Shark Tank India judge and Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal has reignited the debate on employee pay by advocating twice-monthly salary payments. Mittal suggested, on his social media page, that paying employees on the 15th and 30th of every month—not once early in the month—could be a major factor to help reduce cash flow and increase spending.
'Cash Flow Is Dignity'
Mittal said he updated his own company to month-end payments years ago, ensuring employees got their salaries before major expenses fell due. “Cash flow is dignity,” he told the interviewer, but that financial stress is usually not due to low pay but rather poor timing of income compared to outflows.
He added that the technology of today makes bi-monthly payrolls practically attainable. With automated systems and real-time banking infrastructure, the administrative burden of multiple pay cycles has almost disappeared.
Supporters and Skeptics
The proposal has divided opinions. Supporters point to the US, where biweekly or semi-monthly pay cycles are common and employees benefit from better liquidity and less reliance on credit for day-to-day expenses.
But there have been concerns from some critics. Monthly bills—rent, EMIs, utilities—are generally structured around a single payment cycle. If expenses are not aligned twice a month, there could be multiple mismatches. Smaller businesses would also incur higher administrative and compliance costs when they are paying twice a month.
A Larger Conversation
Mittal’s comments have revived discussions on worker-friendly financial practices. India has traditionally followed monthly salary cycles, but the rise of fintech and digital banking has made alternative models more viable than ever.
Whether the twice-monthly system gets mainstream acceptance remains to be seen. But as one of the country’s most prominent entrepreneurs has argued, the conversation itself is a step in recognizing that how and when employees are paid matters as much as how much.
