Pay and allowances

You'll usually be paid on the 27th of each month. If the 27th falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a bank holiday, you'll be paid on the Friday before.

You'll be paid earlier than the 27th in December, usually around 22nd of the month.

Payslips are available electronically - they're called e-Payslips. Your user name is your payroll number, which can be found on a previous payslip.

Alternatively, it's called your employee number on the contract or statement of written particulars you received when you joined.

You can also obtain it from your manager.

This is link to log in to access your e-Payslip.

• Read the answers to some commonly asked questions about e-Payslips here.
• ePay user guide

If you have access to iTrent self service, you can change your bank account details under the personal tab.

If you don’t have access to itrent then please email LBC HR Services with your current and new bank details.

Further information and a step by step guide is available in the iTrent self service user guide.

You can view your P60 via this link, using the same username and password you use to access your e-Payslip. Your P60 is a summary of your total pay and tax each financial year (6 April to 5 April).

If you remain employed by the council on 5 April, your P60 will be available to view by 31 May each year.

If you leave the council during the tax year, any time before 5 April, you won't get a P60 but all your earnings details will be on the P45 you receive when you leave.

Salary scales are available here.

New starters are paid at the base point of the grade. You progress up one point each year on the anniversary of your start date in post, until you reach the highest point for the grade.

If you move to a new job in the council that is the same grade, you move on your current pay scale point and retain your original incremental date.

This includes nights, weekend and sleeping in allowances.

Overtime will not be payable if time off in lieu (TOIL) or a flex day is an agreeable and practical alternative. If this is not feasible, for service delivery reasons, overtime will be kept to a minimum and it will be paid at the following rates:

• Monday to Saturday - time and a half
• Sunday (midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday) and bank holidays - double time

The enhanced overtime rate will not be paid until 37 hours work is completed on each contract (the working week for payroll purposes commences on a Monday).

Therefore, for part-time employees additional hours will be paid at flat rate until 37 hours have been completed alongside any relevant payable enhancement, depending on when the work is undertaken (nights/weekends).

Anything then worked in excess of 37 hours would attract overtime or TOIL as above.

Overtime and additional hours can only be worked and claimed with the prior agreement of your manager.

The form to claim either overtime or additional hours can be accessed here.

Overtime and additional hours claim form guidance

Weekend hours enhancement

Employees who work more than 50 per cent or more than of their contracted hours Monday to Friday are eligible to receive time and a half for hours worked.

Weekends start at Midnight Friday and finish Midnight Sunday. This should be taken into account when completing timesheets. Weekend enhancements are paid in addition to unsocial hours enhancements.

Unsocial/night hours enhancements

Hours worked between 7pm and 6am will be paid at time and a third. Time and a third will be paid for the entire shift if the shift starts before midnight but ends after 6am

Standby and call out

The requirement to participate in a standby rota is contractual and the standard payment will be made automatically based on the rota supplied to payroll.

If whilst on standby you are called out please use the Call out payment form to claim payment. More information is available in the standby and call out policy

For detailed information on travel claims and mileage rates for different users please read the travel and subsistence scheme document, which also covers claims for food and accommodation.

Please take note of the paragraph on the requirement to provide evidence that you have business insurance for your vehicle.

Mileage can be claimed by:

• those in receipt of car benefit (an allowance paid to those graded M3 or higher)
• any individual who, as part of their work, has to travel to somewhere other than their normal place of work

Claims are for travel from your normal workplace, not from home. You can travel straight to a meeting from home but can only claim for excess miles.

If you regularly claim for more than 650 miles per year, you may be entitled to an essential car user allowance of £963 per year. More information is available here in the vehicle allowance scheme.

Please note that receipts are required for all claims.

If you have access to iTrent self service, claims can be made using the time and expense section of the pay and allowances tab on iTrent self-service.

Those without access to iTrent can use this expenses claim form.

Further information and a step by step guide is available in the iTrent self service user guide.

All council staff that are display screen equipment (DSE) users can request a free eye test, normally every two years.

If you're experiencing issues with your vision or feel your eye sight is deteriorating, you can request an earlier test.

Please seek approval from your line manager before organizing your eye test with your preferred optician.

If you have access to iTrent, claims can be made using the time and expenses section of the pay and allowances tab (capped at £25).

Those without access to iTrent can use this expenses claim form.

You'll be entitled to:

• a free eye test
• a contribution of around £50 to any glasses prescribed for DSE purposes

If you use DSE to do your job, you can also claim up to £50 towards the cost of basic single use spectacles.

See our DSE guide for more information on:

• DSE regulations
• DSE procedure
• self assessments
• hot desk and home working DSE checks
• free eye tests for DSE users

Find out more about DSE and free eye tests.

Further information and a step by step guide to claiming expenses is available in the iTrent self service user guide

We're fully committed to reducing the need to travel, especially by car, by encouraging greater use of public transport, cycling and walking as more sustainable modes of transport, wherever this is feasible.

However, we also accept that in some jobs car usage is unavoidable. The entitlement to an allowance attaches to the post, not the post holder, so that if you move from one post to another you may not be entitled to the same or any car allowance.

Car benefit/car lease

Car benefit is only available for, and automatically paid to, all post holders of posts graded M3 or higher. Employees who are in receipt of car benefit or who have taken a car under the car benefit or car leasing schemes are entitled to a locally agreed mileage allowance for using their car on council business.

The mileage allowance is designed to reimburse the cost of petrol only. The same allowance applies to all regardless of the actual engine size of the car or the fuel being used.

Motorcycle and bicycle

We operate allowances for the use of a bicycle or motorcycle. Bicycle rates are detailed in the motorbicycle and bicycle section of the vehicle allowance scheme document.

Essential car users

If you need to use a car to do your job (this does not include travel to and from work) you're entitled to receive the lump sum and mileage rates for essential users. The lump sum is £963 per year, paid monthly.

More information on who is eligible and the conditions that must be met is available in the vehicle allowance scheme document.

Essential car users whose normal place of work is the town centre are entitled to free car parking space within a designated Luton Council car park.

Entitlement to essential car user allowance is reviewed annually by HR to ensure conditions continue to be met.

Please see the vehicle allowance scheme document for more information.