How to Read and Understand the Payslip?

Getting paid is the most important thing. But it’s still useful to be able to spot any errors. In general, when you receive your payslip, you only look at the figure in bold, at the very bottom of the page next to the net to pay. We check that it corresponds to the amount we received on our account and that’s it. Except that it can still be worth it to take an interest in all the small lines. Make your mind clear to read and understand the payslip.

The simplified but still somewhat complicated payslip

Since 2018, we have been receiving simplified payslips. From 50 lines, we have gone to only about fifteen but it is still complex. Even downright opaque sometimes.

From now on, the payslip in 4 sections

Information about you and your employer
The components of your remuneration
Contributions and employee contributions
And finally, the balance sheet

Information about you and your employer

The payslip also includes the contact details of the company and the name of its collective agreement. This is important information to know because each sector of activity has its own collective agreement. And it is this convention that means that in some clubs you benefit from a day off to move, while in others you have to sacrifice an RTT.

Your payslip must also state your surname, first name and must also specify:

Your job category. For example managers, intermediate professions and workers. There are 8 in total.
The corresponding classification – the coefficient and level. This determines your hierarchy within the company and your salary scale.

There can also be your contact details, your social security number, your job title and your date of arrival in the company… but this is not mandatory.

The components of your remuneration

We start with the gross salary , that is to say the amount of remuneration before any social or tax deduction. In this section, we find the information that made it possible to calculate it: paid holidays, bonuses, the 13th month, the number of working hours – and therefore overtime.

Remember to check everything, it would be a shame to have stayed in the office until 1 am and not be paid accordingly. Moreover, for overtime , the rate of increase must be specified. It is 25% for the first eight overtime hours and 50% for the following ones. Depending on your agreement, all or part of the payment for overtime can be replaced by equivalent compensatory time off.

Also read : 10 tips before signing the settlement

Contributions and employee contributions

These are direct debits that finance the solidarity schemes from which you benefit. They are divided into five headings: health, accidents at work and occupational diseases, retirement, family and unemployment insurance. Depending on your social security bracket, these charges can represent between 20 and 25% of your salary.

The balance sheet

In the last part, you find your net salary, that is to say the exact amount paid into your account. But be careful, it is important to make the difference between net salary and net taxable salary .

Since 2019, the State has implemented the withholding tax . This means that the amount of tax is deducted each month directly from your payslip. If you are an employee, the tax is collected directly by the employer. The levy rate is determined by the tax department once you have filed your tax return. And of course, it changes depending on your situation. Double check that the correct rate is applied.

Prohibited mentions

Some elements should not appear on the payslip. Your employer does not have the right to indicate your duties as a staff representative, but the nature and amount of remuneration for this activity must appear on an attached document. Another prohibited mention: the exercise of the right to strike.

Finally, since 2017, the dematerialization of the payslip has become the norm – unless the employee opposes it. But whether it is the paper or digital version, remember to keep these documents well. Because your employer must keep a copy but he is not obliged to send it to you. So just in case, it is better to manage your file alone.