conversation: User (work4what): "I've been at my company for 3 years. I had not gotten a yearly raise the entire time. It came to a point where I was fed up so I went to HR to ask why. I had asked my manager for weeks but could not get a response. HR said they would take care of it. It took 2 weeks but I checked my pay stub today to see I got a $2 pay bump, from $15 to $17/hr. That's ~4.3%. I've been told the max is USUALLY 3%.\n\nI am an hourly employee, so I did the math from my paystub. The total gross pay only shows the total hours + the hourly rate (i.e. $17 x 40hours). No addition from retro pay that I can see. According to my calculations, I was given ~4.3% raise. I don't understand. \n\nDid they factor in the retroactive so they bumped it up to 4.3% THIS time instead of the regular 3%? Did they do this instead of giving me retroactive pay? Aren't I still owed a different check for 3 years of retroactive pay even if they gave me the yearly raise? What is my course of action now?"
  Self: "Retroactive pay raises are not a thing. If they were a thing literally nobody would get a raise. \n\nTho if you have a liberal vacation policy that is sort of a retroactive pay raise. "
  lilfunky1 (lilfunky1): "&gt; Retroactive pay raises are not a thing.\n\nLots of people get their pay rises applied retroactively.\n\nProbably not 3 years worth of retroactively unless there was a major fuck up and a union gets in and fights on behalf of the employee though.\n\nBut it can be pretty common that if company mandates to get raises on April 1st but your yearly review isn't completed til June because your boss was busy, they'll figure out how much you should have gotten since April and give you the extra for it."
  Self: "Ok, for 99% of cases retroactive pay raises are not a thing. "
  lilfunky1 (lilfunky1): "&gt; Ok, for 99% of cases retroactive pay raises are not a thing. \n\nI'll accept the idea that the majority of people don't get retroactive pay rises but doubt the number is 99% of people."
  Thehedgehog300 (Thehedgehog300): "I given one for about 5 months once.  That was really nice of them!  But they explicitly and happily told me they were able to give me the pay rise and do it retroactively for 4 months :D"
  