Questions to Ask When Going From Hourly to Salary
You are paid by the hour, and your employer has offered to put you on salary, either in the same job or with a promotion. These 48 questions for your manager and HR start with overtime, since that is where the money usually moves, then cover why the change is happening, how the salary compares with a full year of hourly pay, the hours expected, benefits and leave, and how to settle the terms in writing or say no.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Overtime
Will this job be classified as exempt or non-exempt, and what does that mean for overtime?
Why ask it
Salaried and exempt are two separate things: a salaried job can still earn overtime, and which side yours falls on depends on the law where you work and how the employer has classified it. Get the classification by name and find out where it will be written down. Outside the United States those two words may not be used, so the plain version is whether overtime rules still cover the job.
What happens to my overtime pay after the change?
Why ask it
Push for an answer you could repeat at home in one sentence: still paid at a set rate, swapped for time off, or gone. If it is gone, add up what overtime paid you over the last twelve months, because the new salary has to beat your base pay plus that amount.
How was it decided that this job qualifies as exempt?
Why ask it
Classification generally rests on what the job involves and what it pays, under rules that differ by country and state, so a useful answer describes your duties and not your title. If the reply is that everyone on salary is exempt, ask HR who reviewed this role. You can check the rules for your area with the government agency that handles wages there.
If I work past my normal week, is there any extra pay or time off in return?
Why ask it
Comp time, a flat payment for an extra shift and a day back after a heavy stretch are all things employers do, and some do none of them. What is allowed depends on local rules and the classification. Listen for whether it is written policy or left to each manager, because the second kind leaves when the manager does.
If I work fewer hours than usual in a week, is my pay reduced?
Why ask it
On hourly pay a short week means a smaller check. Find out whether the salary holds when you leave early for an appointment, when the site closes for weather or when work is slow, or whether the missing time comes out of your leave. Deduction rules vary by place and classification, so get HR's policy in writing.
Will I still clock in and out, and what are the records used for?
Why ask it
Timekeeping on a salaried job can exist for client billing, for costing a project or because overtime is still owed. Even where nobody requires it, a private log of your first three months gives you real numbers for any later conversation about the arrangement.
Will the overtime I have already worked be paid at my hourly rate before the switch?
Why ask it
What you want to hear is that every hour up to the effective date is settled on the old terms. Keep your own record of the last few hourly weeks and check the final hourly pay stub against it.
The change
Why is the company making this change now?
Why ask it
A promotion, a restructure, steadier payroll costs or a change in the rules the employer follows are all common reasons. A manager who admits it is about trimming the overtime bill has done you a favor: you now know to go through the arithmetic line by line.
Is everyone in my role being moved to salary, or only me?
Why ask it
A change for the whole team is usually a policy, with little room to bargain over the structure even if your own figure can move. If it is only you, it is closer to a promotion, and what it is meant to recognize becomes a fair thing to raise.
Does my job description change, or only the way I am paid?
Why ask it
Get any new duties listed, such as supervising, scheduling or closing out the registers, since they are what the pay is supposed to cover and may be part of why the job was reclassified. If nothing changes but the pay type, the comparison in the next group carries the whole decision.
How will my work be judged once I am no longer on the clock?
Why ask it
With no timecard, something else becomes the measure, and you want it named: sales targets, a supervisor's rating, how the shift ran. Pin down who decides and when the first review after the switch falls.
Does this move lead somewhere, such as a supervisor role or a higher grade?
Why ask it
For some people the lost overtime is a fair price for a step toward a better-paid job later. The test is a name: someone who made this same move, and the job they hold now. A description of what is possible is weaker evidence than that.
I am covered by a union contract now. Does this move take me out of it?
Why ask it
Leaving a bargaining unit can change far more than pay: grievance procedures, seniority rules and scheduled raises may go with it. Speak to your union representative before you answer the employer, not after.
The salary
How was the salary figure worked out?
