Prepare pay periods

A pay period identifies the dates, frequency and purpose of a payroll run. Create it as a Draft, check its saved details, and review the source data before starting processing. Creating a period does not calculate wages, issue payslips or transfer money.

Access needed

Access depends on your assigned permissions and workflow scope.

Find periods, inspect saved details and read the run: payroll.read
The Payroll plan feature is required. Read access does not create or advance a run.
Role and permission labels
Typical responsibility: Payroll reader. Role names alone do not grant access.
Read payroll periods and results
Create or edit an eligible period; start processing: payroll.manage
Browsing separately needs payroll.read. Status and date rules apply; Approved and Finalized runs are locked.
Role and permission labels
Typical responsibility: Payroll operator. Role names alone do not grant access.
Manage payroll runs
Read Employee pay readiness: All:payroll.reademployees.reademployees.compensation.read
These reads are needed for directory and pay-history checks. They do not grant compensation changes.
Role and permission labels
Typical responsibility: Authorized payroll reviewer. Role names alone do not grant access.
Read payroll periods and results
Read employee records
Read compensation
Read Payment choices and Overtime readiness: payroll.read
Each tab must load successfully. A failed check is not a clear result.
Role and permission labels
Typical responsibility: Payroll reader. Role names alone do not grant access.
Read payroll periods and results
Read Deductions readiness: All:payroll.readpayroll.deductions.read
Correcting a deduction requires its separate management permission; reading findings does not permit writes.
Role and permission labels
Typical responsibility: Authorized deductions reader. Role names alone do not grant access.
Read payroll periods and results
Read payroll deductions

Demo screenshots may show broader access than your account.

Check existing periods first

Open Payroll processing → Periods. Check active filters and the existing date ranges before creating another run. Use Filter and Sort to find the period; Reset widens the list. Regular runs must use separate date ranges, including their boundary dates.

If a run was Rejected, use its correction and reopen workflow rather than creating another period with the same purpose. Read Payroll overview for the complete lifecycle.

Create a Draft period

Open New period
Select New period. Check the suggested name and dates rather than accepting them without review.
Choose frequency and run type
Choose Monthly, BiWeekly or Weekly as the Pay frequency. Choose Regular, Bonus, AdHoc or ContractorPayment as the Run type. These fields describe different things.
Confirm the date range
With Match dates to frequency enabled, choose the start date and review the filled end date. Monthly uses the full calendar month. Turn matching off only when a custom range is intended; the end must be after the start.
Review the name and save
Use a meaningful Period name within 100 characters. Select Create period once, wait for success, and inspect the saved Draft. If the result is uncertain, check the list before creating another copy.

New payroll period form named Demo October 2026 payroll — Check dates, frequency and purpose before saving.

The fictional example is a Monthly Regular run named Demo October 2026 payroll. Use your organization's actual approved dates and naming convention.

Verify the saved Draft

The saved panel shows the name, Draft status, date range, frequency and run type. Its run guide explains the next stage. Not calculated and zero Employee results are expected before payroll is generated; they are not a completed zero-pay calculation.

Saved fictional payroll Draft with preparation guide — Creation does not calculate employee results.

Select Run details to inspect saved run information. Processing and calculation metadata will not yet be populated. Check the current stage before interpreting any dates or counts.

Draft payroll run details before processing — Processing and calculation metadata are not yet populated.

Review readiness

Select Review readiness. Review each available tab rather than relying on a single total.

Tab	What to inspect
Employee pay	Employees whose employment dates overlap the period, including missing or dated pay records.
Payment choices	Potential payment-method or payment-choice warnings.
Deductions	Pending or suspended deductions whose dates overlap the period.
Overtime	Overtime findings relevant to the payroll preparation checks.

Payroll readiness findings for employees without pay records — May skip employee requires investigation.

Use Review on a finding where available to open the relevant correction page. Check the employee identity and effective dates before changing anything. Return to readiness and select Refresh checks after corrections.

The example finds employees with no pay record for the period. May skip employee means the issue can affect inclusion; it is not a final calculation result. Check employee compensation where your access permits it.

Handle failed or unavailable checks

A Failed check means the data could not be checked. It does not mean there are no deductions or overtime. Use Try again when offered. If the error persists, ask the administrator to investigate and keep the run under review.

Recovered deductions readiness with zero findings while overtime remains Failed — Deductions recovered after retry; overtime still needs investigation.

The demo initially returned a server error for deductions. A retry recovered with zero deductions checked and zero findings; overtime still showed Failed. A recovered check and an unresolved check must be interpreted separately. Some tabs can instead be unavailable because they require additional read permissions; do not broaden payroll write access just to read an unrelated source.

Return to the period list

Close the panel and verify the saved row, dates and Draft status. Opening readiness does not advance the run.

Payroll Periods list showing the saved fictional Draft run — No payroll processing or finalization was performed.

Before starting processing

Confirm the period and source records, review unresolved findings, and identify a separate authorized approver. Start processing moves a Draft to Processing; it does not generate employee results by itself. Continue with Calculate and review payroll for the separate calculation and review steps.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
Creation fails because dates overlap	Inspect existing Regular periods, including the first and last dates.
The end date cannot be edited	Match dates to frequency fills it automatically; turn matching off only for an intended custom range.
The suggested name is unsuitable	Enter a clear name within 100 characters and verify it after saving.
No employee results appear in Draft	Results have not been calculated yet.
Readiness says May skip employee	Investigate pay records and effective dates; generation determines actual inclusion.
A readiness tab fails	Retry or escalate the loading error; failed is not clear.
A source correction did not alter a calculated run	Recalculation is a separate action available only in the appropriate stage.
Edit is locked	Approved and Finalized periods are locked. Do not create a duplicate to bypass review.