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Help centre · Payroll

Payroll: how it works

What payroll does each month, EPF, ETF and APIT in plain words, the tabs on the Payroll screen, and who can do what.

Who can do this: Seeing payroll needs the see payroll permission; preparing needs manage payroll; approving needs approve payroll. By default only TenantAdmin has them.

The monthly cycle

Payroll works out each person's pay for a month, makes their payslips, and records the cost in your books. The cycle is the same every month.

  1. Start a run for the month. It fills itself from each person's pay and from the time clock and approved leave.
  2. Check the figures and adjust anything that is wrong, such as overtime hours or a bonus.
  3. Submit the run for approval. A second person approves it.
  4. Print or download the payslips. Staff with a login also see theirs in My space.
  5. Download the bank transfer file, pay the money, and mark the run paid.
  6. At the end of the month or half-year, use Returns & reports for the EPF, ETF and APIT figures.

EPF, ETF and APIT in plain words

EPF (Employees' Provident Fund) is a retirement fund. The product's starting rules take 8 % of the person's EPF earnings from their pay and add 12 % paid by the employer, so 20 % goes to the fund each month.

ETF (Employees' Trust Fund) is paid by the employer only. The starting rule is 3 % of the person's EPF earnings. Nothing is taken from the person's pay.

APIT (Advance Personal Income Tax) is income tax taken from pay each month and paid to the Inland Revenue. It is worked out from a monthly tax-free amount and tax bands.

These rates and the APIT table come with the product as a starting point and are marked To be confirmed. Your business, or your accountant, must check them against what the authorities publish before the first real payroll. See Setting up payroll for the first time.

The Payroll screen

Go to People → Payroll. The screen has six tabs:

  1. Runs: the monthly payroll runs. This tab opens first.
  2. Returns & reports: EPF, ETF and APIT figures and the payroll register.
  3. People: who is paid what and how. A number on the tab shows how many people have no pay set up yet.
  4. Pay items: the lines a payslip can have, such as allowances, bonus and deductions.
  5. Rules: the EPF, ETF and APIT rates and table, by date.
  6. Employer: your EPF, ETF and tax numbers.

Who can do what

See payroll lets someone read everything on the Payroll screen, including the returns, with bank account numbers masked.

Manage payroll lets them set up pay, pay items, rules and employer numbers, prepare and submit runs, download the bank transfer file and mark runs paid.

Approve payroll lets them approve a submitted run, but never a run that contains their own payslip.

Give these permissions to the right roles under Settings → Roles. Everyone sees their own payslips in People → My space.

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