Why ask it
Ask to see the sum: which hourly rate, how many hours a week and how many weeks a year it assumes. A figure built from your base rate and a standard week leaves out every overtime hour you have been working.
Does the offer match what I earned last year with overtime included, or only my base hours?
Why ask it
Bring last year's total from your final pay stub or tax form and set it beside the offer. That one comparison settles more than any other on the list, and it is easy to skip because an annual figure sounds large next to an hourly rate.
If I divide the salary by the hours you expect me to work, what does the hourly rate come to?
Why ask it
Work it out with the manager or right afterwards. A raise on paper can be a cut per hour once a longer week is counted, and doing the division together lets you point that out without accusing anyone of anything.
Do shift differentials, weekend rates and holiday premiums carry over, or are they folded into the salary?
Why ask it
Night, weekend and holiday premiums can be a real share of hourly earnings, and a conversion can drop them without anyone saying so. Go through the ones you receive now by name, one at a time, and write down what becomes of each.
Do I keep tips or commission, or does the salary replace them?
Why ask it
This one matters most in restaurants, salons and sales floors, where the extra can be a large part of the week's money. Who may share in tips is set by rules that differ from place to place and can change with a move into management, so have the employer say how it works there. If commission continues, get the rate and whether it changes.
What will my take-home pay be on each check, after deductions?
Why ask it
A sample pay stub from payroll answers this better than anyone's estimate. What you live on is the size of each check after benefits and deductions, so set it beside two recent ones: a week with overtime and a week without.
Does the pay schedule change, and is there a gap between my last hourly check and my first salaried one?
Why ask it
A move from weekly pay to twice a month or monthly can leave a longer wait before the first salaried check. Get the exact dates and line up rent and bills against them.
Is there a pay band for the salaried version of this job, and where would I start in it?
Why ask it
Starting low in a band leaves room for raises without a new title. Starting at the top can mean the next increase waits for a promotion. Where there is no band, the comparison to request is with others already doing the job on salary.
If my numbers show I would earn less than I do now, is there room to move the salary?
Why ask it
Save this until the comparison is on paper, then show it. A manager can carry a one-page sum to whoever approves pay far more easily than a sense that the offer is low.
How do raises work on salary, and when would my first one be considered?
Why ask it
Hourly raises sometimes follow a step scale or a fixed date, while salaried ones often run on an annual cycle with a budget behind it. Find out which applies, and whether switching partway through the year pushes your first review back.
Hours
How many hours a week do you expect from me on salary?
Why ask it
Get a number, then ask what the busiest month looks like. 'Whatever the job takes' is an honest answer from some managers, and it means the salary should be judged against the long weeks and not the average ones.
What hours do the salaried people on this team keep in practice?
Why ask it
The manager's expectation and the team's habit can be two different figures. A salaried coworker can tell you what time they really leave and whether they answer messages at night, and one frank reply from them is worth more than the written policy.
Will I be on call, and does on-call time earn anything?
Why ask it
Pin down how often your turn comes around, how quickly you must respond and whether a callout brings pay or time back. On hourly pay a callout probably showed up on your check, which makes this one of the places the change can cost you without anyone mentioning it.
Am I expected to answer calls, texts or email outside my scheduled hours?
Why ask it
Clocked out used to mean finished. The details that matter are what counts as urgent, who gets to decide that, and how fast a reply is expected on a day off.
Does my schedule stay the same, or do my shifts and start times change?
Why ask it
Some salaried roles keep a fixed shift and some trade it for 'until the work is done'. If you rely on a set finish time for childcare, a second job or classes, say so now, while the terms are still being set, and see whether it can go in the letter.
Do I still get set breaks and a meal break?
Why ask it
Break rules can differ by pay type and by where you work, so have HR say how they apply to the salaried version of the job. Then put the practical half to the manager: whether salaried people on the team really stop for lunch or eat it at their station.
Are there busy seasons, and how long do the long weeks last?
Why ask it
Two weeks of late nights at year end is a different bargain from four months of them. If time is given back afterwards, find out whether that is a rule or a favor.
