Advancing Their Knowledge

(I get a call from one of my payroll clients and the following conversation occurs:)

Client: “Hi, we have a new employee who just started today and asked for an advance. I don’t want to give him an advance. What should I do?”

Me: “Well, you don’t have to give him an advance. You’re the employer. You can just tell him that he’ll have to wait until payday next week.”

Client: “I mean, is there any way I could maybe just cut him a check today for roughly the amount of one day’s work, and then you can take that amount out of his pay next week?”

Me: *pause* “Yes… we can do that.”

Client: “Oh, ok, great! So what is that called?”

Me: “An advance.”