Payable days methods
How calendar days, 30 or 26 days a month, a fixed number of days and working days only change a monthly salary when a staff member has loss of pay.
The payable-days method decides how a monthly salary is cut for loss of pay (LOP). Set the default in Salary → Payroll settings → Default payable days. A salary template can use its own method.
The methods
| Method | How pay is worked out |
|---|---|
| Calendar days of the month | Salary × paid days ÷ days in the month (28 to 31) |
| 30 days a month | Salary − (salary ÷ 30 × LOP days). A full month always pays the full salary |
| 26 days a month | Salary − (salary ÷ 26 × LOP days). A full month always pays the full salary |
| A fixed number of days | The same, with the number of days you choose |
| Working days only | Salary × paid working days ÷ working days in the month. Weekly offs are left out |
Example
Salary ₹30,000, October 2026 (31 days), 2 LOP days:
| Method | Pay |
|---|---|
| Calendar days of the month | 30,000 × 29 ÷ 31 = ₹28,064.52 |
| 30 days a month | 30,000 − (1,000 × 2) = ₹28,000.00 |
| 26 days a month | 30,000 − (1,153.85 × 2) = ₹27,692.31 |
What counts as LOP
- Absent days and unpaid leave.
- Half a day for a half day.
- Days with no attendance mark, when Count days with no attendance mark as absent is on. When it is off, unmarked days put the person on hold in the pay run instead.
- Days before joining or after the last working day, and the days between leaving and rejoining for someone who came back, with the 30-day, 26-day and fixed-number methods. The 26-day method counts only working days here, not weekly offs.
Joiners and leavers
A person who joins or leaves part-way through a month is paid for the days from their joining date to their last working day. With Calendar days of the month and Working days only, the days outside that span are simply not paid days. For example, a ₹30,000 salary with a last working day of 15 October 2026 pays 30,000 × 15 ÷ 31 = ₹14,516.12. With the fixed-day methods, the days outside the span count as LOP, as listed above.
Deactivated staff are paid this way for the month of their last working day. Someone who rejoins is paid the same way for the month they come back: the days between their last working day and their rejoining date are treated like days before joining. See Deactivate and reactivate staff.
Daily and hourly staff
Daily staff are paid their daily rate for each paid day. Whether they are paid for weekly offs and paid holidays depends on Pay daily staff for weekly offs and Pay daily staff for paid holidays. Hourly staff are paid for the hours worked.
Related articles
Payroll settings
Set the pay period start day, default payable days, rounding, approval of salary revisions, PF and ESI options and what payslips show.
Create a salary template
Build a reusable salary layout from components, choose how each line is worked out and how payable days are counted, then use it for many staff.
Hold pay or set LOP days by hand
Hold one staff member's pay out of a run with a reason, release it, or set their loss-of-pay days by hand while the run is in review.
Still need help?
Write to us with your business name and what you were trying to do. We answer by email.