Check your paycheck

Reconcile in seven parts

1. Identify the period. Write its first and last dates and the payroll cut-off.
2. Add actual shifts. Include dated starts and finishes, and remove duplicate entries.
3. Classify breaks. Deduct unpaid time once; retain paid breaks.
4. Confirm rates. Check effective dates, currencies and any role or job changes.
5. Review extras. Separate overtime, premiums, bonuses, tips and reimbursements.
6. Compare gross. Match each earnings line to the same basis and period.
7. Review the difference. Check deductions separately and ask payroll to explain unresolved items.

This process helps locate a difference. It cannot establish that every payroll rule was applied correctly.

Locate a small difference

Suppose your fictional week contains five 09:00–17:00 shifts, each with a 30-minute unpaid break. That gives 5 × 7.5 = 37.5 paid hours. At €15 per hour, the simple gross estimate is €562.50, with no premiums or extras.

If the payslip shows 37 hours at that rate, the arithmetic gap is 0.5 × €15 = €7.50 gross. First find which date or adjustment accounts for the half hour. Do not assume a bank-payment difference of €7.50 has the same cause: deductions can change too.

Total the shifts in a time card, then compare individual rows rather than only the final figure.

Check timing and units

A shift submitted after a cut-off, an amended break, a rate change partway through the period or a rounding rule can explain an apparent mismatch. Confirm whether an overtime line contains base pay plus premium or premium only.

Check decimals carefully. A record of 7h 30m corresponds to 7.50 hours. A payroll display of 7.5 and a record of 7:30 can agree even though they look different.

Keep useful evidence

Keep the original rota, actual times and a brief note explaining changes. Preserve the version you submitted as well as later corrections. Review a week while it is still easy to remember, then reconcile the pay period when the payslip arrives.

A compact comparison table can use columns for date, recorded paid minutes, payroll hours, rate and a question. Leave private account numbers and unrelated personal details out of a message or screenshot.

Ask about the specific line

Use a focused question: “For the period ending Friday, I recorded 37.5 paid hours and the slip shows 37. Can you confirm the dates and unpaid breaks included?” Keep the answer with the relevant record.

Rules and escalation channels vary by location. If a material issue remains unresolved, consult the relevant official labour resource, representative or qualified adviser. No calculator can promise to detect every payroll error.