Move to monthly pay

East Dunbartonshire Council is moving to one monthly payroll in April 2025.

A pilot with over 100 employees is currently underway with progress and feedback from this helping to shape the wider implementation.

The Council has a number of weekly, four-weekly and monthly payrolls which is inefficient and challenging in terms of applying the correct additions, deductions and uplifts to these across the year.

Moving from our current four-weekly payroll to a monthly payroll will mean that you will receive your annual salary in 12 payments a year on the same day each month, rather than thirteen payments a year every four weeks when the day in the month you are paid changes.

With our new monthly payroll, you will be paid on the 15th of every month and your monthly pay will include your pay from the first to the end of that month.

Moving to a single monthly payroll, from the multiple payrolls the Council currently has, delivers significant benefits. These include improved efficiency, quicker processing times and an improved service to employees. It will help to apply annual pay awards sooner as there will be less payrolls to apply these to. It also enables employees to manage monthly outgoings and expenditure from their pay, which will be paid in twelve equal instalments across the year.

Following discussions with the Trade Unions, Employee News 26, issued on 10 October 2024 advised of the change and provided details of a series of roadshows across the area providing information on the change and a timeline.

A letter to all employees in November 2024 provided information on the change to pay frequency and outlined what the transition arrangements would look like, to reassure employees there would be no financial detriment as a result of that change.

Here is a summary of the changes being made to the frequency of pay.

• Current pay frequency: Weekly
• New payroll frequency: Monthly
• Effective Date: 1 April 2025
• First new pay date: 15 April 2025, to cover the period from 1-30 April 2025

Ongoing pay date: 15^th of each month (period from 1^st to end of month)

The details of how your pay will be calculated are summarised below.

Thursday Four-weekly and EDLC Trust

As you are currently paid four-weekly on a Thursday, when changing to monthly pay your last four weekly pay will be on 27 March 2025. In this pay, you are due to receive contractual pay for the period from 1 to 28 March 2025. You will receive this payment on this date.

In addition, to bring your pay up to date to 31 March 2025, you will also be paid a balance of three days for the period 29 to 31 March 2025. Therefore, in your pay on 27 March 2025, you will receive your normal contractual pay, along with three additional days contractual pay.

From 1 April 2025 you will be moved to monthly pay and you will be paid on the 15^th of each month as outlined earlier in this letter.

In summary, on 27 March 2025, you will receive the equivalent to your normal four-weekly pay, together with three additional days. A 1/12^th of your annual salary (your first monthly pay) will then be paid on 15 April 2025 and going forward, you will continue to receive your monthly salary on the 15^th of each month. As such, there is no position of detriment in terms of the pay you will receive.

Any standby and overtime will be paid in line with confirmed processing dates.

Tuesday Four-weekly

As you are paid four-weekly on a Tuesday, when changing to monthly pay, your last four-weekly pay will be on 1 April 2025. In this pay, you are scheduled to receive contractual pay for the period 9 March to 5 April 2025.

From 1 April 2025 you will be moved to monthly pay, and you will be paid on the 15^th of each month, from the first to the end of the month.

As such, to avoid double payment for the period from 1 April to 5 April 2025, this means that on 1 April 2025 you will receive a salary payment for the period from 9 to 31 March 2025 and then you will be paid your first full monthly pay on 15 April 2025, which includes your pay from 1 to 30 April.

We recognise that this change, may be financially challenging and, to support this transition, we will provide you with a “bounce” payment, equal to the five days pay (for 1 to 5 April) which you would have otherwise received on 1 April 2025. 

This means that you will not receive any lesser amount than you would have been expecting to be paid on 1 April 2025. You will however need to repay the “bounce” payment as you will also receive your full monthly salary on 15 April 2025 which will include salary for those 5 days. The additional “bounce” payment will be applied to your 1 April 2025 pay and will be reclaimed from your salary in two equal instalments from pays on 15 April and 15 May 2025.

You do not need to write to the Council to confirm this, this will be applied automatically on your behalf. Your payslip on 1 April 2025 will confirm this additional “bounce” payment, and your payslips on 15 April and 15 May 2025 will confirm the repayment instalments.

However, if you feel you can manage this change in pay dates with the knowledge you will receive a 1/12^th of your annual salary two weeks after your pay on 1 April 2025, and you would prefer not to receive and then repay the “bounce” payment, you can opt out of receiving this by completing the form below.

Weekly

As you are paid weekly, when changing to monthly pay, your last weekly pay will be paid on 3 April 2025.

In this pay, you are scheduled to receive contractual pay for the period 15 to 21 March 2025.You will receive this payment on that date.

In addition, as you are currently paid in arrears within the weekly pay run, to bring your pay up to date to 31 March 2025, you will also be paid for the period from 22 to 31 March 2025.

Therefore, in your pay on 3 April 2025, you will receive your normal contractual pay, together with 10 further days of contractual pay for the period 22 to 31 March 2025.

From 1 April 2025 you will be moved to monthly pay and you will be paid on the 15^th of each month.

In summary, on 3 April 2025, you will receive your final weekly pay plus all the additional pay you are due to the end of March 2025. You will then receive a 1/12^th of your annual salary (your first full monthly pay) on 15 April 2025 and, going forward you will continue to receive your monthly salary on the 15^th of each month. As such, there is no position of detriment in terms of the pay you will receive.

Any standby and overtime will be paid in line with confirmed processing dates.

Now that we have formally notified you of this change, we would encourage you to familiarise yourself with the transition arrangements that were sent in November.

If you are in receipt of benefits, you should discuss this change with your work coach/benefits adviser. Remember, your annual salary is not changing, just the frequency at which you are paid.

As mentioned in the letter you should now have received, as part of the transition arrangements, those who are currently on a four-weekly Tuesday payrun will be provided with a bounce payment, equivalent to five days pay, as part of their final four-weekly pay on 1 April 2025.

This is because that pay will only include 23 days pay (from 9 to 31 March 2025) with payment for 1 to 5 April 2025 being included in the first full monthly pay which will be paid two weeks later, on 15 April 2025.

The bounce payment will be applied automatically to all those on the four-weekly Tuesday payrun.

However, if you feel you can manage to bridge the difference without a bounce payment, you can choose to opt out.

Any salary deductions such as pension contributions, tax and National Insurance will remain the same over the year. The only difference is that these will be divided between your new number of pay periods (12) compared to your current amount.

You will still pay the same total annual contributions; they will simply be divided between your new number of pay periods (changing from 13 to 12).

FAQ’s have been published so please have a read over these on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page. If you still have further questions, please send them directly to epqueries@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Look out for the financial awareness sessions that are being planned and arrange to attend these if you would like support in planning your finances ahead of the change.