How to create and manage pay items for Remote Payroll customers

Pay Items lets you add variable payments, such as bonuses, commissions, allowances, and reimbursements, for employees managed through our Remote Payroll product.

You can create one-time or recurring pay items, manage them from a central list, and track their status through the payroll cycle.

Create a pay item

To create a new pay item:

1. Navigate to Payments & Compensation in the left-hand side menu

2. Select Pay Items

3. Click Add pay item on the top right

4. Choose a payment type from the dropdown

5. Select a legal entity

6. Describe the pay item that you want to create and include details, such as amount, calculation method, and dates:

• Select One-time or Recurring:
  • One-time: Set an effective date (required).
  • Recurring: Set a start date (required) and an optional end date. One occurrence is generated per payroll cycle from the start date.
• If the payment type supports gross-up, select Gross or Net (required).

• If the payment type requires a period, select from: monthly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, quarterly, or yearly.

  

7. Optionally add a note.

8. Click Continue and Select employees who will receive this payment. 
💡 Tip: You can select multiple employees in this step to create the same pay item for all of them in a single action.

9. Review and Submit the new pay item if everything looks good

10. The pay item is created with status Scheduled and Not on payroll yet

View and filter pay items

All pay items are displayed in a unified list in your Pay Items - Overview tab. Use the filters to narrow results by employee, status, or payment type.

When a pay item is linked to a payroll run, you can select the Payroll run name to navigate directly to it.

Pay items can also be viewed and managed from an individual employee's profile: navigate to the employee's profile and select the Pay Items tab.

Edit a pay item

Pay items can be edited while they are in Not in a payroll run yet or Scheduled status. Once a pay item has been processed as part of a payroll run, it cannot be modified.

For recurring pay items, edits apply to future unpaid occurrences only and previously paid occurrences are not affected.

To edit a pay item:

1. Identify the pay item you'd like to modify
2. Open the three dots (...) menu at the end of the row
3. Select Edit
4. Change any applicable field
5. Save

Delete pay items

Pay items can be deleted if they have not yet been processed (status: Not in payroll run yet or Scheduled). Once included in a processed payroll run, a pay item cannot be deleted.

To delete a pay item or stop a recurring one from generating further occurrences:

1. Find the pay item in the list.
2. Open the three dots (...) menu at the end of the row
3. Select Delete.

You can also bulk delete pay items. To do so, select multiple unpaid one-time pay items and delete them in a single action.

See also: How to bulk upload other pay items

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a one-time and a recurring pay item?

A one-time pay item is a single payment tied to a specific effective date. A recurring pay item repeats each payroll cycle from a defined start date until stopped or until an optional end date is reached.

Can I create a pay item for more than one employee at a time?

Yes, you can select multiple employees during the creation flow. The same pay item will be created for all selected employees.

Can I edit a pay item that is already part of a payroll run?

No. Once a pay item has moved past the Preparing stage in a payroll run, it cannot be edited or deleted. If you need to make a correction, contact your payroll team.

What happens to recurring pay items when an employee leaves?

No new occurrences will be generated after the employee's termination date. Any occurrences already paid are not affected.

What does "Not in payroll run yet" mean?

It means the pay item has been saved but has not yet been picked up by a payroll run for processing. It will be included in the next eligible payroll run.