Wages and wage budget
How weekly wages work, the wage budget cap, and the consequences of busting it.
Wages are the biggest recurring cost at every club. They're paid weekly in the finance pulse and they don't pause — a player on the bench costs the same as a player playing every minute. The wage budget set by the board is the target you should respect, although you can exceed it temporarily.
How wages are calculated
A player's asking wage scales with reputation, current ability, age and the country's wage market. A 75-rated CM at a mid-Premier-League club expects significantly more than the same 75-rated CM at a Belgian second-division side. The market is procedural but consistent — the engine doesn't pull numbers out of thin air week to week.
Wage budget
The board sets a wage cap each season based on club revenue, league position and ambition. Staying under it earns small board-confidence credit. Exceeding it by 10% triggers a warning. Exceeding by 25%+ for an extended period damages board confidence and can block transfer activity.
Negotiating wages
During contract talks you can offer below the asking number, but expect the player to push back. Offering performance bonuses (goals, appearances, clean sheets) lets you keep base wages lower while paying when results come. Loyalty bonuses paid up-front reduce week-to-week strain.
Hidden costs
- Coaching and scouting staff also draw weekly wages — they appear in the same pulse.
- Bonus clauses fire on the appropriate trigger and can spike a single week's costs.
- Loaned-out players whose wages you partially cover continue to drain — check loan terms carefully.