Payroll Manager Articles

What Is the Payroll Manager?

Payroll Manager is a read-only payroll visibility tool that connects payroll cycles, employee results, and invoice totals.

The Payroll Manager provides a clear, consolidated view of payroll outcomes by showing payroll cycles, employee payroll results, and how those results relate directly to invoices. It enables review and analysis without allowing any changes to payroll data.

What the Payroll Manager Is Designed to Do

Payroll Manager is designed to help users:

• Understand what payroll was processed across completed pay cycles
• Identify what changed between pay cycles, including adjustments that affect totals
• See how payroll impacts invoice totals and overall billing amounts

All of this is available without requiring payroll expertise or manual reconciliation across multiple reports.

What it is not

• It does not process payroll
• It does not allow edits to employee pay, tax rules, or payroll calculations
• It does not show final payroll actuals 
  (Values shown are estimated payroll amounts used for invoicing.)

Final payroll actuals are confirmed directly through the payroll provider.

See it in action below:

The Payroll Manager includes two views, Upcoming Payroll and Payroll & Invoicing History, to plan future payroll and review completed payroll cycles.

The Payroll Manager provides two distinct views to manage payroll at different stages of the payroll lifecycle: Upcoming Payroll and Payroll & Invoicing History. Each view supports a specific workflow, depending on whether you are forecasting future payroll or reviewing finalized results. 
 

1) Upcoming Payroll

What Is the Upcoming Payroll View?

Upcoming Payroll simulates future payroll cycles, including the next upcoming cycle and future months. It provides a forward-looking estimate of payroll totals and the next expected invoice.
 

What It’s Used For

Use Upcoming Payroll to:

• Plan and forecast upcoming payroll costs
• Review the next expected invoice total
• Identify missing, incomplete, or future-dated payroll inputs before cut-off
• Understand how future employee changes (starters or terminations) affect payroll
   

What Does the Default View Contain?

The default view automatically loads the next pay cycle. It directly correlates to the next invoice you will receive (invoice amendments are typically excluded).
 

Key Features of the Upcoming Payroll View

• Payroll cut-off countdown to track submission deadlines
• Month selector for future payroll simulations
• Filters and search to refine payroll data
• Display currency toggle for multi-currency visibility
• Add Cost Item for salary additions such as bonuses, commissions, or back pay
• Employee payroll details with line-by-line visibility
• Table exports for offline review and reporting
   

2) Payroll & Invoicing History

What Is the Payroll & Invoicing History View?

Payroll & Invoicing History provides access to completed payroll cycles and final invoice results. This view serves as the system of record for payrolls that have already been processed and billed.
 

What It’s Used For

Use Payroll & Invoicing History to:

• Perform historical reviews of payroll and invoices
• Reconcile invoice totals against payroll outcomes
• Support audits, reporting, and finance checks
• Review invoice changes and adjustments
   

What Does the Default View Contain?

The default view loads the most recently processed pay cycle.
 

Key Features

• Explore and review past pay cycles
• Month selection to review a single historical cycle
• Range selection options:
  • View All to display all employee results across the range
  • Aggregate to roll up totals per employee across multiple cycles
     

Key Differences From Upcoming Payroll

✅ Review completed payroll and finalized invoices

✅ View invoice amendments per employee with detailed breakdowns

❌ Read-only view; salary additions cannot be added or edited
 

Quick Guide: Choosing the Right View

Use Upcoming Payroll to:

• Forecast the next invoice
• Confirm requirements before payroll cut-off
• Understand how future changes affect payroll

Use Payroll & Invoicing History to:

• Verify completed payroll cycles
• Reconcile invoice totals
• Review invoice amendments and historical outcomes

You can access the Payroll Manager in two ways: from the left-hand navigation menu or directly via URL.

Access the Payroll Manager from the left-hand navigation menu under “Payroll”. This is the primary method for navigating to payroll tools within the platform.

✅ Option 1 – Access Payroll Manager from the Navigation Menu

From the left-hand menu, select Payroll, then click Payroll Manager to open the payroll management dashboard.
 

✅ Option 2 – Access Payroll Manager Directly via URL

You can also open the Payroll Manager directly by navigating to:

https://app.playroll.com/payroll-manager

The Payroll Manager is designed for visibility and review, not for making core payroll edits. This means you cannot use Payroll Manager to change an employee’s salary or to add, remove, or edit allowances.

