Payroll
Vasco payroll calculates pay from the staff profile, attendance, paid leave, overtime, bonuses/allowances, deductions, piecework/commission where available, and cash advances. A period moves through Draft, Reviewed, Approved, Locked, and then Paid.
The Mark as paid or Pay button in Vasco does not send money to staff bank accounts. Make the transfer or cash payment through your company's process, then record the result in Vasco. As long as no payment has been recorded, the period can be returned to Draft. If a Vasco payment has already been recorded, cancel the payment records one by one first—and reconcile the bank/cash transactions separately.
Before you start
Have this ready
- Staff profiles, wage types, rates, and start dates have been verified.
- Attendance, leave, overtime, bonuses, allowances, deductions, and cash advances for the period are complete.
- The people responsible for review and approval have been assigned.
- The external payment method and the transfer/cash proof are ready.
Done when
- Every payroll figure can be traced back to its source.
- The external payments and Vasco's records have been reconciled.
- The final payslip uses the snapshot of a period that is already Paid.
Choose the right cycle and period
| Staff type | Main cycle | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Monthly | Start/end dates of the month, leave, allowances, deductions, and prorated components per your policy |
| Daily | Weekly | Days present, paid leave, overtime, daily rate, and cash advances |
| Weekly | Weekly | Weekly rate, attendance, additional components, and cash advances |
| Piecework/Subcontractor | Per the configuration available | Quantity/progress/commission, eligibility, and source proof |
A missing staff member isn't always an error
Payroll filters staff by cycle and eligibility. Monthly staff don't appear in Weekly payroll. Check active status, wage type, start date, rate, and the period filter before creating a new profile.
Understand the source of every figure
| Component | Source | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Base wage/salary | Type and rate in the staff profile | The rate unit must match: per day, week, or month |
| Attendance | Attendance and schedule/policy | Days without attendance, clock-in/clock-out times, corrections, and Absent status |
| Paid leave | Approved requests with the paid option | Full-day, half-day, or hourly duration |
| Overtime | Duration, policy minimum, and overtime rate | Hours and rate per hour/per day |
| Bonuses/allowances | Additional components for a staff member/period | Name, amount, reason, and whether it's one-time only |
| Deductions | Reducing components | Reason, authorization, and amount |
| Cash advances | Cash advance balance/installments and the deduction amount requested | Remaining debt, oldest-first order, and deduction policy |
| Net | Earnings minus all deductions | Zero or negative warnings must be resolved before approval |
What each payroll status means
| Status | What you can do | What you shouldn't assume |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Correct sources, add/remove components, recalculate, check per staff member | The figures aren't approved yet and can still change |
| Reviewed | The reviewer confirms the data has been reviewed; it can be returned if no payment has been made yet | Not yet cleared for final payment |
| Approved | The authorized person approves the result; sources stay locked | The money isn't necessarily paid yet |
| Locked | The period is ready to have its payments recorded; the payment preview is built from server data | Locked doesn't move any money |
| Paid | Payslips and history use the final snapshot | It can't go back to Draft through the normal flow |
Paid is a final status
Finish all corrections, cash advance reconciliation, and payment proof before completing the period. Changes to sources after Paid do not rewrite the final snapshot.
Prepare and check Draft payroll
- 1
Choose the cycle and range
Choose This week, Last week, This month, or a custom range. Match the start/end dates to your company's payment calendar.
Result: The staff list and transactions fall within the intended period. - 2
Read the eligibility warnings
Handle staff with no attendance, an empty rate, a mismatched cycle, zero/negative net, or any other flagged source.
Result: Exceptions are known before the figures are approved. - 3
Open each staff member's details
Match days/hours worked, paid leave, overtime, bonuses, allowances, deductions, cash advances, gross, and net against the source proof.
Result: The calculation can be explained person by person. - 4
Fix it at the source
Correct attendance or leave from its own module. Edit rates from Staff. Add or remove payroll components only for transactions that really are those components.
