Reading a payslip
Worksheet 1
salary / wages
employer
employee
tax
earn
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Reading a payslip
freelancer
overtime
contract
National Insurance
National Insurance no.
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Reading a payslip
Worksheet 2
Money you get every month The person or organisation
or week for doing your job. which you work for.
Someone who works
Someone who is paid to work independently for different
for someone else. organisations and isn’t
employed by them.
Money you pay to the Money which workers pay
government that is used to which goes to people who
pay for public services. are unemployed, old or ill.
The official agreement
between a company and a To get money for the work
person who starts to work for that you do.
them.
Time that you spend doing A reference number which
your job that’s extra to your the government gives you
normal working hours. and only you have.
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Reading a payslip
Worksheet 3
Task 1
Do you think the following sentences are true or false? Discuss with a partner.
1. Employers must give their employees a payslip when they pay them.
2. If you are a freelancer, you should get a payslip.
3. Employers don’t have to tell new employees how much money they will earn.
4. Your employer decides how often they will pay you, but they must tell you this when
you start work.
5. Your payslip must show how much money has been taken off your wages, e.g. for
tax.
6. Your payslip must show your National Insurance number.
7. Your payslip must show payments for overtime.
8. If you think there is a mistake with your pay you should check your payslip and
contract, and talk to your employer.
Task 1
Do you think the following sentences are true or false? Discuss with a partner.
1. Employers must give their employees a payslip when they pay them.
2. If you are a freelancer, you should get a payslip.
3. Employers don’t have to tell new employees how much money they will earn.
4. Your employer decides how often they will pay you, but they must tell you this when
you start work.
5. Your payslip must show how much money has been taken off your wages, e.g. for
tax.
6. Your payslip must show your National Insurance number.
7. Your payslip must show payments for overtime.
8. If you think there is a mistake with your pay you should check your payslip and
contract, and talk to your employer.
© British Council 2014
Reading a payslip
Worksheet 4
Task 2
Work with a partner or small group.
Can you find and circle or highlight the words in the payslip with the following meanings:
1. Money taken off her pay, e.g. for tax.
2. How much money she gets paid for every hour.
3. Extra hours that she has worked.
4. Amount / how much.
5. All the money she has been paid, added together.
6. How much she has been paid before anything is taken off.
7. How much money she has been paid after things like tax have been taken off.
8. Money for when you are older and don’t work.
9. A number the government uses to calculate how much tax you need to pay.
10. Her reference number for the department at work which deals with salary.
© British Council 2014
Reading a payslip
Worksheet 5
Task 3
Look at the payslip on Worksheet 5 and answer the questions.
1. Who is this payslip for?
2. What is her National Insurance no.?
3. When did she get paid?
4. What is her tax code?
5. How much money did she get paid for doing her normal hours?
6. How many extra hours did she do?
7. How much is her pay before tax?
8. How much tax did she pay this month?
9. How much National Insurance did she pay this month?
10. How much is her pay after tax?
11. According to the payslip, is she saving any money for when she retires?
Task 3
Look at the payslip on Worksheet 5 and answer the questions.
1. Who is this payslip for?
2. What is her National Insurance no.?
3. When did she get paid?
4. What is her tax code?
5. How much money did she get paid for doing her normal hours?
6. How many extra hours did she do?
7. How much is her pay before tax?
8. How much tax did she pay this month?
9. How much National Insurance did she pay this month?
10. How much is her pay after tax?
11. According to the payslip, is she saving any money for when she retires?
© British Council 2014
Reading a payslip
Worksheet 6
© British Council 2014
Reading a payslip
Worksheet 7
Task 5
Here are some phrases Anna could use when she talks to her manager.
Can you put them into the correct column according to when she could use them?
Can you think of any other phrases she could use?
So, just to be clear… There’s an error in my payslip.
Have you got five minutes? I think there’s been a mistake.
Could I speak to you about my payslip? So, let me get this right…
Do I need to do anything? When will this be sorted?
Excuse me, could I have a word? Let me check I’ve understood correctly.
So what are you going to do about this? I’m not sure how this happened, but…
Starting Explaining the problem
Requesting action Summing up
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