Will I be asked to cover shifts for hourly staff when someone calls out?
Why ask it
Covering gaps is a common way a newly salaried person's week grows, particularly in stores, restaurants and warehouses, because the cover may no longer add to the payroll cost. Find out how often it fell to the last person in the role and whether there is any limit.
Do I get more say over my own time, such as leaving for an appointment without clocking out?
Why ask it
Flexibility is the usual trade for giving up the clock, so request a recent example of someone on the team using it. If nobody can think of one, the flexibility may only run in the employer's direction.
Are meetings, training and travel outside my normal hours now simply part of the job?
Why ask it
Paid hourly, that time was on the clock. List what is already on the calendar for the coming year, such as inventory counts, conferences or early briefings, and add it to your estimate of the real week.
What happens if the workload regularly takes more than the hours we have talked about?
Why ask it
Agree on the remedy now: a check-in where you raise it, work handed to someone else, or the pay looked at again. A manager with an answer has thought about where the limit is. One without is leaving the limit for you to hold.
Benefits
Do any of my benefits change when I move to salary?
Why ask it
Health coverage, retirement contributions and insurance are sometimes tiered by type of employee. A side-by-side from HR of what you have now and what you would have, with the cost to you per paycheck, makes any difference plain.
Does my paid time off change: how much I get, how it builds up and how I request it?
Why ask it
Leave that accrues per hour worked may have been growing faster in your overtime weeks. Check whether the salaried plan is a fixed allowance, and whether a sick day or a half day now comes out of the same pot as vacation.
What happens to the leave I have already built up?
Why ask it
It might carry over, convert at a set rate or be paid out, and that differs by employer and by place. Have HR confirm your balance on the switch date in writing, so the figure is never in dispute.
Will I be eligible for a bonus, and what does it depend on?
Why ask it
A bonus is sometimes offered to make up for lost overtime. What counts is what it paid for this role in the last two years, whether it is promised or discretionary, and which month it arrives. When you compare, include only the part that is in writing.
Is my retirement match figured on the new salary, and did overtime count toward it before?
Why ask it
Where a match is a percentage of pay, the pay it is figured on matters. If overtime counted and your total drops, the match can shrink at the same percentage, so check with the plan administrator or HR which earnings count.
How are holidays handled, including ones I am scheduled to work?
Why ask it
A worked holiday may have come with premium pay on your hourly rate. On salary it could become a day off at another time or nothing extra, so run through two cases: a holiday you are scheduled to work, and one that lands on your day off.
Does my original start date still count for leave tiers, vesting and anything else tied to length of service?
Why ask it
A change of pay type inside the same employer would not usually reset the service date, but hear it confirmed. Leave tiers, retirement vesting and severance formulas can all key off that date.
Deciding
Is this change optional, and what happens if I say no?
Why ask it
Sometimes it is an offer and sometimes a decision already made, and you should know which before you negotiate. If declining is possible, the follow-up is whether your current role, rate and hours would stay exactly as they are.
If the salaried arrangement does not work for me, can I go back to hourly?
Why ask it
An employer may not promise this outright, but the reply shows how fixed the change is. A realistic version is a dated review at which either side can raise going back, written into the letter.
Can we set a review at three or six months to compare the hours I am working with what we discussed?
Why ask it
Of everything you might request, this costs the employer the least today, which makes it one of the easier things to get. Put the date in both calendars before you leave the room and bring your log of hours to it.
Is there someone on the team who made this switch recently that I could talk to?
Why ask it
A coworker a year into salary can say what the week became and whether the promised flexibility ever appeared. If the manager would prefer not to name anyone, you probably know who to ask yourself.
Can I have the new terms in writing before I answer: salary, classification, effective date, expected hours and anything we agreed today?
Why ask it
Spoken promises about comp time or a review date tend to fade when managers change. Read the letter against your notes and have whatever is missing added before you sign.
How long do I have to decide?
