We are culturally comfortable with the weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or even monthly paycheck as either the employee or employer. However a strong argument exists in both the Old and New Testaments that anything longer than being paid the day you earn your wage is a violation of the Lord’s command.

Generations ago the process of paying a wage earner was simply paying the full amount of what was earned. With a tax system that requires an employer to remove the taxes in the process of paying the wage, it became better for the employer to do this process on a weekly or longer schedule. There is also an advantage to financial institutions and some employers to hold your funds for many days for operating capital, a source of interest income, and other purposes.

As payrolls have become computerized, additional services have been added. There are deductions for insurance, investments into retirement accounts, and numerous other programs that employers can handle for their employees. These additional services give more impetus for longer pay periods.

Computerization should open the door to a simple process for an employer to pay employees immediately after the wage has been earned. There is no technological reason to delay payment beyond the day it is earned, and it is possible in many cases to have the funds available as it is earned.

This is an examination of some of the references in the Bible that support this argument.