How to read your payslip and spot underpayment – including for agency workers

Your payslip is the most important proof of what you earn. And mistakes on it – missing hours, deductions that shouldn't be there, a rate below the minimum wage – happen more often than you'd think, especially with shift work and agency jobs. Here's how to read your payslip step by step and what to look out for.

What must be on your payslip

Your employer must give you a payslip – printed or online – on or before payday. It must show:

• your earnings before and after deductions (gross and net),
• the amount of any deductions that may change each time you're paid, such as tax and National Insurance (NI),
• the number of hours you worked, if your pay depends on time worked.

Fixed deductions (for example repaying a season ticket loan) must be explained – either on the payslip or in a separate written statement.

Minimum wage from April 2026

Quick test: divide your gross pay for hours worked by the hours on your payslip. If the result is below your minimum rate, something is wrong.

Which deductions are allowed

Your employer can only deduct money if:

• it's required or allowed by law (tax, NI, student loan repayments),
• your contract says they can,
• you agreed in writing,
• or in a few other cases (an earlier overpayment, a court order, taking part in a strike).

A deduction normally can't take your pay below the minimum wage – even if you agreed to it. There are exceptions, such as tax and NI, accommodation provided by your employer, or repaying an advance.

In retail (shops, restaurants), deductions for till shortfalls are capped at 10% of your gross pay per pay period.

If you work through an agency

• Minimum wage for all the hours you work, even if they weren't recorded on a timesheet.
• The agency can't charge you a fee for finding you work. They can charge for extra services (such as training or transport), but they must give you written details first, and you can cancel.
• Before looking for work for you, the agency must give you a key information document – a short explanation of how you'll be paid and what deductions apply, including the minimum rate you can expect and a sample payslip.
• The agency can delay paying you while it gets proof of your hours, but only for a reasonable time. It can't refuse to pay you because the hirer is unhappy with your work.
• After 12 weeks with the same hirer, you're entitled to the same pay as a permanent employee doing the same job.

Your payslip: 5 red flags

1. The hours don't match your rota or your own notes.
2. Your hourly rate is below the minimum wage or below what your contract says.
3. There's a deduction you didn't agree to and that isn't in your contract.
4. You were off sick but there's no SSP – read our article on Statutory Sick Pay.
5. Your payslip arrives after payday, or not at all.

Keep all your payslips, rotas and messages about changes – they're your evidence. If something's wrong, talk to your employer or agency first. If that doesn't work, you can go to Acas, Citizens Advice or a union rep and, as a last resort, an employment tribunal.

How Ask Elon will help

Ask Elon is currently in integration and testing and will be available soon. In the app you will:

• keep your contracts and payslips in one place,
• get an automatic payslip check for the minimum wage, unlawful deductions and SSP,
• if something comes up, use a ready-made unpaid wages letter template or a formal grievance template in English, with the explanation in Polish or Romanian.

The other points in this article (such as the 12-week rule or counting your hours) are general knowledge worth checking yourself.

Ask Elon is not a trade union and does not replace legal advice or representation. In serious matters, contact Acas, Citizens Advice or a solicitor.

Sources: gov.uk – Payslips, National Minimum Wage rates, Deductions from your pay, Agency workers: your rights, as of 23 October 2026.

This article in other languages: Payslip i praca przez agencję (Polski) Fluturașul de salariu și munca prin agenție (Română)