All standard payroll changes must be submitted through the appropriate payroll input processes to ensure accuracy, compliance, and correct approvals.

What You Can Change in Payroll Manager

While core payroll values cannot be edited, you can add, edit, or remove certain salary additions, including:

• Bonuses

• Commissions

• Back pay

• Discretionary payments
   

Managing Existing Salary Additions

If a salary addition (such as a bonus or commission) already exists for the same payroll period, you’ll be prompted to choose how to handle it. You can:

• Override the existing amount

• Combine the existing and new amounts

• Cancel the change and keep the original entry

What This Means in Practice

Only salary additions can be managed in Payroll Manager, not an employee’s base payroll or allowances.

To make salary or allowance changes, please follow the steps outlined here.
 

The Payroll Manager allows you to easily add costs to an employee’s upcoming payroll cycle. When you add a cost, the platform automatically checks for any existing entries for the same employee and pay period to help prevent duplicate or incorrect payments.

If an overlapping cost is detected, you’ll be notified and prompted to choose how the overlap should be handled.
 

Managing Overlapping Costs

When the system identifies an overlapping cost, you can select one of the following options:

Combine costs

• The existing amount and the new entry are added together

• The combined total is processed in the payroll cycle

Overwrite costs

• The new entry replaces the existing cost

• Only the updated amount is processed in payroll

Cancel entry

• The new cost addition is cancelled

• The original cost entry remains unchanged
   

Why This Matters

This safeguard helps ensure payroll accuracy by preventing unintended duplicate payments, while still giving you full control over how employee cost adjustments are managed.

The Payroll Manager offers comprehensive export capabilities to help maintain accurate records and analyze payroll costs with confidence.

You can export Excel spreadsheets that include:

• Invoice breakdowns
• Itemized employee payroll tables

These reports support detailed payroll review and make it easy to integrate payroll data with internal finance or accounting systems.

In addition, you can review:

• Invoice amendments
• Estimated currency conversion rates
• Exchange rates used in payroll calculations

This ensures full transparency into how payroll totals are calculated.
 

How To Access Table Reports
 

✅ Step 1 – Open Payroll

From the left-hand navigation panel, select the Payroll tab.
 

✅ Step 2 – Choose a payroll view

Select either:

• Upcoming Payroll, or
• Payroll & Invoicing History
   

✅ Step 3 – Open report options

In the top-right corner of the screen, select the three-dot menu.
 

✅ Step 4 – Select a report

Choose the required export or report option from the list.

The selected report is generated and downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet, providing clear visibility into payroll costs, billing details, and supporting calculations.

The Payroll Manager provides access to comprehensive payroll information for all employees, including detailed cost breakdowns at an individual level.

Payroll data can be reviewed directly in the platform or exported to Excel in either local currency or billing currency, depending on reporting needs.
 

How To View an Employee’s Payroll Details
 

✅ Step 1 – Open Payroll

From the left-hand navigation panel, select the Payroll tab.

✅ Step 2 – Choose a payroll view

Select either:

• Upcoming Payroll, or
• Payroll & Invoicing History

✅ Step 3 – Open employee options

Locate the employee row and select the three-dot menu on the right-hand side.

✅ Step 4 – View payroll details

Select Employee Payroll Details.

✅ Step 5 – Select a currency

Choose how you want to view payroll information:

• Local currency
• Billing currency

✅ Step 6 – Review the cost breakdown

All payroll information for the selected employee is displayed. Use the drop-down arrows next to each section to view detailed cost components.

Export employee payroll data
 

✅ Step 7 – Export to Excel

Select the Export button at the bottom of the payroll details view.

Payroll data is downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet using the selected currency format.

This allows payroll data to be analysed, shared, and archived in a format that supports internal reviews and reporting requirements.

The Payroll Manager lets you view payroll information in two currency formats: Local Currency and Billing Currency. This allows you to analyse payroll data from either an employee-level or billing-level perspective, depending on your needs.
 

Currency Display Options

Local Currency View

• Displays payroll elements only
• Amounts are shown in each employee’s local currency
• Best suited for reviewing employee compensation details

Billing Currency View

• Displays payroll amounts converted to your billing currency
• Includes additional billing items, such as:
  • Platform fees
  • Service costs
  • Invoice adjustments
• Best for reviewing total payroll and billing obligations
   

How To Change the Display Currency
 

✅ Step 1 – Open Payroll

From the left-hand navigation panel, select the Payroll tab.
 