Why ask it
A few days is a reasonable thing to request, and you need them to run the numbers and talk it over at home. Being pressed for an answer on the spot is worth noting, whatever you decide.
Once this is in place, who do I go to about the classification, the hours or a wrong paycheck?
Why ask it
In many workplaces the manager owns the hours, HR owns the classification and payroll owns the check, and at a small employer one person may be all three. A name for each saves time in the first month, when a pay stub that is part hourly and part salaried is the likeliest place for an error.
How to weigh a move from hourly to salary
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Run your own numbers first
Start from a real year of pay
Take your total earnings for the last full year from a final pay stub or tax form, not your hourly rate times a standard week. That total includes overtime, shift premiums and holiday pay, and it is the figure the salary has to be measured against. If last year was unusual, with a long absence or a run of extra shifts, average two years.
Estimate the week you would really work
Write down the hours the manager says the job takes, then the hours salaried coworkers say they work, and use the higher one. Divide the salary by that many hours across the year. The result is your new hourly rate in all but name, and it is the fairest thing to compare with the rate you have now.
Put a value on what else moves
Benefits, leave and a bonus can tip the comparison either way. Note what each costs or pays you per year today and under the offer. Leave a discretionary bonus out of the total and treat it as a possible extra, since nobody has promised it.
Decide what the trade is worth to you
A steady check every pay period, a title that leads somewhere or the freedom to leave for an appointment can be worth a somewhat lower total to one person and nothing to another. Settle your own answer before the meeting so the conversation does not settle it for you.
Who can answer what
The manager knows the hours
Expected hours, on-call duty, covering shifts and how flexible the day is are set by the person you report to, whatever the handbook says. Put the Hours group to them, along with why the change is happening and what it leads to, and press for recent examples.
HR knows the classification and the benefits
Whether the job is exempt, what happens to leave and which benefit tier applies are HR's subjects, and a manager may honestly not know. Take the Overtime and Benefits groups there, and get the replies by email so you can read them again.
Payroll knows the check
Pay dates, the stub for the changeover period and your take-home figure come from whoever runs payroll. A sample stub at the new salary is a reasonable thing to request. At a small employer the owner or an office manager may be manager, HR and payroll at once, and every group goes to that one person.
Look up the rules for where you work
Overtime and classification rules differ between countries, and within some countries between states or provinces. The government office that handles wages for your area usually publishes plain guidance, and a union representative or an employment lawyer can answer questions about your own case. This page can tell you what to ask, not what you are entitled to.
During the conversation
You can ask for time
An offer made in a hallway or at the end of a shift does not need an answer there. Thank them, say you would like to go through the details, and request a meeting and a day or two. The only question that has to be asked on the spot is how long you have to decide.
Bring one page
Last year's total, your typical weekly hours and the premiums you receive fit on a single sheet. Working from it keeps the talk on arithmetic and makes it easy for the manager to pass your case to whoever approves pay.
Ask the plain version first
'What happens to my overtime?' gets a clearer reply than a question about classification policy. Start with the plain wording, then use the formal terms to pin the answer down.
Read it back before you leave
Before you go, read back the salary, the classification, the expected hours, the effective date and any review you agreed. Then ask for the same list in the letter. If something said in the room is missing from the paper, raise it before you sign.
Where conversions go wrong
Hearing 'salary' as a promotion
A salaried title can feel like a step up even when the money and the duties are unchanged. Judge it on the comparison and the hours, and let the title count only if it leads to something you can name.
Comparing with your base rate
An annual figure tends to look good against your hourly rate times a standard week. If you have been working overtime, that is not what you earn, and the gap between the two sums is the money that would go.
Taking 'salaried' to mean 'no overtime'
People on both sides of the desk assume this. Whether it is true for your job depends on the classification and the law where you work, so put the question outright and do not accept the pay type as the answer.
Agreeing to hours nobody stated
If no number of hours is ever said aloud, the default becomes whatever the busiest week demands. A stated expectation and a review date give you something to point to if the week keeps growing.