How often must wages be paid in Myanmar?

What Myanmar law says

The Payment of Wages Law requires wages to be paid at regular intervals fixed by the contract. Common patterns:

• Monthly for salaried staff — due by the 7th of the following month under common practice.
• Fortnightly for some factory categories — due within a few days of period end.
• Weekly for daily-wage and casual workers — due within 2–3 days of period end.

Late payment is a violation. The employee can complain to the township labour office. Wages cannot be withheld pending exit clearance — exit clearance must be a separate process.

Pay-cycle pattern by worker category

Documentation requirements

• Contract clause stating pay cycle.
• Wage register and payslip for every payment.
• Bank transfer log or signed cash-payment register.
• Record retention: at least 7 years.

Edge cases

• Banking-system delays — late bank file is not a defence; pay before the deadline.
• Public holiday on the 7th — pay before the holiday, not after.
• Foreign-currency-paid roles — same deadline; convert at Central Bank rate.
• Final settlement — within 7 days of last working day (see final settlement timeline).
• Deferred bonuses — paid per the contract date, separate from monthly cycle.
• Probation termination — wages owed at exit; cannot be deferred to next cycle.

Common payroll mistakes

• Treating "by month-end" as the deadline — it is the 7th of the following month.
• Withholding monthly wages pending exit clearance (see withhold for exit clearance).
• Skipping payslips for daily-wage workers — payslips are mandatory regardless of cycle.
• Missing the 7-day final settlement window for leavers.
• Splitting a single month's wages over two pay runs to "smooth" cashflow (see consequences of late payment).