✅ Step 2 – Choose a payroll view

Select either:

• Upcoming Payroll, or
• Payroll & Invoicing History
   

✅ Step 3 – Open the currency selector

Select the drop-down arrow under Display Currency.
 

✅ Step 4 – Select a currency view

Choose either Local or Billing currency to update the payroll view.

This dual-currency functionality gives you flexibility in how you review and analyse payroll costs, allowing you to switch between a detailed view of employee compensation and a consolidated view of total billing obligations.

The Payroll Manager includes built-in filter and search tools that help you quickly locate and review specific payroll information.

These tools allow you to narrow payroll data using key criteria, making payroll review, reconciliation, and cost analysis faster and more efficient.
 

What You Can Filter By

You can filter payroll data using a range of criteria, including:

• Individual employees
• Country
• Employment status
• Job title
• Start date

Filters help you focus only on the payroll information that is relevant to your review.
 

How To Use Filters In Payroll Manager
 

✅ Step 1 – Open Payroll

From the left-hand navigation panel, select the Payroll tab.

✅ Step 2 – Choose a payroll view

Select either:

• Upcoming Payroll, or
• Payroll & Invoicing History

The filter feature is available in both views.

✅ Step 3 – Open filters

Select the Filters toggle.
 

✅ Step 4 – Choose a column

Select the drop-down arrow under the Column field.

✅ Step 5 – Select a filter

Choose the filter you want to apply, such as country or employment status.

✅ Step 6 – Apply the filter

Enter the relevant criteria, then select Apply to update the payroll view.

✅ Step 7 – Add additional filters (optional)

To refine results further, select Add Filter and repeat the steps above.

Use Search To Find an Employee
 

As an alternative to filters, you can use the Search function to quickly find a specific employee.

1. Select the Search field.
2. Enter the employee’s name.
    

The table will update to show payroll information for the selected employee only.

The Payroll Manager allows you to view future payroll cycles, helping you forecast and plan for upcoming payroll costs.

By selecting a future month, you can preview estimated payroll amounts based on scheduled and future-dated changes. This forward-looking view supports budgeting and helps you understand how upcoming changes may impact payroll before they take effect.
 

What’s Included in Future Payroll Projections

The forecasted payroll view simulates the impact of:

• New employee start dates
• Employee terminations
• Once-off benefits or contributions
• Annual or recurring benefits and contributions

These estimates provide visibility into expected payroll expenses for upcoming months.
 

How To Access the Month Selector
 

✅ Step 1 – Open Payroll

From the left-hand navigation panel, select the Payroll tab.

✅ Step 2 – Go to Upcoming Payroll

Select the Upcoming Payroll tab within the Payroll Manager.

✅ Step 3 – Open the month selector

Click the drop-down arrow next to the currently selected month on the left-hand side of the screen.

✅ Step 4 – Open the calendar

Select the calendar icon to choose a different payroll period.

✅ Step 5 – Select a month and year

Choose the relevant month and year, then select Apply to load the projected payroll data.

The payroll cut-off countdown in the Payroll Manager shows the time remaining until the monthly payroll cut-off date on the 10th of each month.

This countdown acts as a clear deadline indicator for all payroll-related changes that must be completed within the current payroll cycle. Any updates made after the cut-off will be processed in the following month’s payroll.

Changes affected by the payroll cut-off include:

• Expense approvals
• Leave approvals
• Incentive, bonus, or other salary additions

To ensure accurate and timely payment processing, all required payroll changes should be completed before the cut-off date displayed in the countdown.

Steps To Find the Payroll Cut-Off Countdown
 

✅ Step 1 – Open the Payroll section

Select the Payroll tab from the left-hand navigation panel.

✅ Step 2 – Open the Upcoming Payroll tab

Select the Upcoming Payroll tab within the Payroll Manager.

✅ Step 3 – Review the payroll cut-off banner

The payroll cut-off banner appears at the top of the page, displaying the amount of time remaining before the monthly cut-off date.

Access to the Payroll Manager depends on the user role assigned on the platform. The table below outlines the level of access each role has and whether they are permitted to add cost items.