# Pay for an incomplete month: joiners, leavers and no-pay leave

> How MOM works out pay when a monthly-rated employee works only part of a month, what counts as a working day and a day worked, and how 5, 5.5 and 6-day weeks change the answer.

- Tool: [Prorated Salary Calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/prorated-salary-calculator)
- Language: en (available: en, zh)
- Last verified against official sources: 2026-10-28
- Source site: ToolSG — a planning guide, not official or financial advice. Cite the agencies listed under Sources.

## Key figures at a glance

| Fact | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who it applies to | Monthly-rated full-time employees — A joiner, a leaver or someone on no-pay leave for part or all of the month is treated as having worked an incomplete month. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/salary/calculate-pay-for-incomplete-month) |
| Method | Monthly gross rate of pay ÷ working days in the month × days worked — MOM shows the formula as an image; this is MOM's published method. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/salary/calculate-pay-for-incomplete-month) |
| Working days | Exclude rest days and non-working days, include public holidays — Public holidays that fall on a normal working day count. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/salary/monthly-and-daily-salary) |
| Gross rate of pay | Total payable for one month's work, including allowances | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/salary/monthly-and-daily-salary) |
| MOM daily rate | 12 × monthly gross ÷ (52 × days worked in a week) — Used for items such as pay for unused leave, not for an incomplete month. | [MOM](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/salary/monthly-and-daily-salary) |

## When it applies

Use the incomplete-month method when a **monthly-rated full-time employee** works only part of a month: they join mid-month, leave mid-month, or take no-pay leave. Taking no-pay leave for the whole month is treated the same way, with no days worked.

## The method

**Pay = monthly gross rate of pay ÷ working days in the month × days actually worked.**

- The **monthly gross rate of pay** is the total payable for one month's work, including allowances in the contract.
- **Working days** exclude rest days and non-working days but **include public holidays** that fall on a normal working day.
- **Days actually worked** include public holidays, paid hospitalisation leave and annual leave.

## 5, 5.5 and 6-day weeks

Sunday is the rest day. A Saturday counts as **0** in a 5-day week, **0.5** in a 5.5-day week and **1** in a 6-day week. That is why the same month has different working days:

| Month | 5-day | 5.5-day | 6-day |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| October 2026 | 22 | 24.5 | 27 |
| February 2026 | 20 | 22 | 24 |

## Worked examples

| Case | Pay |
| --- | --- |
| $4,000 a month, October 2026, 5-day week, joined 12 October (15 of 22 working days) | $2,727.27 |
| Same, left after 16 October (12 of 22) | $2,181.82 |
| Same month, 3 days of no-pay leave (19 of 22) | $3,454.55 |

## Common mistakes

- **Dividing by 30.** MOM uses working days, not calendar days.
- **Removing public holidays from the working days.** They are included.
- **Including overtime or bonuses.** Use the gross rate of pay for a month's work.
- **Using the daily rate formula for a part month.** The 12 × monthly ÷ (52 × days) rate is for items like leave pay.

## Related tools

- [No-pay leave calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/no-pay-leave-calculator) — the CPF and take-home effect.
- [Working days calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/working-days-calculator) — working days between any dates.
- [Take-home pay calculator](https://toolsg.com/en/take-home-pay-calculator) — gross to net.

## Frequently asked questions

**How is salary calculated for an incomplete month?**

Monthly gross rate of pay divided by the working days in that month, multiplied by the days actually worked.

**Do public holidays count as working days?**

Yes. Working days exclude rest days and non-working days but include public holidays that fall on a normal working day.

**What counts as days actually worked?**

Public holidays, paid hospitalisation leave and annual leave count as days worked.

**Is this the same as dividing by 30 days?**

No. MOM’s method uses the working days of that month, not calendar days.

**Does this include overtime or bonuses?**

No. Use the monthly gross rate of pay, which is the total payable for one month’s work including allowances.

**Is this exact?**

It is an estimate. Your employer’s payroll decides the final amount.


## Sources

- [MOM — Calculate pay for an incomplete month of work](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/salary/calculate-pay-for-incomplete-month) — Applies to monthly-rated full-time employees; working-day definition and table (page updated 8 Dec 2025).
- [MOM — Monthly and daily salary](https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/salary/monthly-and-daily-salary) — Gross rate of pay, working days and the daily rate formula (page updated 8 Dec 2025).
- [MOM — How to compute the salary of an employee on no-pay leave for the month](https://www.mom.gov.sg/faq/salary/how-to-compute-the-salary-of-an-employee-who-is-on-no-pay-leave-for-the-month) — No-pay leave is treated as an incomplete month (page updated 14 Mar 2024).