History

How people have gotten paid throughout the ages has changed dramatically. We’re highlighting interesting developments in the history of payroll.

Khipu, the ancient Inka accounting system

Long before Excel, accountants of the Inka Empire used knotted strings called khipu, or quipu, to record taxes and stock.

The rise and fall of the paper paycheck

The story of the paycheck is one of unrealized potential. Learn how this payroll innovation went out of fashion as quickly as it came.

How time-tracking clocks shaped the working world

Despite being thoroughly embedded in today’s professional life, “clocking in” is a relatively modern invention.

Cashier check ‘kebabs’ sum up Naples’ financial history

This Italian port city was a business hub for centuries, and all its dealings were documented on slips of paper strung up like meat.

The long evolution of minimum wage

Real-life experiments show that increasing minimum wages doesn’t affect employment rates, but does help relieve poverty.

How debit cards changed our lives

After debuting in the 1970s, debit cards took hold in the 1990s and 2000s, changing how we spend our hard-earned money.

Cuneiform tablets reveal secrets of Mesopotamian payroll

Early payroll records were among humans’ first steps toward a writing system, explains Ali H.O. Bnayan, an archaeologist and cuneiform expert from the Iraq Museum.

How the rise of cash machines changed payday

After payroll went digital, people still needed cash, mobbing bank branches on paydays. In the 1970s, banks started making big investments in a new innovation: the Automated Teller Machine.

How digitizing payroll set the scene for a cashless society

When companies started embracing direct bank deposits for employees’ wages 50 years ago, it laid the foundation for today’s digital cash.

Coal company scrip paid to miners often left them deep in debt

The tokens paid in lieu of cash were abundant in remote areas of the U.S. until the mid-20th century, explains history professor Lou Martin.