Preliminary Payroll FAQ
Find answers to common questions about preliminary payroll in Emplovia.
Why do inactive employees still appear in payroll?
Employees may remain visible in the preliminary payroll even after leaving the company. This happens when the exit was not properly documented in their profile – for example, if only the status was changed without setting an exit date. Emplovia also continues to process compensation payments and data changes for up to three payroll periods after an employee's exit, ensuring that all final adjustments are captured.
Why are certain employees missing from payroll?
Employees are only included in preliminary payroll when the following conditions are met:
- They are in an active employment relationship or were employed for at least one day during the current payroll period
- For former employees: there are still pending compensation payments or data changes within three payroll periods after their exit
- They are classified as internal employees
- If company entities are used, they must be assigned to a company entity
If these conditions are not met, the employee will not appear in the payroll. For more information, see the Preliminary Payroll Overview.
Why does a scheduled change appear in the current month instead of the target month?
How changes are displayed depends on which tab you are viewing:
- Personnel Data – Changes are shown in the payroll period that contains the effective date, so you can see what is relevant for each month. Example: A change recorded on March 5th with an effective date of July 1st appears in the July payroll period.
- Employee Changes – Changes recorded during the current period are shown regardless of their effective date, ensuring that retroactive adjustments are not missed. The same change from the example above would appear in the March period here.
Why is a new absence type not showing up?
New absence types must first be enabled in the payroll settings before they appear in the Absences tab. Configure this under Settings > Payroll > Payroll Settings > Payroll Data. For more information, see Setting Up Preliminary Payroll.
How do I handle changes after approval?
After approval, the Personnel Data and Salary tabs are frozen – subsequent changes are no longer displayed there. This ensures you always know exactly which data was forwarded to your payroll provider.
If changes still need to be included in the current payroll period after approval, simply create a new export. Late changes are highlighted in yellow so your payroll provider can easily identify the adjustments.
What are the consequences of never approving payroll?
Without approval, change markers are automatically reset on the first day of each new payroll period. Changes that occur between your last export and the start of the new period will no longer be highlighted and may be overlooked.
Example: Your payroll period ends on the 20th. You create an export on the 18th without approving. On the 20th, the system resets the markers – changes between the 18th and 20th are no longer identifiable as new.
Approve payroll regularly to ensure that data changes are reliably tracked and highlighted.
How is the salary calculated when a change occurs mid-month?
For salary changes within a month, the calculation is based on the pro-rata method configured in your settings. Emplovia offers several methods, each producing different results. For a detailed explanation with examples, see Pro-Rata Salary Calculation Methods.
To compensate for rounding differences, you can record the difference as a one-time payment (positive or negative).
Why does the pro-rata amount differ from what is expected with the 30-day method?
The 30-day method always calculates based on 30 days, regardless of the actual number of days in the month. This can lead to slightly higher payouts in months with 31 days and slightly lower payouts in February. For comparative calculations across different months, see Pro-Rata Salary Calculation Methods.
Can the pro-rata calculation method be changed for a future date?
No, this is currently not possible. Changing the calculation method takes effect immediately and also impacts the calculation of past periods.
Does changing the method affect already approved payroll periods?
The table view of approved periods remains unchanged – it continues to show the amounts that were valid at the time of approval. To see the impact of the new calculation method on a past period, create a new export for that period.
Why doesn't updating weekly hours show a salary change in the Employee Changes tab?
The Employee Changes tab only displays direct changes to attributes or compensation components. When weekly hours change, this is listed there. However, a resulting recalculation of the pro-rata salary does not appear as a separate change, since the compensation value itself remains unchanged – only the calculation basis has changed.
Can an approved payroll be reverted?
No, once payroll has been approved, it cannot be undone. The data in the Personnel Data and Salary tabs remains frozen as it was at the time of approval. However, you can still record new data, update attributes, and create additional exports at any time – these always reflect the current state.
Can the payroll period be changed after approval?
No, the payroll period cannot be modified for months where payroll has already been approved. Changes to the payroll period are only possible for future months that have not yet been approved.