GUIDE — THE HOURS
Almost every payslip guide on the internet checks the tax. This one checks the hours — the part you can actually verify yourself, and the part that is most often wrong. It takes about ten minutes.
Since April 2019 an employer has to show the hours on a payslip when the pay varies with the time worked, and ACAS says that where different rates apply the hours should be broken down by rate. So the information you need to check it should already be in front of you. If it is not, start with the payslip hours checker.
Do this before you look at the payslip, or you will end up agreeing with whatever it says. Go through your shifts for the pay period and write down the hours split by rate:
A note on your phone is enough. Dates, start and finish times, and breaks.
Look for a line that says hours, units, or quantity. On a good payslip there is one line of hours per rate, for example:
| Basic hours | 37.5 |
|---|---|
| Overtime hours (1.5×) | 5.0 |
| Saturday hours | 4.0 |
| Bank holiday hours (2×) | 7.5 |
If your payslip shows only one total for the whole month and you are paid different rates, the hours have not been broken down. That is worth asking about: without the split, neither you nor payroll can see which hours were paid at which rate.
This is the step almost everyone skips. A total can match while the split is wrong. Two hours paid at a weekend rate instead of a basic rate change the money, even though the total hours are identical. Compare line by line, in this order: basic, overtime, night, weekend, bank holiday.
Unpaid breaks are not hours worked, so they come off before you compare. Paid breaks are working time and stay in. If your payslip is short by exactly your break times, that is the first thing to check.
Rest breaks themselves are a legal minimum, not a pay rule: GOV.UK and ACAS set out what you are entitled to. Whether a break is paid depends on your contract.
An overnight shift should be split at midnight, because each part belongs to the day it was worked. A Friday 22:00–06:00 shift is two hours on Friday and six on Saturday — and if Saturday is paid at a weekend rate, those six hours belong on the weekend line. Getting this wrong is one of the most common causes of a small, persistent underpayment.
If a line does not match, send a short, factual message. It is much harder to argue with than “my pay looks wrong”:
ACAS advises raising it informally with your manager or payroll team first, and then by grievance if that does not resolve it. Both routes are set out on the ACAS payslips page.
Shift Tracker UK reads your payslip PDF in your browser — it is never uploaded — and compares it with the shifts you logged, day by day, listing every one that does not match. That is the step above, done for every shift at once.
This guide explains the official guidance and a practical method. It is not legal or tax advice. Your payslip and HMRC remain the official record.
Because the total can be right while the split between rates is wrong. Two hours paid at a weekend rate instead of a basic rate change the pay, even though the total hours are identical.
Split at midnight. Each part belongs to the day it was worked, and if one part falls on a weekend or bank holiday it should be paid at that rate.
Yes. Unpaid break time is not hours worked, so it should be taken off before the hours are compared. Paid breaks stay in.