Start with the header block
Confirm name, employee number, pay period dates, and tax code. A wrong period or code cascades through every line below. Note whether the slip is monthly or covers a four-week roster cycle, they don't always align with calendar months.
Base salary / monthly rate
Your contracted monthly or annual salary divided into the pay period. Usually fixed unless you're on unpaid leave or a reduced-hours arrangement. Pilots and cabin crew often see this separate from variable duty pay.
Duty pay and flying hours
Variable pay for duties flown in the period: block or duty hours times hourly rate, plus sector pay on some contracts. Cross-check against your roster, missed sectors, wrong credit hours, and cancelled duties left on the slip are the top errors.
Per diem lines
May appear as one total or split into taxable / non-taxable. Match accrued away-from-base hours to your roster (not just flights flown). How to calculate per diem
Overnight and layover allowances
Fixed per-night payments distinct from hourly per diem on many airlines. Count nights away in the pay period and compare to roster layovers, a reroute that adds a night should add a line here.
Premiums and supplements
Night flying, weekend, holiday, long-haul, language, or galley premiums. These are where payroll complexity hides, each premium has eligibility rules tied to report time, sector length, or aircraft type.
Deductions and net pay
Tax, national insurance, pension, union dues, and any recovery items. Net pay is gross variable + fixed - deductions. If net looks wrong, work backwards from duty pay first, not from net.
Monthly checklist (10 minutes)
- Duty count matches roster duties in the pay period
- Per diem hours match away-from-base window
- Overnight count matches layover nights
- Premiums align with report times on long-haul or night sectors
- Leave and sick entries match what you submitted
Automate the comparison
Layvr builds expected pay from your imported roster line by line. Upload your payslip PDF and Layvr Pro flags mismatches before you email payroll. Deeper breakdown: cabin crew payslip explained.