Employment Act 1955 · Updated to 1 Aug 2023 · Part III · Payment of Wages
19. Time of payment of wages
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An employer must pay wages, less lawful deductions, by the seventh day after each wage period ends. Pay for rest day work, gazetted public holiday work and overtime is due by the last day of the next wage period. The director general may extend these deadlines if the employer applies and paying on time is not reasonably practicable.
Summary · Drafted with AI, checked against the official text on 30 Sep 2026.
Subject to subsection (2), every employer shall pay to each of his employees not later than the seventh day after the last day of any wage period the wages, less lawful deductions earned by such employee during such wage period.
employer
“employer” means any person who has entered into a contract of service to employ any other person as an employee and includes the agent, manager or factor of such first mentioned person, and the word “employ”, with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, shall be construed accordingly;
Wages for work done on a rest day, gazetted public holiday referred to in paragraphs 60d(1)(a) and (b) and overtime referred to in section 60a shall be paid not later than the last day of the next wage period.
wages
“wages” means basic wages and all other payments in cash payable to an employee for work done in respect of his contract of service but does not include— (a) the value of any house accommodation or the supply of any food, fuel, light or water or medical attendance, or of any approved amenity or approved service; (b) any contribution paid by the employer on his own account to any pension fund, provident fund, superannuation scheme, retrenchment, termination, lay-off or retirement scheme, thrift scheme or any other fund or scheme established for the benefit or welfare of the employee; (c) any travelling allowance or the value of any traveling concession; (d) any sum payable to the employee to defray special expenses entailed on him by the nature of his employment; (e) any gratuity payable on discharge or retirement; or (f) any annual bonus or any part of any annual bonus;
Employment 29
Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2), if the Director
General is satisfied that payment within such time is not reasonably practicable, he may, on the application of the employer, extend the time of payment by such number of days as he thinks fit.