Where Are the Commission Checks?!

Stop asking and after the holidays have him get a new job
also file a complain with the Dept of Labor. This company
is playing the cat and mouse game.

Who are these people that expect gifts in the range of $200.00 each. Is it their birthday and in this economy are they crazy? People we have got to remember the reason for the season. We have forgotten all about CHRISTmas and made it about showing off what I can buy for you this year. Stop the maddddddnessss, get a grip on reality. If you can afford to, buy small meaningful gifts that they will hold on to forever. Pay your bills and don't go into debt trying to impress his family or yours with gifts that they probaly don't appreciate anyway.

I would stop hounding him about the money. Men can't handle the stress of feeling like a failure when it comes to providing for the family. I would also talk to your husbands family members and tell them of your finanical situation. Gifts can be from the heart and not cost $200.oo per person. Everyone is cutting back due to finanical stress. Christ is the reason for the season, not the commercial aspect of gift giving...especially for the adults. If we were talking children here then I can see giving gifts within a certain set amount that would not put you behind in other bills. Everyone needs to be finanically responsible these days. Putting yourselves in financial debt to give gifts is not responsible. If you are set on giving gifts spend what you can...not what is "expected".

Dear CP,

I hate to tell you this, but failure to pay out on commission checks can be a warning sign that your husband's employer is not in good financial health. I don't want to alarm you, but is his job w/ a good, solid company? Is there any chance that they could be struggling or considering filing for bankruptcy? If he isn't going to get paid, he should be spending his time looking for a new job instead of working where they aren't paying him. Does he have an employment contract? if so, check the terms of the commission payment schedule. If he has done what he needs to do, then he is entitled to payment. The economy is much worse than what is being reported in most news outlets and the stock market is not currently reflecting what most small and medium sized companies are experiencing. It is very possible that they don't have the money to pay him. He should find out soon rather than waste time (and your family's security) waiting to see what happens. Also, those seem like pretty extravagant family presents. If we are talking about adults, I think that you should be able to have a frank discussion about scaling back. If you don't want to do that, maybe you can "substitute" your presents -- for example, you could find similar kinds of gifts at discount retailers for much less money than you would typically spend. Everyone is scaling back -- you are not alone! Good luck and Merry Christmas.

This is tricky on several levels. First off, I have to say- you absolutely do not 'have to' get each person in your husband's family a $200 Christmas gift!! Particularly not a girlfriend. Economic times are difficult and even if your husband's family can afford that, they should be understanding if your family cannot. It is obnoxious and selfish for other people to 'assume' you will spend a certain dollar amount on a gift for them.

Do not dig yourselves into a financial hole by being too proud to just say " This year I'm making a homemade gift for each of you. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making/baking/knitting/whatever it for you." Any family member who does not accept a gift like that gracefully- sorry, but I would write them off!

That said, I work on commission and let me tell you, right now it sucks! A big part of the issue ( at least with my commission) is that even if I make a sale- I do not get PAID the commission on it until the CLIENT PAYS US. During the holidays many clients try to save money by holding off on paying bills- so I suffer for it. I imagine your husband is finding out the reality of how commission based pay works right now!

I am assuming you and your husband have discussed this thoroughly at home already. If he is 100% aware of the situation, I do not think nagging him will help. If he has talked to management about the issue there is not a lot more he can do without making enemies at the office. He probably has a better idea of how far he can 'push' at this time- even though he is legitimately owed the money. If you nag at him about something he already is aware of and is trying to take care of, you and he will just argue over it and you will make him feel ineffective and unhappy.

Unless you think he just chickened out and didn't bring it up at all with his boss, I would just be as supportive as you can of him- he knows what your bills are and how much you need the $$, so I am sure he will be trying to get it for you!

Control what you can- how much extra money you spend this month on gifts. I cannot stress that relatives who expect expensive gifts just because 'that's how we've always done it' are no true friends to your family. Loving, supportive relatives will understand the situation- you don't owe them details of the job situation or any explanation. Anyone who can watch the news knows that times are tight for families. Don't worry too much about what they might think of you- bake them some bread or give them something heartfelt that you can afford and don't you dare feel bad or guilty about it! Best of luck to you, and happy holidays to you and your family!!

I see how this might be an akward situation, but this is not normal business practice. Maybe you should talk to the boss if hubby won't. Is it possible that he got the checks and has either spent them or is stashing them for a suprise gift or already put them in savings?

This seems to be an issue best handled by your husband. Seems the arrangement made with his boss isn't being honored. Your husband could follow up (and ask what happened), but I would avoid agressively pushing on this matter given the condition of the current economy. One extra paychech is better than no paychecks at all. Yes, this is frustrating on many levels.

