In simple terms, the base wage rate is the minimum salary of an employee which is set during the recruitment process. The base wage rate depends on an employee’s schedule and other aspects. In other words, it’s the specific salary an employee gets before including all benefits, deductions, additions, and taxes.
We can see a wide range of variations in the base wage rate depending on different industries and structures. But the base wage rates should always comply with the minimum wage law of that state. In addition, the base wage depends on factors including:
So, if the living cost increases, the base wage rate of an employee needs to be updated. Again, if the employee gets promoted or demoted, the base wage rate will also change significantly.
However, the base wage shouldn’t include factors like:
Although base pay is just another term for the base wage rate, base pay is not similar to gross pay.
Gross pay is the accumulation of base pay plus additional benefits and compensation. If you add bonuses, benefits, and additional incentives with base pay, you’ll get gross pay.
Just like gross pay and base pay, there is a significant difference between gross salary and base salary. Base salary doesn’t include any bonuses and other compensation, whereas gross salary includes all the additional aspects like bonuses, compensations, and benefits.
A base salary can only be similar to an annual salary if an employee doesn’t receive any benefit, bonus, or insurance premium. But this is highly unlikely; if you add any additional compensation or benefit, the annual salary will be substantially higher than the base salary. So, it can be said that the base salary can be the same as the annual salary, but with certain conditions.
Most of the time, the base salary of an employee is measured before various types of government taxes are deducted by the company/employer.
Usually, base pay is not calculated, rather it’s decided by both the employer and the employee during the recruitment or promotion process. The employer or company offers a base salary range and if the employee agrees to that salary margin, the base pay is set.
If the employee doesn’t agree to the offer, they negotiate and sometimes even renegotiate to find an agreement. Different states have different wage rates set by the minimum wage law. It’s mandatory for all employers to comply with the minimum wage law and make a reasonable offer.
The following scenario is a perfect example of how to determine a base pay:
John resides in New York and he has been recruited by a manufacturing company for a full-time job. As a new employee, he will be getting $20 per hour.
If he has to work for 40 hours a week, then his monthly base salary is - $20 per hour x 160 hours= $3200.