How to check your payslip – see the most common mistakes and expert tips

Topics

• Employment contract
• Labour law
• Legal assistance
• Part-time job
• Salary

Checking your payslip is the responsibility of every employee, but many fail to do so. It is a good idea to check your payslip regularly, as human errors do occur and can have a significant impact on your earnings. If you have any concerns about your payslip, you can get help from Lakikaveri if you are a member of YTK Worklife.

Kirsti Paloniemi, an experienced payroll expert and advisor to YTK Worklife members, gives advice on what to pay particular attention to on your pay slip.

1. Is the salary correct?
   
   First, you should of course make sure that your hourly or monthly salary is correct. Also remember to check that any general increase in accordance with the applicable collective agreement in your field has been taken into account! In most industries, salaries do not remain the same for years, but increase at least by the amount of the general increases. Smaller employers in particular may sometimes forget this, so it is worth being vigilant in this regard.
2. Do the hours match?
   
   It is a good idea to keep track of the hours you work, especially at the beginning of your employment. The easiest way is to write down the hours after each working day, which makes it easy to compare them with your payslip.
    
   Also make sure that any evening, night, or holiday bonuses, as well as any sick days, public holidays, and vacation days, are correct. If your workplace pays holiday bonus, find out when it is paid. There are different practices in this regard.
   
   Read more about working hours
3. Have all deductions been made correctly?
   
   Check that all possible deductions, such as outstanding enforcement debt, salary advances, or unpaid days, have been deducted correctly. Also review fringe benefits, such as lunch, phone, and car benefits.
4. Commission-based pay requires accuracy
   
   If you are paid on commission, it is worth paying particular attention to your payslip. Commission-based pay is also subject to separate holiday pay, just like regular shift work.
5. Check your payslip regularly and report any errors immediately
   
   It is a good idea to check your payslip on every payday, otherwise the error may be repeated many times. All errors will be corrected retrospectively – even if you have been overpaid and the reason is due to your employer. If the amount has grown significantly over several months, recovering it can be quite frustrating. Therefore, if you notice an error in your payslip, report it to your employer immediately.
6. Keep track of your income limit and check your tax rate
   
   In September or October at the latest, it is a good idea to check that your income limit on your tax card will not be exceeded during the rest of the year – and possibly order a new tax card to avoid any surprises. Always remember to check your payslip to make sure that your tax rate is correct.
7. Save your pay slips
   
   If your pay slips are sent to your online bank, it is a good idea to download the files as PDF files, for example, as the files will not be stored in your online bank forever. The same applies if your pay slips are sent to your work email or your workplace’s internal system.
8. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice if you don’t understand something
   
   If you have any questions about your payslip, ask your supervisor or HR representative. Remember that as a member of YTK Worklife, you can always contact the Lakikaveri service if you suspect that something is wrong with your payslip.

These are the problems payroll administrators encounter most often

Holiday pay

Holiday pay and holiday bonuses often need to be adjusted, especially in the case of employees who work on commission. In addition to commission, regular bonuses, production bonuses, and performance bonuses paid to monthly-paid employees are also taken into account in annual holiday pay. Errors often occur in these calculations.

Overtime

Unfortunately, overtime pay is not always paid as it should be, so it is a good idea to keep track of your own hours and make sure that overtime is paid, unless you have an hour bank where overtime is recorded.

General increases

It is a good idea to keep track of changes to the collective agreement applicable to your employment relationship so that you know when you should receive a general increase in your salary. General increases in accordance with the collective agreement applicable to the sector must be paid to all employees.