On the other hand, why would you plan to spend $200 per person on Christmas gifts that you obviously can not afford? This seems to be the bigger question. You should likely adjust your spending, and the expectations of your in-law's, to meet your current financial limitations. Have you considered this at all?

Right now, I'd say skip the $200 christmas presents. If you are hurting, "his" family will need to understand since it's his paycheck that isn't fulfilling the need. Maybe your husband is not forward enough to bring it up since he's new in the job and doesn't want to make waves. But eventually he will need to face the fact that if he's not getting paid what they agreed, it is a breach of contract. That's the problem with commission jobs. You may need to look for something of your own to make ends meet. Heck, i worked 2 jobs for 9 years while my kids were growing up because my "husband" kept (still does) all his money that he earns. He feels that he earned it so he spends it on cigarettes, beer and his girlfriend (that he claims he doesn't have) but that's another story. I hope it works out for you.

Hi C P I don't see anything wrong about asking him about the money to help pay your bills but buying gifts at $200 per person is a bit much!!! You just explain to them that money is a little tight this year and you all can't afford it. And to give a girlfriend a gift for the same amount is crazy!!! If he gets the money spend on yourself.

I just have to say wow, your family is spoiled. My husband and I live very comfortably and we like to buy nice gifts for our family. We have spent $200 total on my parents but never $200 each. If you can afford that kind of money then you are not having money troubles. We are trying to buy a house and my parents were so sweet and said not to get them anything this year. My brother even said the same thing. Christmas is about being with family and teaching your children about helping others and showing how much you care. There should never be a dollar amount on how much you have to spend on family members.

tread carefully. Sounds like the company he is now working for is having financial difficulties of their own. There are plenty of people out of work and if your husband pushes this too much he might just find himself replaced. Also, with the economy the way it is, $200 a person seems a bit much. Either you need to do some major bargain shopping or you need to tell your family that $200 is not in your budget this year. I'm sure most of the family will be happy to not spend that on 4 people. Really, a girlfriend getting a $200 present?? Wish I was in your family when I was dating. :)

Neither one. The real issue is that he did a job, and now his employer isn't paying him. I understand your frustration; still, you nagging him to fix the situation isn't going to put money in the bank. I do not know what path he would need to take to get what he's earned, but if the two of you approach it from that angle, that would be more productive. Maybe he can talk with his direct supervisor, or human resources.

I am also not understanding why you "have" to spend a small fortune on presents for his family. I know there's an expectation, but you know what? That's THEIR expectation, not yours. Frankly, in such dire financial times, spending $200 per person seems insane.

Good luck.

PS: Or, if DH's commission checks do come through, donate the $200 each to charity. Imagine the looks on their faces on Christmas morning when they open the boxes! Hee hee.

Not sure what field your husband is in but I have a couple friends in health care who took jobs with commission and it took FOREVER for them to get paid. Something about the company or owner not getting the money from insurance companies so they had no money to pay the employees. Very frustrating and I would never do it.

Good luck!

In these economic times I know it is hard to decide whether or not to keep pushing. That being said keep pushing, we had a similar problem with one of my husbands employers not paying the insurance, his deferred savings (his actual money), reporting his hours so he was eligable for his benefits, and not paying him his correct hours on the paycheck. As it turns out they were doing this to all of their employees so I pushed him to talk to his employer constantly and I was after the union this became an every other day battle and the company finally paid up but it was months and months. I highly suggest that you don't let it get to far out as that my husband did till I starting losing my mind on him, these people went out of business shortly thereafter so don't take a chance keep up on your hubby, and keep really good records. Best of luck!

Well first off, if my husband took a pay cut I would be talking to his family about things are just too tight this year. We cant be spending $200.00's a person. We need to adjust the amount per person or please don't buy us anything this year and no hurt feelings. Christmas is for children anyway....
But as for the checks, I would have him talk to HR if his boss isn't sticking up for him on the checks. But before that, I would be reading his contract and seeing in the fine print in what time frame is stated to recieve his commission. But if nagging it takes, nagging I would do. I might give him a day or two inbetween, but until it is set up in stone on when he recieves it~I'd be nagging too! Good luck and happy holidays!

I'm not familiar with how commissions and payments of typically work, but seems to me he is getting toyed with. If he signed a contract or had an offer letter, I'd check and see what's spelled out there (if anything). Hopefully something is that protects him or at least spells out how long after commission are earned they are paid out, otherwise it is time to negotiate and get something in writing for now and for the future so he hopefully doesn't get jerked around anymore. I'm not sure if there's an HR person or finance person, but he needs to talk to both his boss and whoever handles the checks to make sure he's going to get his money in a reasonable timeframe. If it takes you nagging to make that happen, so be it. I would be!