Result: The audit trail still shows what caused each figure.To cancel / undo: Before saving a new component, choose Cancel. A component that's already saved can be edited/deleted only while the period is still Draft. - 5
Recalculate and compare totals
After corrections, reload payroll and compare the total gross, deductions, cash advances, and net with your internal controls.
Result: Source changes are reflected before review.
Use the four-way check
For each staff member, match the profile/rate, working time, leave/overtime decisions, and money transactions (bonuses, deductions, cash advances). If any one is incomplete, keep it in Draft.
Review, approve, and lock
- 1
Review the payroll
A second reviewer reads the summary and samples/details per your company's controls, then chooses Review payroll.
Result: The status moves from Draft to Reviewed and the sources are frozen.To cancel / undo: Cancel in the dialog before confirming. Once it's Reviewed and no payment has been made, use Return to Draft if corrections are needed. - 2
Approve the payroll
The authorized person confirms the totals, accounts, exceptions, and proof are ready, then chooses Approve payroll.
Result: The status becomes Approved.To cancel / undo: Cancel before confirming; after Approved, return it to Draft if there's no payment run yet. - 3
Lock and start paying
Make sure no source changes are still pending, then choose Lock & start paying. On the web, Prepare for payment can advance the status to Locked with a confirmation.
Result: The status becomes Locked and payments can be recorded.To cancel / undo: Cancel before confirming. Locked can still be returned to Draft, but only if there's no payment record yet.
Pay outside Vasco, then record the payment
Mark as paid doesn't transfer money
Vasco records the payment status and freezes the payslip snapshot. Bank transfers, cash, or other methods are done through your company's process. Don't press Pay just to see the final payslip.
- 1
Make the external payout
Transfer through the bank or hand over cash per your company's controls. Keep the proof and reference number.
Result: The money is actually paid outside Vasco. - 2
Open the staff payment preview
On a Locked period, choose Pay/Mark as paid for one staff member. Check the net, the cash advance amount that will be deducted, the method, and the reference.
Result: The values to be recorded come from the latest server snapshot.To cancel / undo: Close the preview or choose Cancel; no payment run has been created yet. - 3
Match it against the external proof
Make sure the recipient name, amount, date, method, and reference match the transfer/cash payment that was actually made.
Result: Vasco's record and the real payment can be reconciled. - 4
Confirm once
Press Mark as paid/Pay and wait for the result. If the data changed after the preview, the system may reject it; reload and check again.
Result: The payment run is saved, cash advance deductions are applied at the confirmed amounts, and the payslip is available.If something goes wrong: If your connection is unreliable, reload the history before trying again. The process is designed to be idempotent, but you still need to verify.
Use Pay all with controls
- Make sure the period is Locked and all eligible staff have been checked.
- Make sure the external payments are really ready/made for the whole list.
- Check staff with zero or negative net, changed bank accounts, or unusual cash advances separately.
- Don't close the screen while it's running; items are processed one at a time so records aren't duplicated.
- When it finishes, compare the number of successes/failures against your bank/cash proof.
- Don't assume that one staff member's failure means all earlier transactions were canceled; check the partial results.
Cancel a wrong payment record
Cancelling in Vasco reverses the payment run record and restores the cash advances that were deducted. This action does not pull back a bank transfer or cash that staff have already received.
- 1
Stop completing the period
Don't choose Complete payroll/Paid when a payment is known to be wrong.
Result: The period isn't final yet. - 2
Open the wrong staff payment
Match the staff member, net, time, method, and reference, then choose Cancel payment.
Result: The cancellation confirmation appears.To cancel / undo: Choose Cancel to keep the payment run. - 3
Confirm reversing the Vasco record
Continue once you understand that the staff member's status goes back to unpaid and the related cash advance deductions are restored.
Result: The Vasco payment run is canceled; the staff member can be processed again after corrections.If something goes wrong: If the external money has already been sent, reconcile the bank/cash separately. Don't record a new payment until the decision on returning/adjusting the money is clear. - 4
Return the period to Draft if a source is wrong
After all payment runs are canceled, use Return to Draft, then fix the sources and repeat the review.
