# How would you like to be paid? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789 "2011-12-11T01:22:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/41 "2011-12-12T13:26:28Z")
As an independent contractor, you have to have enough cash to last for a while, so it doesn’t really matter to me. You just can’t the cash you have, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/42 "2011-12-12T14:49:34Z")
Most of the work I do involves three months of employment with a paycheck upon completion (give or take a week, depending on how paperwork gets done). There’s nothing like getting through 'till mid-April, and then being told that the $3,000 you’re expecting for work since January won’t come until the end of May because “that’s just when we pay those contracts out.” Multiply that by a few different jobs, and I have to be very careful to budget and keep my savings high, because I’ll occasionally go 4-5 months without significant income. So, that said, bi-weekly would be awesome. ---
**Author:** ![slm2955](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@slm2955](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slm2955)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/43 "2011-12-12T15:32:21Z")
Daily! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/44 "2011-12-12T16:57:34Z")
I get paid weekly and it’s pretty sweet. I only pay bills once a month, at the end of the month, but I am ALWAYS flush. I can always cover most unexpected payments in cash no problem any day. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/45 "2011-12-12T17:18:19Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Weekly paychecks can be a burden, because typically rent or mortgage take more than a week’s worth of money to pay. You’ve got to be dedicated to set aside money each week for that expense. I don’t understand your reasoning here. How is it any harder to save when you have money coming in each week rather than every other week? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/46 "2011-12-12T19:12:01Z")
I’ve been paid weekly, every other week, and twice a month. I prefer weekly, but am ok with the others. I don’t think I’d like to be paid less often than twice a month. > [@dalej42](#): > > I’m paid on the 15th and the last business day of the month. I’d prefer an every other week pay schedule. I’m currently on the same pay schedule as you; I don’t think it’s any worse/that much different than being paid every other week. > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@VOW](#): > > > > Weekly paychecks can be a burden, because typically rent or mortgage take more than a week’s worth of money to pay. You’ve got to be dedicated to set aside money each week for that expense. > > I don’t understand your reasoning here. How is it any harder to save when you have money coming in each week rather than every other week? Yeah, I have the same question. I guess I _could_ take my rent out of one check, but then it would be like getting paid just once a month. I take half of both my rent and my car payment out of each check, and it’s not hard to remember to put that amount aside. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/47 "2011-12-12T19:15:30Z")
I love being paid weekly. It makes cash flow management a lot easier! ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/48 "2011-12-12T20:05:34Z")
When I was first starting out and living mostly paycheck-to-paycheck it was kind of nice getting paid fortnightly. I would have things budgeted so all my bills got paid with two checks each month, then every 6 months or so I’d have a third paycheck…sort of like getting a tax refund back. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/49 "2011-12-12T20:45:32Z")
I’ve had: weekly (when I worked at a five-and-dime type store - paid in cash of all things), biweekly (first high school job, also one post-college job), monthly, and semi-monthly. I definitely prefer semi-monthly, because most bills are monthly in nature, and I can plan for, say, the mortgage to come out of the first one, the credit card out of the second one, and divvy the other bills up among the others as appropriate. Interestingly, since college I’ve only rarely had a job that paid in arrears - e.g. pay period ends on Friday the 15th, the pay is deposited on Friday the 22nd or whatever. This is, I gather, very unusual even for a salaried job. Even more interestingly, during the period of work where I was paid monthly, our pay was deposited on the 25th vs. the last day of the month. Yeah, we were paid several days in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/50 "2011-12-12T21:05:06Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Interestingly, since college I’ve only rarely had a job that paid in arrears - e.g. pay period ends on Friday the 15th, the pay is deposited on Friday the 22nd or whatever. This is, I gather, very unusual even for a salaried job. That’s exactly how it worked when I was a Lockheed Martin employee. They’re the only company I’ve worked for that paid weekly, and the checks were one week behind the end of the pay period. Every place I’ve worked has issued checks one pay period later: for example, my current pay period will end on Thursday (12/15), and I’ll get the check for this pay period at the end of the month. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/51 "2011-12-12T21:07:18Z")
I get paid once a month and that works out well; all the bills get paid on the same day. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/52 "2011-12-12T21:17:29Z")
The only thing that belongs in front of me is open road. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/53 "2011-12-12T22:11:23Z")
I’m paid biweekly now, but years ago I worked a job where I was paid on the 1st and the 15th no matter what - that was awesome, as it’s how most bills come due too. I mean, I can budget and all, but it was simpler. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/54 "2011-12-12T22:19:45Z")
Monthly, that’s how I’m paid and how the bills come, it’s pretty much perfect. Edit: Most people have bills which come 2x a month? Weird, my bills have always been monthly. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/55 "2011-12-12T23:13:33Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I don’t care really. I don’t live paycheck to paycheck and my pay is direct deposited. The ideal situation for me would be daily payments just so I could maximize interest earned although that is so tiny not to be much of a consideration. Realistically, once a month would work but the more frequent the better. Once you get to this point, yeah, it doesn’t matter too much. I’d have to change systems to get paid any less than monthly (basically transferring money around each month to pay myself so I could pay bills), but that could be automated. ---
**Author:** ![\_mostly\_Harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/9d8465/32.png) [@\_mostly\_Harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_mostly_Harmless)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/56 "2011-12-13T01:01:50Z")
As long as I have direct deposit I wouldn’t mind being payed every day or even every hour. Like that would ever happen… ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/57 "2011-12-13T05:23:33Z")
Just the same as I am now – daily (when I work), in cash. I don’t like dealing with depositing checks and keeping tabs on if the bank is screwing me more than usual. Plus it gives me some left-brain stuff to fiddle with on my little spreadsheet of clients and income/expenses every day while I get some FreeCell freakin’ on. If checks/direct deposit, then every week or two weeks is fine, doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/58 "2011-12-13T05:32:22Z")
I get paid twice per month, which is a real pain because you never know\* when you are going to be paid for that cycle. And I’m hopeless with money, so would prefer to only have to go a few days before being paid if I go troppo with the wallet. 😃 \*I do _know_ in advance when I’m going to be paid, but it does change month to month depending on the cycles and the official ‘working days’ in between. Still sux though. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/59 "2011-12-13T22:16:57Z")
I’m paid twice a month (by the State of Illinois, in contrast to **VOW** being paid monthly by the State of California) and I’m happy with it. My mortgage payment is due in the middle of the month, and I pay it from the first pay"check" (I get direct deposit). My credit card and condo assessment come due near the end of the month so I pay them once I receive my second pay"check". I have enough left over to pay the utility bills as they are issued in roughly the middle of the month. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789/60 "2011-12-14T16:18:15Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > Edit: Most people have bills which come 2x a month? Weird, my bills have always been monthly. I think most people are referring to the fact that due dates tend to be splittable into two groups. I pay my bills twice a month, when my direct deposit hits, but each time I’m just paying whichever bills are due before the next direct deposit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-like-to-be-paid/605789.md?page=2)