What's the difference between wages and salary?
What's the difference between wages and salary? They both mean salario
10 Answers
Matías, no sé si enteindes todo que ha ponido Ray en su respuesta. Voy a explicarlo simplemente.
Wages - lo que recibe alguien por trabajo manual hecho en horas fijas y por esas horas.
Salary - lo que recibe alguien por trabajo generalmente profesional como proyecto sin limitación en horas si no cuando se termine.
Espero que me explique bien.
What is the difference between wages and salary?
You should be aware that some people use the terms wages and salary interchangeably. I and many others make the following distinction.
Wages is best associated with employee compensation based on the number of hours worked multiplied by an hourly rate of pay. For example, an employee working in an assembly plant might work 40 hours during the work week. If the person's hourly rate of pay is $15, the employee will receive a paycheck showing gross wages of $600 (40 x $15). If the employee had worked only 30 hours during that week, her or his paycheck will show gross wages of $450 (30 x $15). Because the paycheck needs to be computed based on the actual hours worked, the employee earning wages will likely receive her or his paycheck five days after the work period.
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Salary is best associated with employee compensation quoted on an annual basis. For example, the manager of the assembly plan might earn a salary of $120,000 per year. If the salaried manager is paid semi-monthly (perhaps on the 15th and last day of each month), her or his paycheck will show gross salary of $5,000 for the half-month. Since the salary is the same amount for each pay period, the salaried employee's paycheck will likely cover the work period through the date of the paycheck.
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Generally, the hourly-paid employees will earn wages at the rate of time and one-half for the hours in excess of 40 per week. The salaried employees in high pay positions are not likely to receive additional pay for the hours in excess of 40 per week. However, employees with low salaries are entitled to overtime pay. (In the U.S. see your state's laws and the federal wage and hour laws.)
wages = pago/sueldo
salary = salario/sueldo
Edit:
income = ganancias/entradas
In Britain the two words are often used interchangeably. There is no legal distinction per se, and the law prefers the word 'pay' (there are some exceptions, e.g. the 'National Minimum Wage').
However, 'salary' is often used, as has been said, to describe the annual gross pay that a particular employment attracts, e.g. secretary: £15,000, teacher: £34,000, GP (doctor): £120,000.
On the other hand, 'wages' is often used to refer to the actual payment, which is usually paid weekly, monthly (or in some cases, 4-weekly, i.e. 13 times a year). Thus you may have a salary of £X and receive your wages every month.
Largely historically I believe there was a distinction based on this idea: (1) Salaried employees (usually members of the so-called 'liberal professions', e.g. doctors, lawyers and accountants) would be paid a salary for whatever and however much work they needed to do in order to complete their job (notwithstanding how many hours they worked, thus many would require to take work home with them while others could waste time on the golf course during normal hours of work). (2) By contrast other employees would be paid wages on a daily/hourly rate, and these workers would typically work set hours, e.g. 9 to 5, e.g. secretaries, labourers etc.
However, with the advent of modern working conditions and pay control regulations, this distinction has become, broadly speaking, redundant in the UK. Even a traditionally salaried professional might challenge his salary if his/her employer fails to pay him/her enough to meet the National Minimum Wage.
But here's another word to confuse the mix yet further: 'stipend'...
Wages are usually paid by the hour - day or week. Sometimes in cash.
Salaries are paid monthly. Usually paid into a bank account.
When I first started work a wage was weekly, based on actual hours worked and you received your pay weekly in cash [en efectivo] I had a Saturday job while I was at school and received my pay that way. Usually someone on a wage receives extra pay for working overtime. Now in the UK it is all muddlied with many people on zero hours contracts where they do not know what they will be paid nor when they will work. Salary was paid monthly directly into your bank account. If someone asked your salary you would quote the annual gross [ before tax] rate. You worked late if necessary but if you were asked to work an extra day you would get a day off in lieu [a phrase meaning en lugar de] If someone asked what are your wages I would expect the answer to be either the hourly rate or weekly rate but salary is quoted annually. You can ask what are you paid/ or what do you earn.
Income - is the amount of money you receive from all sources ie salary/wages/pension/ savings/ investments.
Blue collar hourly wages. Trabajadores.
White collar annual salary. Profecionales.
Salary means they can work your butt off and not pay you for how much you work. 
Soy jubilado
What am I receiving, a wage a salary , or a pittance?
But I am happy whatever it's called so long as it is regular and increases yearly
Wages = pay based on hours worked no matter how often paid. Generally you are eligible for overtime or comp time for excess hours over the state mandated work week.
Salary = fixed pay (for whatever period) regardless of hours worked. Most often quoted on a monthly or annual basis. ie. you are not paid for overtime.