Result: The period can be fully recalculated and re-approved.
Return payroll to Draft
| Condition | Can it go back? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Reviewed, no payment yet | Yes | Choose Return to Draft, correct, then review again |
| Approved, no payment yet | Yes | The system steps the status back down to Draft with an audit trail |
| Locked, no payment yet | Yes | Return to Draft before changing sources |
| There is a payment run | Not yet | Cancel each payment first |
| Paid | Not through the normal flow | Reconcile the corrections and contact support; don't rewrite history |
Re-review the whole period
After it's back in Draft, don't look only at the staff member who was reported. Changes to attendance, leave, rates, or cash advances can change other totals; run the period checks again from the start.
Complete the period and share payslips
- 1
Make sure all eligible staff have been paid
Check that no staff member is unpaid, failed, or deliberately excluded without a decision.
Result: The period meets the requirements to be completed. - 2
Reconcile the totals
Compare the payment run totals, cash advance deductions, and the external proof.
Result: Differences are found before it's final. - 3
Choose Complete payroll
Confirm only after all corrections and cancellations are done.
Result: The status becomes Paid; the final snapshot and payslips are kept.To cancel / undo: Cancel in the dialog before confirming. After Paid, the period can't go back to Draft through the usual flow. - 4
Share payslips
Open the PDF/share payslip for the right staff member. Check the name, period, gross, deductions, cash advances, net, and payment date before sending.
Result: Staff receive the final details that match the payment snapshot.
Troubleshooting payroll
| Symptom | Common cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A staff member doesn't appear | Cycle doesn't match, archived, not started yet, or incomplete rate | Check the profile and filters; don't create a duplicate profile |
| Zero/negative net | Deductions/cash advances exceed earnings, or an earnings source is empty | Keep it in Draft and check the components one by one |
| Can't correct attendance/leave | Payroll isn't in Draft | Return to Draft if there's no payment yet |
| Can't go back to Draft | There is a payment run or the period is Paid | Cancel the payments one by one; Paid needs reconciliation/support |
| Mark as paid rejected after the preview | Server data changed | Reload, check the net/cash advances, then create a new preview |
| The money was transferred but Vasco has no record | The external process and Vasco are separate | Verify the proof, then record the payment once for the right staff member/period |
| The Vasco record was canceled but the money was already sent | Cancelling doesn't reverse the bank/cash | Reconcile externally and decide on the refund/adjustment before recording again |
Questions and answers
How do I unlock payroll?
In Payroll, choose the period and press Unlock at the top right, or press Unlock on the "Payroll … locked" line above the Attendance, Overtime, Cash advances, or Leave & time off table. Confirm in the Unlock payroll? box. The period goes back to Draft so attendance, overtime, leave, cash advances, bonuses, and deductions can be changed. Locking payroll also locks the days in the period that haven't passed yet, so lock after the last working day of the period. A period that already has payments can't be unlocked: cancel the payments first. A Paid period is final.
Does Mark as paid send money?
No. Vasco only records that the payment has been made. Bank transfers or cash are done through your company's process.
When do payroll sources get locked?
When the period leaves Draft for Reviewed, Approved, or Locked. Return it to Draft if there's no payment yet and a correction is needed.
How do I cancel a payment?
Cancel the staff member's payment run in Vasco. This restores the unpaid status and the related cash advance deductions, but it doesn't reverse the external transfer/cash.
Why can't it go back to Draft?
There's probably still a payment run. Cancel all payments first. A Paid period is final and can't be reopened through the normal flow.
Do old payslips change after a staff profile is edited?
No. A Paid payslip uses the final snapshot. Profile changes apply to calculations that are still open or to future periods.
Can I mark as paid before the transfer so the payslip comes out?
Not recommended. Record the payment only after the external payout has really been made and the amounts match.