Creating and reviewing payroll runs

Prerequisites

• Access to the correct payroll account.
• Account-administrator access for actions that create periods or start calculations.
• A validated, approved configuration and ready provider connections for the selected account.
• A date range within the maximum shown by the date picker.

Create a payroll period

1. Open Pay periods.
2. Select Create period.
3. Choose the start and end dates in the account's displayed timezone.
4. Wait for PayCanvas to open the run and start its configured source workflow.
5. Open Collect sources to monitor provider and report requirements.

Creating a period does not calculate payroll. In an API-first workspace, connected source collection starts after the run opens. Other configured profiles may wait for a required recovery or historical report.

Calculate the run

1. Confirm that source readiness is complete.
2. Review the date range, settings version, source freshness, and any displayed blockers.
3. Select Calculate.
4. Confirm the calculation prompt.
5. Leave the workspace open or return later; the server worker persists job progress.

The calculation uses the locked source snapshot and approved settings shown in the preview. Recalculating from that snapshot does not download provider data again, so the before-and-after results can be compared fairly.

Review the result

1. Open Review payroll and compare automatic earnings, resolutions, adjustments, and final totals.
2. Select an employee to inspect contributing line items and source evidence.
3. Review Tip Pools and Photo Pools for allocated and unassigned amounts.
4. Open Resolve issues for every underlying question that could affect pay.
5. Use Audit to trace an employee and operating day to rules, decisions, and retained references.
6. Open Approve & export only after the displayed checks are understood.

Expected result

The run keeps a saved calculation result with references to the source data, settings, employee mappings, calculation version, and balancing checks that produced it. A result may be provisional or final.

Current boundary — review required: The Approve & export label is a review-and-download surface. Checking Totals and files reviewed does not approve or lock the run. Official payroll approval, provider submission, email delivery, and payment are not enabled.

Troubleshooting

• Create period is disabled: review the displayed policy, connection, date-range, or authorization blocker.
• Source collection failed: open Collect sources and use the offered retry or recovery action; do not create duplicate periods without checking the existing run.
• Calculate is disabled: the source assembly is not ready, the period is outside its valid lifecycle, or calculation is not enabled for the deployment.
• The result is provisional: resolve the listed pay-affecting items. Unaffected pay remains visible while affected money stays held.

Related articles

• Data sources and imports
• Exceptions and resolutions
• Audit trails, evidence, and version history
• Adjustments and exports