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Pay Frequencies

Pay frequencies determine when employees receive payment – specifically which day and how often, such as weekly or monthly. Payment dates (set per pay frequency) should reflect the exact date when your employees receive payment for the period worked.

You will need to add at least one pay frequency during your initial setup.

📚 How-To Guides

Before you start

You'll need to know:

  • How often you need to pay your employees (weekly, monthly, etc.).
  • The last working day of each pay period.
  • When you want to run your first payroll on SimplePay.

How to add a pay frequency

  1. In the left sidebar, click on Settings.

  2. Click Pay Frequencies, and then click Add Pay Frequency.

  3. Select the relevant Frequency from the drop-down.

  4. Select the last day of the period (see below).

  5. Select the First payroll period end date.

    Historical data

    We recommend using Take-On Balances when you add historical data.

  6. Specify the payment date by ticking the Pay date is different to the period end date? box (optional).

    Pay date and period end date are different

    For more information about this, please see the following FAQ below: What is the difference between a pay date and a period end date?

  7. You can choose a name for this pay frequency in the Custom name field (see below).

  8. Click Save.

How to enable custom names for pay frequencies (optional)

Custom names

If you have multiple pay frequencies, custom names will help you to identify them easily.

You can enable custom pay frequency names as follows:

  1. In the left sidebar, click on Settings.
  2. Go to Advanced > General.
  3. Tick the Custom name field for pay frequencies box.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Go back to Settings > Pay Frequencies, and click on the relevant pay frequency to add your custom name.

How to edit a pay frequency

  1. In the left sidebar, click on Settings.
  2. Click Pay Frequencies, and then click on the relevant pay frequency.
  3. Edit the date fields as needed:
    • Last day of period.
    • First payroll period end date.
  4. Click Save.

Changing a pay frequency date

For more information on how to change the date of a pay frequency, please see our FAQ section below.

📌 Quick References

Pay frequency settings

Setting Description Notes
Frequency How often employees are paid. Options:
• Weekly
• Every 2 weeks
• Monthly
• Twice a Month
Last day of period Last working day employees are paid for. Not the salary payment date.
• Weekly: Select Last day of period.
• Every 2 weeks: Select example date on calendar.
• Monthly: Select Last day of month.
• Twice a Month: Select Last day of month and Interim day of month.
First payroll period end date End date for your first payroll period on SimplePay. Can be set in the past for historical data.
Custom name Optional. Unique names for pay frequencies. Must be enabled in Advanced settings.

FAQs

Why can't I see Pay Frequencies under Settings?

Only Admins with full access can see Pay Frequencies under Settings. To lift any restrictions, you need to ask an Admin with full access to assist you.

I selected the wrong date when I created my pay frequency. What now?

  • If you have only draft payslips for your pay frequency, follow these steps:

    1. In the left sidebar, click on Settings.
    2. Click Pay Frequencies, and then click on the relevant pay frequency.
    3. Change the First payroll period end date to the correct date.
    4. Tick the I understand the above box.
    5. Click Update.
  • If there are finalised payslips, but you haven't paid those employees yet, you can simply unfinalise the payslips, and choose a new date.
  • If there are finalised payslips, and you've already paid those employees, we recommend that you download the payslips. Then, reach out to our Support team for further guidance.
Why can't I change the date in my pay frequency?

This means that there are finalised payslips for your pay frequency.

  • If you’re adding a new employee who needs a different pay frequency start date (i.e. a different First payroll period end date), add a new pay frequency with the required date, and then assign the employee to it.
  • If there are finalised payslips, but you haven't paid those employees yet, you can simply unfinalise the payslips, and choose a new date.
  • If there are finalised payslips, and you've already paid those employees, we recommend that you download the payslips. Then, reach out to our Support team for further guidance.
Why is there an extra payslip after I've assigned the new pay frequency?

When you assign an employee to a different pay frequency after payslips for the employee have already been finalised, the system automatically creates an extra payslip to account for the gap period between the old and new pay date.

Example – Extra payslip

If an employee moves from being paid up until the 25th of each month, to being paid up until the last day of each month, the system will create an extra payslip to cover the period from the 26th to the last day of the month.

You can handle this in one of three ways:

  1. Finalise a $ 0.00 payslip if no additional payment is needed.
  2. Process the payment for the actual time worked during the gap period, and pay the employee.
  3. Override the payslip end date to the next pay period, which will lengthen the payslip to include the gap period.
What is the difference between a pay date and a period end date?

The pay date is the day that you pay your employees. The period end date is the last day of the pay period (i.e. the work period you’re paying them for).

The options for specifying the payment date depend on your pay frequency:

Monthly

You can choose from three options by selecting the drop-down next to Pay date type:

  • Fixed date: Choose a specific date when employees get paid, and whether they're paid in the current, previous, or next month.
  • Relative to period end date: You can specify the number of days before or after the payslip end date that the employee gets paid.
  • Fixed weekday: Choose whether employees are paid in the current or next payslip period, and select a specific weekday.

Weekly

You can specify the number of days before or after the payslip end date that the employee gets paid.

Every 2 weeks

You can specify the number of days before or after the payslip end date that the employee gets paid.

Twice a month

You can choose from two options by selecting the drop-down next to Pay date type:

  • Fixed date: For each of the two payment dates, you can specify the day of the month when payment gets made, and whether it's in the current, previous, or next month.
  • Relative to period end date: You can specify the number of days before or after the payslip end date that the employee gets paid.

Payment date settings

The payment date set here applies to all employees assigned to this pay frequency. However, you can change these on an individual basis from the employee's profile or in bulk.

For more information, refer to Changing Payslip Dates and Bulk Inputs.