What is the payroll cutoff?

This article explains how payroll cutoff dates work when you hire team members through Remote’s Employer of Record (EOR) service. You'll learn how cutoff deadlines impact payroll processing, what happens if requests are submitted late, and how to plan ahead to make sure team members are paid accurately and on time.

What is the payroll cutoff?

The payroll cutoff is the last day each month when approved requests can be included in that month's pay. This means that if a request is submitted and approved before the cutoff, it will be processed in the current payroll cycle. If it's submitted or approved after the cutoff, it will be processed with the following month’s salary.

This deadline applies to requests such as:

• Submitting and approving expenses

• Submitting commissions or bonuses

• Reporting overtime

• Requesting time off

• Adding a new team member to payroll

Note: Once the cutoff has passed, requests are no longer eligible for that month’s payroll. In most cases, Remote cannot process these items as off-cycle payments.

When is the payroll cutoff?

1. The Standard Cutoff (Default Rule)

If your country is not listed in the exceptions below, you fall under the standard payroll schedule.

• Cutoff Date: The 11th of each month. (11:59 PM UTC)

• Applies to: Most regions (e.g., Finland, France, Spain, UK, etc.).

2. Fixed Date Exceptions

The following countries adhere to a fixed monthly cutoff date different from the standard schedule.

Cutoff: The 15th of the Month

• Bolivia

• Costa Rica

• Ecuador

• Guatemala

• Honduras

• Jamaica

• Paraguay

Cutoff: The 16th of the Month (11:59 PM UTC)

• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Egypt
• Greece
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Kenya
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• Nigeria
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Switzerland
• Vietnam

Payroll cutoff dates (semi-monthly or unique schedules)

Some countries follow different payroll timelines or pay team members twice a month. These have different cutoff rules:

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Panama
• Brazil
• Ukraine
• Philippines 

Exceptions to payroll cutoff dates

Some countries have different cutoff schedules due to unique payroll processes:

• Bulgaria: The payroll cutoff is on the last day of the month.
• Germany: The payroll cutoff for Germany date changes each month.
• Nicaragua: The payroll cutoff for Nicaragua date changes each month.
• Semi-monthly payroll schedules: Some countries operate on semi-monthly payroll cycles, which may have different cutoff dates.
• Serbia: While the general payroll cutoff is the 11th of each month, Serbia requires additional time to complete requested changes. Both the local director's and the employee's physical signatures are needed to finalize any change. made to ensure changes are still processed before the payroll cutoff.

Deadlines for contract amendments

If you need to make changes to a team member’s agreement (such as updating their salary or title), a contract amendment is required. These changes must be submitted by the 5th of the month to be included in that month’s payroll.

Note: In the US 🇺🇸 and Canada 🇨🇦, backdating an Employment Agreement amendment isn’t possible. Missing the cutoff means changes will take effect in January 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What happens if I miss the payroll cutoff?

Any request submitted or approved after the cutoff will be included in the next payroll cycle. These late submissions may not qualify for off-cycle payments.

What happens if the cutoff falls on a weekend or holiday?

If the payroll cutoff date falls on a weekend or public holiday, it usually moves to the preceding business day.

Example: August 16, 2025, is a Saturday and August 15 is a public holiday in several countries, so the cutoff will move to August 14, 2025.

We recommend checking the public holiday calendar in your Time Off tab on Remote.

Does the payroll cutoff mean I won’t get paid after that date?

No, you’ll still be paid. The cutoff only affects whether new requests (like reimbursements or time off) are included in that month’s pay.

Example: You submit a conference expense on June 8. If your manager approves it by the cutoff at 11:59 PM UTC, it will be included in your June pay. If not, it will be processed with your July pay.

What if I don’t have any expenses or requests?

That’s totally fine! If there’s nothing to submit, no action is needed. We still recommend setting a monthly reminder just in case you have a request for next time.