# Pay rules: day wage, piecework and bonuses

> How Aragro decides what to pay for each day of work: employee wage, job position, activity pay rules, piecework and bonuses.

Source: https://resources.aragro.com/en/pay-rules/
Language: en

Relative links and media resolve against the source URL.

Every time a worker appears on a work order, Aragro calculates what they earned that day. That amount is the basis of [payroll](/en/run-payroll/). This guide explains where it comes from and how to set it up for day-wage pay, piecework and bonuses.

## Where each day's pay comes from

Aragro looks for the pay in this order and uses the first one it finds:

1. **The activity's pay rule** for the worker's position (for example, the *Harvest* activity pays Q100 per quintal to *Harvesters*).
2. **The employee's own wage**, if one was set on their record.
3. **The job position's wage** (for example, *Field worker*: Q119.21 per day).

So if an activity has no pay rule, the worker's wage is paid. If it has one, that rule wins.

## Day-wage pay

- Set the daily wage in **HR → Job positions**. When you change it, Aragro asks whether to apply it to every employee in that position: the fastest way to update wages in bulk.
- **Leave the activity without a pay rule**, so each worker is paid their own wage.
- If an activity pays a different day wage (for example, Q247 per spraying day), add a **per day** rule with that amount.

## Piecework

1. In the activity, set **Measure progress** with the unit that is paid (quintal, pound, box, hectare) and **per individual**, to record each worker's progress.
2. Add a **per piece** pay rule with the rate (for example, Q100). Aragro multiplies the rate by the recorded progress.
3. Assign the rule to the positions paid by piecework.

With many activities, set rates with **Import activities** instead of editing them one by one.

### Several rates in the same activity

If the rate changes by quality or season (for example, *Green Q80* and *Green Q70* per quintal), use **metrics** within a single harvest activity instead of creating one activity per rate. Recording and reports stay simpler.

### Temporary workers with no base wage

A temporary harvester with no base wage is paid only for the piecework they record. Create them as an employee so you can track their work and pay individually.

## Guaranteed minimum and bonus on the surplus

A very common harvest case: the worker receives **the greater** of their base wage for the period and their piecework earnings. If piecework exceeds the base, the difference is paid as a **variable bonus**.

Example: base wage for a half-month payroll period Q1,549.73 and piecework Q2,643.55 → variable bonus Q1,093.82.

This is built with the activity's pay rule plus a formula in the payroll structure. See the *Additional piecework bonus* example in [Payroll component formulas](/en/payroll-formulas/).

## Fixed incentives

- **Fixed amount per period for a position** (for example, C$1,500 per half-month payroll period to the *Field manager*): create an activity such as *Half-month incentive* with a pay rule for that position, and record it on a work order.
- **Amount per day worked on an activity** (for example, C$5 per spraying day): add a pay rule on the *Day* metric to that activity.

## Wages that change day by day

If a worker is paid different amounts on different days, remove the activity's pay rule, update their wage on their record, and enter the work orders for the days at that rate. Repeat when the amount changes. That way you don't edit wages inside each order.

## Good to know

- **A wage change applies to future orders.** For an already completed order to use the new wage, revert and duplicate it. See [Correct a completed work order, purchase or payroll](/en/correct-completed-documents/).
- **The position defines the pay type.** A *fixed salary* position is paid on payroll without recording hours; a *per activity* position is paid from its work orders.
- **Overtime** is calculated in the payroll structure. If it must be paid on the base wage and not the day's rate, the formula must use the fixed rate.
- **Check results in the pre-payroll** before generating payroll. See [Run payroll and print pay stubs](/en/run-payroll/).

If you have a question this guide does not answer, contact us in the Aragro chat or write to [hola@aragro.com](mailto:hola@aragro.com).