Many employers do not offer employees the option to request a paycheck advance, but some do. Each employer that does has its own rules for requesting an advance. This includes both how an employee qualifies for an advance and how it should be repaid. If you are paid on an hourly basis, the advance is made against your work hours. If you are salaried, the advance is made against your salary amount.
Speak With Contact Person
Some companies require employees to visit the payroll or human resources department to request a salary advance, while others require that they go through their supervisor or manager. In the former case, payroll or HR will probably give you a standard paycheck advance form to complete. If not, you may be asked to write a letter from scratch. In the latter case, explain to your superior why you need the advance so she may send the request for you to the next in the chain of command. The related department also checks your paycheck advance records; in many cases, you cannot request more than one salary advance per year and each requested amount cannot exceed the amount of salary due to you when you receive the advance.
State Your Reason
When crafting a salary advance letter from scratch, keep it brief, polite and to the point. Address the letter to the proper person -- in some cases, this may be your supervisor -- or department and date it. In the first paragraph, give the reason why you are requesting a salary advance. Typically, your situation must be an emergency, such as an isolated and unexpected event, to qualify for an advance. Planned or recurring events usually do not qualify as an emergency. Therefore, in your letter, state the specific emergency that you are undergoing. This may include impending foreclosure on your home, home repairs due to an unforeseeable event such as a storm or theft, bereavement travel due to the loss of a loved one, or repairs to a vehicle that is your sole means of transportation to work. Note that the hardship is a one-time event and that you do not plan to make a habit of making salary advance requests.
List Required Amount
In the second paragraph of the letter, state the amount that you are requesting. Carefully examine your situation so you ask for an appropriate amount. For example, for emergency vehicle repairs, obtain an estimated total from your mechanic before you put the requested amount in the letter. Also, say how you will repay the money, such as by payroll deduction. If you can repay the total advance before your next paycheck, say so in the letter. Include the date you will make the payment and the method, such as money order or personal check.
End the letter by thanking the person to whom it is addressed for considering your request and asking them to contact you if they need additional information or have other guidelines for you to follow. Proofread the letter and correct mistakes, if necessary. If you are completing a standard request form instead of writing the letter from scratch, fill out the form completely, sign it, and obtain the required signatures, if applicable.
Give the letter to the required person or department within the requested period, such as 24 hours in advance. In most cases, the payroll department double-checks the letter to ensure it has the appropriate signatures before it processes the check. When you pick up your check, you may be asked to sign a repayment agreement. Honor the repayment agreement as agreed.
Requesting a salary advance may indicate to your employer that you are having financial issues; therefore, use one only as a last resort. Try other ways of obtaining the funds, like a short-term loan from a credit union or, if you are comfortable with the idea, from friends or relatives.
- San Diego University: Payroll Advance
- University of St. Thomas: Payroll Policy for Early Paychecks, Unscheduled Paychecks and Advances
- The Catholic University of America: Salary Advances Policy
- UC Santa Cruz: Employee Salary Advance Payment Guide
- Newxe.com: How to Write a Letter Requesting a Salary Advance
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