Overview of Payroll Stages and Key Tasks

This article is about Humanforce Payroll. For help with Humanforce Workforce Management, start here.

In this article we'll explain the four stages to a payroll cycle and provide a checklists of the key tasks you need to complete at each stage.

There are four payroll stages:

1. Active
2. Calculated
3. Awaiting Authorisation
4. Authorised

1. Active

Payroll is ready to be processed. Check the calendar to ensure that all dates displayed are correct and perform any required employee masterfile and timesheet maintenance. When you have completed all data inputs, it is time to run the a Pay Calculation.

Key Tasks Checklist

• Check dates are correct in Payroll > Pay Control
• Make any Employee Masterfile changes needed (remember to click Update after entering changes)
• Add in/check set up of new employees
• Check all timesheets have been Authorised
• Add in any Terminations
• Add in any adjustments/reversals
• If happy with all of the above items, then go Payroll > Pay Control and click Calculate Pay.

2. Calculated

You check the Pay calculations for accuracy using available reports and on-line enquiries. If changes are required, you make them at this point prior to running a re-calculation. Once all variation checks have been completed, you then request Authorisation.

Key Tasks Checklist

• Review generated reports
• Check the DMS By Employee’Report for any employees missing a Super Fund
• Check Bank Listing matches back to EFT Details under Payroll Any Pay Enquiry
• Check payroll for variances
• Make any required changes, if changes made, re-run the pay calculation
• Review changes
• If happy with the above items, Payroll > Pay Control and click Request to Authorise.

3. Awaiting Authorisation

Payroll typically needs to be authorised by a Senior Manager. At this point the Pay can be rejected, changes made, and a re-calculation done. If no changes are required, the Senior Manager authorises the payroll.

Key Tasks Checklist

• Second reviewer to check payroll reports, then either Reject or Approve
• If payroll is rejected, make changes, recalculate the pay and then send request for authorisation again
• If second reviewer is happy with reports and ready to finalise payroll, they go to Payroll > Pay Authorisation and click Approve.

4. Authorised

Back-end sub state processes are run (eg. create bank file, send STP File, leave balances updated, payroll reports generated). After a short while the payroll is put back into Active and is now ready for the next Pay Process.

Key Tasks Checklist

• At Month End check the DMS Summary report for any invalid super funds