Build a comparison record for each quote
Keep the source document beside the worksheet. A number such as “per month” is not enough by itself when another quote depends on hours, unpaid gaps or a different set of included cash items.
| Field | What to record | When not to force a conversion |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted amount and period | Amount, hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/annual label, and source | The period label is unclear |
| Schedule basis | Paid hours or days, paid weeks, and periods per year | The quote depends on a missing schedule fact |
| Time boundary | Whether hours are paid, worked or total committed time | The two quotes use different hour definitions |
| Money boundary | Currency and included base or variable cash items | Currency or included items do not match |
Route each missing fact to the specialist model
To express one gross amount on another stated period, read the Pay Period Converter guide, use the Pay Period Converter calculator, and inspect its methodology for its supported periods and schedule assumptions.
When the schedule itself needs a weekly or annual total, read the Work Hours guide, use the Work Hours calculator, and inspect its methodology before carrying hours into another comparison.
When weekly hours change while the implied hourly basis is deliberately held constant, read the Part-Time Salary Equivalent guide, use the Part-Time Salary Equivalent calculator, and inspect its methodology and keep benefits and other offer terms separate.
When one annual amount applies to only an eligible fraction, read the Prorated Salary guide, use the Prorated Salary calculator, and inspect its methodology rather than substituting a weekly-hours comparison.
Compare in a sequence that preserves unknowns
Choose the basis that matches the decision: use annual gross pay when the full-year schedule and paid periods are known; use an hourly basis only when the relevant paid or worked hours are known on the same definition; otherwise use the shortest genuinely shared quoted period. If none of those facts align, stop at labelled scenarios rather than forcing one equivalent.
After the period and schedule are compatible, use base pay, gross pay and total compensation to align included items, then use hourly pay versus salary when the quote labels imply different schedule evidence.
- Copy each quote, period label and source without rewriting the employer or contract wording.
- Choose one currency and one gross-pay time basis for the comparison.
- Record paid hours, worked hours and total committed hours as different fields when they differ.
- Keep base pay, variable cash, benefits, deductions and direct work costs in separate rows.
- Run labelled schedule scenarios when a fact is uncertain and show which assumption changed.
- Move to a broader offer comparison only after the period and component boundaries are compatible.
Frequently asked questions
- Should every pay comparison use annual pay?
- No. Annual pay is a useful common basis only when the annual schedule is known and the compared amounts include compatible items. Another period can be clearer when both records genuinely use it.
- What if the hours behind a salary or weekly quote are unknown?
- Do not present a single hourly equivalent as fact. Ask for the schedule or show clearly labelled scenarios using different user-entered hour assumptions.
Sources checked
- Wages and working time statistics: concepts and definitions — ILOSTAT (accessed 2026-08-01): Conceptual context for gross earnings, working time and explicit comparison periods; not a local payroll or employment-law rule.
- Resolution concerning the measurement of working time — International Labour Organization (accessed 2026-08-01): Conceptual working-time boundary only; no universal schedule, entitlement or worker classification is inferred.