Change of pay period

[Carmella]

I am wondering if anyone has gone through this or knows how it is handled if the pay period changes.

I only heard a rumor. The back story is that on my job my department works for a different division than most of the people in the building. Our payroll is processed through a different office. Even though we have the same "employer" we are not under all the same rules. And to make it more confusing my manager is not a great communicator of changes or doesn't always read emails thoroughly. All this makes it more stressful.

We have heard through employees that work for the other division pay periods are changing from 2 weeks with paycheck every other week to weekly paychecks.

Right now BK payment is taken from my employer from each paycheck based on 26 paychecks a year. What happens if my pay period turns weekly and then I have 52 paychecks a year. How is the payment adjusted do I notify my attorney and they notify the trustee. Does the company send info to the trustee (or who ever the payment goes to directly). I would have to look back because I think the payment is considered monthly even though there are two months a year with 3 paychecks on this 26 week cycle. Does a new calculation---remaining amount owed divided weekly.

I had nothing to do with setting up the payment it all went through the attorney/trustee/court (who ever). I had no communication with payroll about it. Payroll and HR is not even at our building and to get to HR/Payroll we are supposed to give manager info who emails it and I sure hope I don't have to deal with that because I don't want the whole department to know whether intentionally or because my boss prints something up on the shared printer and someone sees it. Or when her helpers get onto her email to read / send info.

I am hoping I would have nothing to do with it except tell my attorney and the trustee takes care of it. If they would continue to pull it every other week I would have one week with a full check and the next week with about $200.

As we tend to do in BK I have worried (not to a great extent since I block out it knowing it's not helping) about this. I found out late on Friday, will ask my manager Monday if our dept is included and then hopefully she will find out the answer in timely manner. Like I said communication is not her strength.

[Barbisi]

Carmella,
my husband's pay period changed from bi-weekly to weekly when he started working at LM in 2019 after the layoff from R.
While I can't speak about an immediate change since he was still being paid severance by his former employer at the same time, I can say that it has been much easier having money put in the bank account every week as opposed to every two weeks.
My husband said he created a sort of spreadsheet that lasts until the BK13 ends, allocating which bills to pay each week.
For us, the mortgage which currently takes 4o% of his net pay,means we really need to save back money from a third check ,since subpar Sling TV ($55) and the solar panel lease ($75) automatically come out before the 15th each and every month.If we don't , we may only have $200 (or less) until the next check.It is always a stark reminder of why we want and need to make big changes for a better future. In your case,since your mortgage is less than half of ours, and depending on when you normally pay your bills,you may actually be able to pay your mortgage out of one check.
As to informing the lawyer and trustee could you set up a DP from your bank account?( My husband pays the trustee directly from our bank account the last check of the month. ) If not, can they change the amount they are taking out to leave you with more money the other two weeks? I think you have to deal with this ASAP, just tell the lawyer it may be hypothetical, not a done deal yet. If you could remove payroll from making your payments, you wouldn't have to worry about any one finding anything out!
justbroke or sophieanne may have better advice since they are moderators.
Good luck and I hope my experience helps a little!

[Carmella]

I think we may be required to have the trustee take payment directly from our employers. Our BK payment is almost half of my take home pay. There is no money taken from my husband's pay since he makes less money that I make it was better to take it from my paycheck. My husband gets paid weekly, but I am every other week and when I had my second job that paycheck was every other week on the opposite weeks of my paycheck so it was nice to have a check every week even the amount varied from second job.

My anxiety is how I will communicate to corporate because I don't want to use my boss as a go between and our "HR" sucks. We have had multiple people in the job at the building where I work and since we were split to a different division they don't really do anything for us. We are told they are there to help us, but they don't have any access to any of our info. If we have a question they cannot look up our information at all. I can find an email for corporate, but the few times employees have contacted corporate they won't even respond except to send an email to our boss and give her the answer not us directly. I don't need that to happen especially when boss prints emails out on the shared printer in our office--nothing is private since anyone can see it especially if they are printing something and standing at the printer or someone from another dept comes in and picks up stuff.

I am hoping since the trustee worked directly with our corporate office for taking the money from the paycheck that payroll would have to notify them. I am sure other people somewhere in the company are in BK or have other garnishments, child support, etc so it's not unheard of happening!

I don't even know if it is changing I will ask the boss tomorrow. It's stressful since boss doesn't communicate well, doesn't read emails/doesn't read thoroughly. We had another person she designated to help with that, but that person is no longer with us due to the risk of Covid. That was how we were informed of important info.

[Barbisi]

Carmella, you may be right about mandatory payroll deduction for Ohio.
In our case,the lawyer instructed us to pay directly every month and for us that has helped immeasurably because we can pay on the last Friday of the month, when my husband is paid, instead of some arbitrary date the trustee has decided on.
My husband suggested you try to get the payment temporarily lowered since you are an essential worker and have lost substantial income from the second job due to Covid-19. You should be allowed to catch up later when things improve!
I was not employed when we filed and the lawyer told me there was no incentive for me to start working again while in the BK13 because 100% of anything I earned would be subject to seizure by the court. Sure enough, the lawyer always asks when he contacts us, if I'm working yet! Therefore,I see no reason to work if all I'm doing is making money for the creditors and trustee! Besides, I have to have treatment on my low back, ankle and neck and shoulders every week and soon have to have my uterus removed due to huge, growing fibroids pushing against my internal organs - thank God the trustee can't force me to help pay our plan payment!!!!
I hope you can adjust your payments and get a break - it's not your fault that your second job has evaporated into thin air !

[Zombie13]

Hey Carmella,
So 26 paychecks vs. 52 paychecks: You get the same pay over the year, just, twice as often. So there is no change in your annual income. We have found that a weekly paycheck actually makes it easier for us to budget, and plan bill payments. In addition, with a biweekly paycheck, twice per year there was a paycheck that did not need to be used for 'all the bills at once', so in a sense it was a 'bonus' paycheck. With a weekly paycheck, that comes 4 times a year.
Barbisi mentioned you were concerned about payroll finding out about your bankruptcy, and I am assuming, there is concern about payroll gossiping about your financial situation. As I understand: your personal financial situation that the payroll department has access to, is considered Confidential information. If a payroll employee breaches that confidentiality, that employee is subject to discipline from the business, up to and including termination.
My personal thought: if someone "gets up in your grill" about your personal finances, you have every right to challenge *their* personal financial situation. I'm not one for conflict, but if someone were to pull that s*** with me, I have zero tolerance, for their invasiveness. Anyway.

[Carmella]

It turns out we are not having our payroll change in our department. I am glad because it could be hassle due to BK payments.

Zombie13 My favorite way of getting paid was twice a month on the 15th and on the last day of the month. That worked best in my budget even though it meant some paychecks were not the same amount at the end of the month.

[Zombie13]

Carmella - that is good news. No change can be a good thing, especially in this situation since you don't have to have the discussion. I was paid bimonthly as well, at an other job. That worked out very well since the bills are usually due on the same date each month, so scheduling payments was easier with paychecks that arrive on consistent dates.