Pay Day® is a board game originally made by Parker Brothers (now a subsidiary of Hasbro) in 1975.

This article is based on the 1975-era rules. For rules on the revised 1994-present Pay Day, try the following link.

Table of contents
1 Object of the Game
2 Equipment
3 Play
4 Deal and Mail cards
5 Special Mail cards
6 Daylight Savings Time
7 Town Election
8 Poker Game
9 Savings and Loans
10 Sweet Sunday
11 Pay Day
12 Winning the Game

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to have the most money at the end of the game. The length of the game is predetermined by the players. The game board is in the form of a calendar month, with each day (space) having a different consequence resulting when a player lands on that space. 3 to 6 "month" games are typical.

Equipment

1 die, 4 playing pieces, game board, play money, 16 "Deal" cards, 79 "Mail" cards, a Savings and Loan Calculator, and a Savings and Loan pad. Money comes in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and $500.

Play

One player is selected to go first. Players rolls the die and advances their playing piece from 1 to 6 spaces as indicated on the die. The player follows the instructions shown on the calendar space on the game board. There are 31 days in a Pay Day month.

Deal and Mail cards

If a player lands on either a "Deal" or "Mail" space, he/she will then select the appropriate card from the top of the specified deck.

The player has the option of purchasing the "Deal" for the cost indicated immediately or returning the card to the bottom of the deck. (One may take out a loan to pay for the deal.) The "Deal" is held until that player lands on a "Buyer" space at any time during the duration of the game. A "Deal" card has no value if it remains unsold at the end of the game. Whenever a "Deal" is purchased, all players have an opportunity to win the "Commission" indicated on the "Deal" card. Each player in turn rolls the die, with the highest roller collecting the "Commission" from the bank.

Mail cards have varying content, just like real mail (post). Some mail is bills, some mail is more fortuitous, and some is just plain entertaining, like post cards.

Special Mail cards

If a player gets a lottery ticket in the Mail, he/she can cash in the value of the ticket only if they land on the Lottery Draw space during the month they receive it in the mail. After the end of the month, if it is not redeemed, it becomes void and must be returned to the bottom of the Mail pile.

  • Swellfare
If a player's loan, plus loan interest due, plus bills are greater than their total amount of cash, they are in debt. That player may bet up to $100; if that player rolls a 5 or a 6, they collect 10 times the amount bet; otherwise, the amount bet goes into the pot.

Daylight Savings Time

Each player in turn, starting with the player who landed there, moves their token back one space and follows the instructions as in a regular turn. If a player's game piece is on the "Start" space when another player lands on "Daylight Savings," they simply collect another $325 and leave the game piece on "Start." The "Daylight Savings" process takes place only once on any turn and should not be repeated if a player lands there as a result of another player having landed there first.

Town Election

All players must contribute to the town election. If a player does not have the cash, they must withdraw from their savings, or take out or increase a loan. The next player to roll a 6 during the course of the game wins the Pot (including any "Swellfare" money that may already be in there).

Poker Game

Each player has the option of placing $100 on the board. All poker game participants roll the die. The highest roller collects all the money.

Savings and Loans

Players may start or add to their savings only on Pay Day. Players may withdraw all or part of their savings only on Pay Day. A player receives 10% interest on the balance in his/her savings account everytime he/she lands on Pay Day. For easy calculation of interest on savings or loans refer to the Interest Table. A player may have either a savings account or a loan, but never both at the same time.

  • Loans
A loan may be taken out or increased at any time in any even hundred dollar amounts up to $6,900 total. A player must pay 20% interest on his/her outstanding loan balance every time he/she lands on Pay Day. In addition to paying the interest, a player may pay off part or all of their loan on Pay Day. Loans may not be paid off at any other time during the month.

Sweet Sunday

As the name indicates, Sweet Sunday spaces have neither an award nor any penalty, just a space to "rest" (Like the proper use of "Free Parking" in Monopoly).

Pay Day

Stop here, regardless of additional counts on the die. When you reach "Pay Day," go through the following steps in this order:

Winning the Game

The player who finishes the game with the most money and least amount of debt is the winner