---
updatedAt: 2026-07-14T14:56:30.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://docs.checkhq.com/llms.txt
---

# The earning rate object

Represents a custom earning rate for an employee, which can be used while creating payroll items through the API.

For more details about how to use earning rates, refer to the [Earnings Guide](https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/earnings).

```json Sample earning rate object
{
    "id": "rte_aOSqW0QTKcE1iVU1C5",
    "amount": "50000.00",
    "period": "annually",
    "employee": "emp_aslkj192j3laksdj",
    "company": "com_omSihPyKgr68wxFQ0xTn",
    "name": "Dishwasher Weekend Rate",
    "workweek_hours": 40.0,
    "active": true,
    "metadata": {}
}
```

<Table align={["left","left"]}>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>
        Attribute
      </th>

      <th>
        Description
      </th>
    </tr>
  </thead>

  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>
        `id`  
        _string_
      </td>

      <td>
        Unique identifier for the earning rate.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `amount`  
        _string_
      </td>

      <td>
        The amount to pay the employee per period. This value cannot be changed after the Earning Rate is created.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `period`  
        _string_
      </td>

      <td>
        The time frame to spread the amount over. May be `hourly`, `annually`, or `piece`. This value cannot be changed after the Earning Rate is created.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `employee`  
        _string_
      </td>

      <td>
        ID of the employee that this earning rate relates to.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `company`  
        _string_
      </td>

      <td>
        ID of the company that this earning rate relates to (via the employee).
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `name`  
        _string_
      </td>

      <td>
        Human-readable name identifying the earning rate.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `workweek_hours`  
        _float_
      </td>

      <td>
        Number of hours the employee works per week, most commonly for salaried employees. Used when determining the effective hourly rate for `annually` earning rates. Defaults to 40.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `active`  
        _boolean_
      </td>

      <td>
        Flag to filter out earning rates that are no longer in use.
      </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
      <td>
        `metadata`  
        _object_
      </td>

      <td>
        Additional loosely structured information to associate with the earning rate.
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</Table>