Pro rata pay
Many part-time jobs have salaries that are calculated as 'pro rata'. Find out what the term means and how to calculate your real pay with this simple guide.
"Calculate what your pay will be."
What does 'pro rata' mean?
Pro rata is the Latin term for 'proportionally' or a 'proportion of'. It means that the salary quoted is what you would receive if you were doing the same job full-time. Your salary will be calculated according to what proportion of a full-time job you are working. For example, if the salary is quoted at £18,000 pro rata (based on a full-time week of 40 hours) and you are working 30 hours per week, you will be paid an annual salary of £13,500.
How does it affect my rights at work?
If you're being paid pro rata you still have the same statutory and contractual terms and conditions as your full-time colleagues. These include pensions, holidays, maternity pay and parental leave, but you will only get them in the same proportion as you work. For example, if a full-timer works 40 hours per week and you work 20 hours per week you will get half the pay, half the hours' worth of holiday, and so on.
How much will I earn?
To calculate what your pay will be you need to get the following information:
Where you will be placed on the salary scale, so that you have a salary of reference
- The number of hours the company considers as full-time
- How many hours a week you will be working
- How many weeks a year you will be working
Now follow the calculation steps:
1. Divide the full time annual salary by 52
2. Divide that answer by the full time number of hours (this will give you the hourly rate)
3. Multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours you work each week (this will give you a weekly salary)
4. Multiply this by 52 or the number of weeks worked (this will give you an annual salary)
5. Divide this by 12 if you want to know your monthly salary
Adapted from TheSite article by Hannah Jolliffe
What next?
- Follow the five easy steps here to calculate what your pro rata pay will be.
- Use Just Part-Time's pro rata calculator as an alternative way to calculate your pro rata salary.
- For more advice about your rights as a part-time worker, find your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau and drop in to see an advisor.
- Read Lifetracks' article on part-time jobs for more information about fitting your job into your life.
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