Few things ruin the end of the month like checking your account on payday and finding nothing there.
Rent is due, the trotro fare has not changed, and the people waiting on you for school fees or family support do not want to hear that “management is working on it”.
A late salary can happen at any company, but how you handle it can make a big difference, both to your finances and to your chances of getting paid. Here are six things to do when your salary is late.
1. Ask what is going on, and do it in writing
Before assuming the worst, find out why the salary is late and when it is expected. Speak to HR or your manager, then follow up with a short, polite email or message confirming what you were told, so there is a record of the conversation and the date they promised to pay.
2. Check what your contract says about payday
Your employment contract should state when and how you are paid. Under Ghana’s Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), employers are expected to pay workers on time, as agreed in the contract, and in legal tender. Knowing exactly what you signed up for gives you a firm footing when you raise the issue.
3. Keep records of everything
Save your contract, payslips, bank statements, and the emails and messages about the delay in one place.
If the problem drags on and you have to take it further, these records will be your strongest evidence, and they are much harder to gather after the fact.
4. Talk to the people you owe before they come looking for you
If the delay means you will miss rent, a loan repayment or school fees, let the people involved know early and tell them when you expect to pay. A landlord or lender who hears from you first is usually far more understanding than one who has to chase you.
5. Be careful with quick loans
When money is tight, instant mobile money loans and “small small” borrowing from friends can feel like an easy fix, but the interest and the pressure to repay can leave you worse off once the salary finally arrives. If you have to borrow, take only what you need for essentials and read the terms carefully. Once things settle, start building an emergency fund, even a small one, for the next time.
6. Know where to go if it becomes a pattern
If late or unpaid salaries keep happening, you do not have to suffer in silence. You can report the matter to the Labour Department, and disputes between workers and employers can be taken to the National Labour Commission.
The problem is more common than many people think: the NLC says that of 973 unfair termination cases it recorded between 2020 and 2025, 660 involved unpaid salaries, and it has settled more than 12,600 of the 13,100 cases reported to it since 2005.
