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Difference Between Fixed And Variable Salary

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Synopsis:

Fixed and variable pay are both important parts of an employee’s compensation. While the amount of fixed pay remains constant month after month, the amount of variable pay can change considerably based on predetermined criteria. Such criteria can be based on an employee’s output or a company’s performance.

The key components of fixed pay are an employee’s base salary, various allowances (HRA + special allowance + TA + medical allowance), PF contributions, and gratuity.

The main objective of fixed pay is to make employees feel financially secure. Meanwhile, variable pay is meant to incentivise employees so that they work hard and produce more output.

Difference Between Fixed And Variable Salary

Fixed pay and variable pay form the part of an employee’s overall compensation. The amount of fixed pay remains constant from month to month. However, the amount of variable pay can vary from one month to another.

No matter how much an employee works and how his organisation performs, the amount of fixed pay remains fixed in most cases. Meanwhile, variable pay’s component changes based on certain criteria, like an employee’s output, a business’s performance, etc.

If you want to learn more about fixed and variable salary, read this blog because it takes a deep dive into this topic.

What is the Fixed Salary’s Definition?  

A fixed salary is a predetermined salary that an employee receives regularly, typically once a month. The most salient feature of fixed salary is that it remains fixed, regardless of the performance of an employee, the number of hours he or she works, and even business conditions.

An employee’s fixed salary is mentioned in his employment contract. In most jobs, it is the main component of an employee’s overall compensation package. The key components of fixed pay are an employee’s base salary, various allowances (house rent allowance or HRA + special allowance + transport allowance + medical allowance), provident fund (PF) contributions, and gratuity.

While fixed salary remains constant typically, employers can still change it for several reasons. For example, if there is an unexpected and severe downturn in business, an employer can reduce the fixed salary of his employees. Having learnt the fixed salary’s definition, let us discuss its advantages.

Advantages of Fixed Pay  

The main advantages of fixed pay are explained below:

  1. Financial security for employees: When employees know that they will receive a certain amount as a fixed salary every month, they feel financially secure. Besides, they can plan their expenses and investments wisely with a fixed salary.

  2. Budgeting: A company can budget for fixed salaries a lot better, as it knows in advance how much it is going to pay every month. Better budgeting also results in improved decision-making from a financial perspective.

  3. Easier payroll administration: When an organisation pays fixed salaries, it does not have to keep on monitoring the output of its employees to calculate their salaries. That said, it still has to supervise its employees to ensure that they are working as per company policies.

Disadvantages of Fixed Pay   

  1. Can discourage certain employees: If fixed salary forms a significant portion of overall compensation, it can discourage certain employees, who like to work overtime to earn more through variable pay. Hence, organisations must maintain a balance between fixed and variable salary.

  2. May not adjust for inflation: Inflation can be very high in countries like India. Hence, if fixed pay does not increase every year at least by the rate of inflation, employees may feel that they are not being suitably compensated.

  3. Not linked to performance: At times, fixed pay is not tied to an employee’s performance, which can certainly discourage them from working hard. If they know that they will get paid the same pay regardless of their output, they do not have an incentive to work hard.

What is the Meaning of Variable Salary? 

Variable pay, also known as performance-based pay, varies based on predetermined criteria. For example, a company can decide to provide variable pay to all those employees who meet their sales targets. A company can also pay a variable pay to its employees if it reaches a certain target.

Simply put, the criteria to pay a variable salary could be based on either an employee’s performance or a company’s overall performance.

By virtue of being variable, the variable pay component can vary a lot from month to month. Typically, variable pay forms a large part of overall compensation in extremely aggressive work profiles, like investment banking, corporate sales, etc.

Advantages of Variable Pay 

a)      Can motivate employees to work hard: When employees know that they will get a significant sum as variable pay, they can be motivated to put in the extra effort in anticipation of variable pay.

b)      Boost an organisation’s output: A company can boost its output by linking its employees’ performance with their salaries through a variable pay component.

c)       Helps retain employees: Variable pay helps companies retain hard-working employees. By paying such employees a sizeable portion of their compensation in a variable component, a company makes them feel valued, which helps to retain them.

Disadvantages of Variable Pay 

a)      May cause infighting among employees: The component of variable pay can vary considerably from one employee to another. Hence, if employees get to know the differential between their variable pay, it may cause infighting, which can even demotivate them to work hard.

b)      May make the pay structure opaque: At times, companies structure the overall package of employees in such a way that it is difficult for them to understand the criteria for their variable pay. As a result, they are not sure how much variable pay they will earn, which results in dissatisfaction.

Having learnt the meaning of fixed and variable salary in detail, let us discuss fixed vs. variable salary. In other words, what are the main differences between fixed and variable salary?

Fixed vs. Variable Salary: Key Differences

The main differences between fixed and variable salary are explained below:

Criteria

Fixed Pay

Variable Pay

Objective

The objective of fixed pay is to provide peace of mind to employees by letting them know that they will get a fixed compensation every month.

The objective of variable pay is to motivate employees by telling them that they can earn more by producing higher output.

Consistency

Fixed pay remains the same month after month.

The amount of variable pay can change significantly from one month to another.

Ease of administration

It is easier for a company to administer its fixed salaries. As the amount remains constant, an organisation can also budget for it easily.

Compared to fixed salary, variable pay is difficult to manage because its amount can vary significantly from one month to another. It is also difficult to predict, making it tough to budget as well.

By now, you must be having a nuanced understanding of fixed and variable salary. You must also be having a grip over fixed vs. variable salary, which will let you understand your pay structure well.

Summing Up: Fixed vs. Variable Salary 

If you want to open a demat account and participate in the Indian stock market, the first thing you should do is budget your finances for the year. For that, you need to know your fixed and variable salary for the next 12 months.

Once you know how much money you will make, you can decide how much you intend to save. Most importantly, you should know the basic difference between fixed and variable salary. As discussed, fixed pay remains constant month after month. However, the amount of variable pay changes based on criteria, like an organisation’s performance or an employee’s output.

Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risk, read all related documents carefully before investing.

This content is for educational purposes only. Securities quoted are exemplary and not recommendatory.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is fixed pay and what is the difference between fixed and variable salary?

Answer Field

The component of an employee’s salary that remains fixed from month to month is called fixed pay. The main difference between fixed and variable salary is that while the former remains fixed from month to month, the latter can change significantly.

How is fixed pay calculated in a salary package?

Answer Field

Fixed pay is usually the sum of an employee’s base salary, allowances (HRA + special allowance + transport allowance + medical allowance), PF contributions, and gratuity.

What are the advantages of fixed pay for employees?

Answer Field

As the amount of salary remains constant, fixed pay makes employees feel financially secure. Fixed pay is also much easier to budget than variable pay because companies can easily predict how much fixed pay they will pay over a year.

How does variable pay impact employee motivation and performance?

Answer Field

When employees know that they can earn a sizeable part of their compensation in the form of variable pay, they feel motivated to work harder. That said, they can also get stressed if their extra efforts do not result in better productivity. This is because variable pay is linked to an employee’s productivity and not to the number of hours he is putting in.

What types of jobs typically offer variable pay?

Answer Field

Variable pay is common in profiles related to sales, business development, investment banking, technology, retail & corporate banking, and customer-facing roles.

How can employees negotiate their fixed and variable pay?

Answer Field

Employees need to research their industry well to understand how much fixed and variable pay they can demand. When it comes to variable pay, they need to be clear about the criteria based on which variable compensation will be paid. Overall, they should understand the value they bring to the table and they must negotiate based on that.

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