Run payroll

Payroll takes your staff records and pay settings and turns them into a run you can check, approve, and post. The process is deliberately staged — draft, approve, lock and post — so figures are reviewed before they become final and visible to staff.

Before your first run

Set these up once, carefully. Most payroll problems trace back to settings rather than the run itself.

• Staff Pay Items — the earnings and deductions that make up each person’s pay.
• Bank accounts — where each staff member is paid.
• Contract hours — for staff whose pay depends on hours worked.
• Bonuses and allowances — recurring extras that should appear each cycle.
• Payroll settings — tax, pension, and any statutory deductions your school is required to apply.

Have someone who understands your payroll obligations check these before the first live run.

The payroll cycle

Step 1 — Create a draft run

1. Open Staff Payrolls.
2. Create a new run for the pay period.
3. Confirm the period dates are correct.
4. Review the staff included and check for anyone missing or anyone who has left.
5. Save as a draft. Nothing is final at this point.

Step 2 — Review and recalculate

1. Review each staff member’s figures against your expectations.
2. Make any changes needed — a new starter, a leaver, a one-off bonus, an adjusted deduction.
3. Recalculate after any change so the totals reflect it.
4. Check the overall total against your budget before going further.

Recalculating after late changes is the step most often skipped, and it is the usual cause of a run that does not add up.

Step 3 — Approve

1. When the figures are right, approve the run.
2. Approval signals that the run has been checked by the responsible person.
3. Follow your school’s internal sign-off process alongside this.

Step 4 — Lock and post

1. Choose Lock & Post when the figures are final.
2. The run is closed for editing and payslips become available to staff.
3. If a genuine error is found afterwards, use the reversal option to correct it rather than editing quietly.

Step 5 — Records and reporting

• Export the run to PDF or spreadsheet for your records and for whoever makes the payments.
• Review payroll reports for the period.
• Keep exports filed consistently — payroll records are often needed long after the period ends.

What staff see

Once a run is posted, staff open their HR self-service area to view and download payslips. Nothing is visible to them before posting, so a draft run is entirely private to the office.

Tips

• Run payroll to a fixed schedule so everyone knows when changes must be submitted by.
• Set a cut-off for late changes and hold to it.
• Have a second person review before approval.
• Update starters and leavers first, before creating the draft.
• Compare with last period — an unexpected jump usually indicates an error.

Common issues

Payroll is not in my menu

Payroll depends on your subscription plan including HR features. Your school owner can review plan options.

Someone is missing from the run

Check they have an active staff record and pay items configured, then recalculate.

The totals changed after I edited someone

That is expected — always recalculate after edits and re-check the totals.

I posted a run with an error

Use the reversal option to correct it, then run again. Do not attempt to work around a posted run.

A staff member cannot see their payslip

Confirm the run was locked and posted, and that they are signed in to their own HR self-service area.

What’s next

After posting, export your records, review payroll reports, and confirm starters and leavers are up to date ahead of the next cycle.