. If the hours do not match, rate calculations will not match either.
Check every rate
Write down the base rate, overtime rate and each shift premium. A raise may have started in the middle of the period. A night premium may appear on a separate line. Confirm both the number of eligible hours and the rate attached to them.
Separate gross-pay problems from deduction questions
If expected gross pay matches the stub but the deposit is lower, the difference is probably in taxes, benefits, garnishments or voluntary deductions. ShiftPay Tools estimates gross pay. It does not calculate individual taxes or benefit deductions.
Create an itemized discrepancy
A useful payroll question is specific: On August 3 and 4 I recorded 16 night hours, but the stub shows eight differential hours. Can you explain which hours qualified? Attach the relevant policy and avoid sending sensitive information through an insecure channel.
Keep a simple personal record
Record the date, start time, end time, unpaid break, shift type and any approved premium. Employers have recordkeeping duties, but your own log makes it much easier to spot and explain a difference.
What to collect before you calculate
- Pay-period dates
- Workweek boundary
- Daily hours and breaks
- Base and overtime rates
- Premium hours
- Gross pay before deductions
Use your own rates and rules
Run the numbers, save the breakdown and compare it with your policy or pay stub.
Compare expected and actual gross pay →