Set payroll instruction schedule
Every earning, benefit, and deduction in Rise Payroll (sometimes called a pay code) has a Schedule. It answers one question: which pay runs should this instruction show up on without anyone adding it by hand?
You set the schedule when you create or edit an instruction under Payroll > Payroll Setup > Payroll Instructions. If Value/Formula Override is turned on for the instruction, you can also give one department or one employee a different schedule. See Manage payroll setup for an employee.
Two terms to know
Regular and ad-hoc pay runs. Regular runs are the ones on your pay schedule. Ad-hoc runs are the extra, unscheduled runs you create yourself, for example to pay a bonus or a final paycheque. The drop-down calls these "unscheduled pay runs".
Pay date and pay period. The pay date is the day employees are paid. The pay period is the stretch of work that the paycheque covers. Some options count runs by pay date and others by the day the pay period ended. The difference matters only when a period ends in one month and is paid in the next. There is more on this below.
Which schedule should I pick?
- It belongs on every paycheque, like salary, hourly pay, or union dues. Pick Every pay period (regular pay runs).
- It has to be calculated any time someone is paid, even on an ad-hoc run. Pick Every pay run (regular and unscheduled pay runs). Employer contributions from the provider library work this way.
- It is a monthly amount that you want split across two paycheques, like a benefit premium on a biweekly payroll. Pick First and second pay dates of the month.
- It is a monthly amount taken once, like a parking fee or a phone allowance. Pick First pay date of the month or Last pay date of the month.
- It comes up now and then, like a bonus or an expense reimbursement. Pick Occasional and add it to the input sheet when you need it.
The options in detail
Every run
- Every pay period (regular pay runs). Shows up on every regular pay run. It is left off ad-hoc runs unless you add it yourself.
- Every pay run (regular and unscheduled pay runs). Shows up on every pay run, including ad-hoc runs.
Once or twice a month, counted by pay date
- First pay date of the month. Shows up on the first paycheque dated in each month. The work being paid may fall partly or entirely in the previous month.
- Second pay date of the month. Shows up on the second paycheque dated in each month. If a month has only one pay date, the instruction is skipped that month.
- First and second pay dates of the month. Shows up on the first two paycheques of each month. If a month has a third pay date, it is skipped. On a biweekly or weekly payroll, this is how you deduct a monthly amount in two equal halves without a third deduction in long months.
- Last pay date of the month. Shows up on the final paycheque dated in each month. On a semi-monthly payroll, it is always the second pay date. On a biweekly payroll, it is the second or third, depending on the month.
Once or twice a month, counted by pay period
These work like the pay date options above, except Rise looks at the day the pay period ended rather than the day people were paid.
- First pay period of the month. Shows up on the run for the first pay period ending in each month.
- Second pay period of the month. Shows up on the run for the second pay period ending in each month. If only one period ends in a month, the instruction is skipped that month.
- First and second pay periods of the month. Shows up on the runs for the first two pay periods ending in each month. A third period ending in the same month is skipped.
Only when you add it
Occasional. Never shows up on its own. Add it to the input sheet when you need it. See Add payroll instructions to the input sheet.
Pay date or pay period?
Most of the time, a pay period ends and is paid in the same month, so both kinds of options pick the same run. They part ways when a period ends near the end of a month and is paid in the next one. Take a biweekly period running February 12 to 25 with a pay date of March 3. Using the pay date options, that pay run belongs to March. Using the pay period options, it belongs to February.
If you are matching a deduction to a monthly bill, such as a benefits invoice, choose a pay date option so the money comes off in the month the bill is for. Choose a pay period option when what matters is the month the work was done.
Ad-hoc pay runs
When you create an ad-hoc run, Rise only adds instructions set to Every pay run (regular and unscheduled pay runs), and only for employees you add to the run. Everything else, including instructions set to Every pay period (regular pay runs), stays off the sheet until you add it yourself.
Changing a schedule
A new schedule applies to input sheets created after the change. If an input sheet is already open, refresh the instruction on it to pick up the new setting. See Refresh payroll instruction settings or default values on the input sheet.
When an instruction lands on the wrong run
If a monthly instruction shows up on the wrong pay run, or doesn't show up at all, check these two things.
The employee's own schedule. Open the employee's payroll instructions and check whether the schedule there matches the organization setting. A schedule set for the employee before a later change at the organization level is the most common cause.
Edited pay periods. Rise decides which run is the first, second, or last of the month when it generates your pay schedule. If pay period dates or pay dates are edited by hand afterwards, those positions are not recalculated and monthly instructions can land on the wrong run. When you need different dates, change the pay schedule settings and regenerate the periods rather than editing them one by one. If your periods have already been edited by hand, contact Rise Support to have the positions corrected.