Do You Get Paid Less in February?

The answer depends on the type of contract and how your payment is structured. In general, the way you get paid affects whether or not your pay changes in February. If you have a fixed monthly salary, your pay will not be affected. For those of us on an annual salary, the total amount will be split into 12 equal payments, regardless of how many days are in each month.

However, if you are paid by the day or even by the hour, then you may receive less money in February. This will depend on how many total days or hours you work during this period. If you are paid by the day, you could earn a little more thanks to the extra day in the month during a leap year.

If you notice differences in your payroll between months, check if they are due to tax withholdings, commissions, overtime or company adjustments. If you have questions about your payroll, you can always consult with your company's human resources department or review your contract to better understand how your salary is calculated each month.

Fixed monthly salary

If you have a fixed monthly salary, you will not receive less in February. Your salary is distributed over 12 equal months, regardless of the number of total days in each month. This means that even if February has fewer days, your gross salary will not be reduced.

Example:

• If your salary is 3,500 dollars gross per month, you will continue to receive that amount both in January (31 days) and in February (28/29 days).

Salary for days worked or hours

If you are paid by days worked or by hours, you might notice a difference in February. This is because there are fewer days, so there are fewer work days available. Let's take a practical example:

• If you earn 100 dollars per day worked and you worked 22 days in January (31 days of the month), you will have received 2,200 dollars.
• In February, if you only work 20 days (assuming there are fewer working days available), you will receive 2,000 dollars, i.e. less than the previous month.

This same principle applies to those who work hourly instead of receiving a fixed monthly salary.

Employees with prorated salary

Some companies pay salaries on a prorated basis, i.e. they divide the annual salary into 12 equal parts. In these cases, there is no variation in February either, since the total amount to be paid each month is the same. In this way, only workers who are paid by day or hour will notice a difference in their February payroll.

There may be individual exceptions depending on your type of contract. For example, if you have signed to work a six-month contract, you will likely get paid the same amount for each month, even if one of these months is February. Others may be on a 13-month payment plant, meaning their total annual salary is divided into 13 equal payments rather than 12. This is not common.

In a leap year, February has 29 days instead of 28. This can affect the amount you receive depending on the type of salary you have.

Fixed monthly salary

If your salary is fixed and monthly, you will not notice any change between a normal February and a leap year February. You will continue to receive the same amount as in any other month of the year. For example, if you earn $2,800 per month, in February you will receive the same amount, regardless of whether the month has 28 or 29 days.

Salary for days or hours worked

If you are paid for days worked, the fact that February has an extra day in a leap year may mean you get paid more.

For example, if you earn $100 per day and you work every working day in February:

• In a normal year (February with 28 days), you could work 20 days and earn $2,000.
• In a leap year (February with 29 days), you could work 21 days and earn $2,100.

The same goes for hourly workers. An extra day in the month means more hours worked and therefore a slightly higher salary.

If you notice variations in your payroll from one month to the next, there may be several reasons for it. They include:

• Difference in days worked: if your contract is hourly or daily, the number of working days in each month will influence what you get paid. Not all months have the same number of working days, which can cause your salary to vary. For example, January has 31 days, but some may fall on a weekend and may reduce the number of total working days for that month.
• Changes in personal income tax withholdings: if your salary is subject to personal income tax withholdings, your payroll could change from one month to the next due to tax adjustments. These withholdings can sometimes be modified based on bonuses, extra payments or changes in the contribution base.
• Prorated or non-prorated bonuses: if your bonuses are prorated, you will receive one extra each month. If they are not prorated, you will receive two bonuses at specific times of the year, which may result in you earning more in some months than in others.
• Overtime or commissions: if you work overtime or work on a commission basis, your salary may vary from month to month depending on the number of additional hours worked or the goals achieved.

Now you know whether you get paid less in February, you may want to know more about controlling your finances with our article asking what are active and passive assets in accounting?

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