Payroll Management

The Payroll module handles pay calculation, overtime, shift differentials, margin analysis, and forecasting. Configure it once, then run payroll for each pay period.

Accessing Payroll

Navigate to Operations → Payroll in the sidebar. The section expands to:

• Payroll Dashboard — overview and KPIs
• Payruns — create and process pay periods
• Pay Rates — configure compensation rates
• Holidays — holiday calendar and premium pay
• Invoices — client billing
• Billing Contracts — service agreements
• Bill Items — billable service items

Dashboard KPIs

The payroll dashboard shows four key metrics for the selected period:

• Total Cost — what you owe guards.
• Total Hours — all hours worked.
• Billable Amount — what you charge clients.
• Margin % — profit margin ((billable − cost) / billable).

Select the pay period type: Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Semi-Monthly, or Monthly.

Setting Up Payroll (Setup Tab)

Before running your first payroll, configure the engine:

Pay Period

• Period Type: Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Semi-Monthly, Monthly.
• Start Day: which day the pay period starts.

Overtime Rules

• Weekly OT Threshold: hours before overtime kicks in (default: 40).
• Daily OT Threshold: hours before daily overtime (default: 8).
• OT Multiplier: typically 1.5×.
• Double-Time Multiplier: typically 2× (triggers after 12h daily or exceeding weekly threshold significantly).

Break Rules

• Auto-deduct breaks: deduct 30+ minute breaks on 6+ hour shifts.

Clock Tolerances

• Late clock-in tolerance: minutes before a clock-in counts as late.
• Early clock-in tolerance: minutes before shift start that a guard can clock in.

Shift Differentials

• Night Differential: percentage premium for hours between 22:00–06:00.
• Weekend Differential: percentage premium for Saturday/Sunday shifts.
• Holiday Differential: percentage premium for designated holidays.

Holidays

• Add specific dates to the holiday calendar.
• Holiday shifts automatically apply the holiday differential.

OT Forecast Warning

• Set the threshold at which overtime warnings trigger.

Creating a Pay Run

1. Go to Payroll → Payruns.
2. Click Create Pay Run.
3. Select the date range.
4. The system automatically calculates:
   • Regular hours
   • Overtime hours (1.5×)
   • Double-time hours (2×)
   • Shift differentials
   • Break deductions
5. Review the pay run summary — each guard's hours and total pay.
6. Approve and Export when ready.

Margins Tab

Analyze profitability per guard:

Red margins indicate unprofitable guards — review their rates or assignments.

OT Forecast Tab

Predict overtime before it happens:

• Hours Worked: current hours this period.
• Projected Hours: estimated total by period end.
• Threshold: overtime trigger point.
• Over By: how many hours over the threshold.
• Risk Level: Low, Watch, or High.

Use this to reassign guards before they hit costly overtime.

Breakdown Tab

Detailed cost analysis per guard:

• Regular, Overtime, and Double-time hours.
• Shift differential calculations (night, weekend, holiday).
• Break deductions.
• Total cost vs. billable amount.

Pay Rates

1. Go to Payroll → Pay Rates.
2. Set hourly rates for each guard or role.
3. Configure overtime multipliers.
4. Set rates by shift type if needed.
5. View rate history.

Holidays

1. Go to Payroll → Holidays.
2. Add holiday dates.
3. Set the pay rate multiplier for each holiday.
4. Holiday shifts automatically apply the premium.

Invoices & Billing

Invoices

1. Go to Payroll → Invoices.
2. Create invoices from billable events.
3. Track status: Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue.
4. Auto-email invoices to clients.
5. Download invoice PDFs.

Billing Contracts

1. Go to Payroll → Billing Contracts.
2. Create service contracts with clients.
3. Set terms, rates, and duration.
4. Track contract status: Draft, Active, Expired, Cancelled.

Bill Items

1. Go to Payroll → Bill Items.
2. Configure billable service items:
   • Hourly Guard
   • Scheduled Patrol
   • Dispatch
   • Recurrent Fixed
3. Set unit type (hourly, per item, flat rate) and price.

Tips

• Set up payroll rules before your first pay run — changing rules mid-period can cause inconsistencies.
• Check the OT Forecast weekly to avoid budget surprises.
• Review Margins monthly to ensure client billing covers guard costs.
• Use shift differentials to fairly compensate night and weekend guards.

Related Articles

• Scheduling Shifts
• Managing Guards
• Invoices & Billing
• Reports & Analytics