Understanding a Regular Payroll Run

A regular payroll run is a scheduled payroll process for employees that takes place on their designated payday. Employees who have been terminated cannot be paid on a regular payroll run.

Please note: an employee cannot be paid for multiple checks in a single payroll run. If an employee requires multiple checks, off-cycle payroll runs can be created.

Additionally, in a single payroll run, Federal Income Tax withholding cannot mix supplemental-rate withholding with regular withholding (the W-4–based method). If multiple earnings, such as regular wages and a bonus, are included in the same payroll batch, you must choose either the supplemental rate or regular withholding, and that method will apply to all earnings in the batch.

To use different taxation methods, the earnings must be paid separately in an off-cycle run.

How to Process a Regular Payroll Run

1. Review the Payroll Dashboard and Resolve Onboarding Issues - Start by reviewing the Payroll Dashboard and correcting any onboarding issues.

   Learn more about your dashboard here.

2. Update Employee Data - Update all relevant employee data, which may include but is not limited to:
   • Changes in compensation
   • Modifications to benefits and deductions
   • Updates to demographic information (e.g., address, primary work location, tax updates, etc.)
   • Important: Employees with a terminated status cannot be paid on a regular payroll. Terminations should only occur after the employee’s final payroll has been processed.

3. Sync Employee Data to Payroll - In the integrations component, initiate a sync of employee data from either CoreHR or ExakTime to Payroll. This updates any shared fields in Payroll that were modified in CoreHR or ExakTime, depending on your product configuration.

   • If you use Core HR and Payroll, Core HR is the source of truth for employee data.
     • Exception: Contractor data does not exist in Core HR and is updated through a Employee sync from ExakTime.
   • If you use ExakTime and Payroll, ExakTime is the source of truth.

   

4. Create the payroll batch - Your batch must be created before you can sync hours into Payroll.
   
5. Finalize Time Cards - This should follow your normal process for verifying accurate timecards, which may include running any necessary hours reports in ExakTime and approving timecards.

6. Close the Pay Period - Close your pay period to prevent any additional changes from being made to timecards. You should also process time off deductions and accruals. Closing the pay period will update employees’ time off balances, including accruals based on their time off plans and deductions from approved time off requests.

   Watch our training video about closing pay periods here.

7. Sync Hours from ExakTime - In the integrations component, initiate the hours sync from ExakTime to Payroll. 
   

   Watch our training video about syncing ExakTime hours to Arcoro Payroll.

8. Review and Update Payroll Items - On the Payroll Items screen, process any additional payroll entries as needed, including:

   • Reimbursements, bonuses, and commissions
     • Reimbursements are non-taxable income and may also be added through ExakTime Expenses.
   • Benefit or deduction overrides
   • Ensuring salaried employees with time off are not overpaid

   

9. Validate Wage Determination (if applicable) - If you are using the prevailing wage feature, review the wage determination tab and make any necessary updates.

   

   Learn more about prevailing wage automation here.

10. Conduct Your Payroll Review

    • Access the Payroll Register
    • Verify additional data available on the Payroll Review Screen, including:
      • Payroll Summary
      • Taxes
      • Hours Breakdown
      • And more

    

11. Submit Payroll for Approval - Submit the payroll for final approval. Only users with the Payroll Controller or Payroll Administrator role can complete this step.
    
12. Approve Payroll - The second step is the final approval, which completes the payroll submission for processing. Only a user with the Payroll Administrator role can approve a payroll. Employers will be able to reopen a payroll to make updates for up to 60 minutes after it has been submitted.
    

13. Print Checks (if applicable) - If your payroll includes live checks, you are responsible for printing them. Click ‘Print Checks’ to download the paycheck file for printing.

    

    Learn more about printing paper checks here.

14. General Post-Payroll Reports - Once payroll is approved, the payroll process is complete. Generate any required post-payroll processing reports. There are a few reports available to you on the Payroll Review screen.
    •  Cash Requirement Report provides a detailed breakdown of what will be debited from your bank account for each payroll run, including net pay, taxes, and garnishments.
      
    • Payroll Summary: you can now generate a PDF summary (including cash requirements) with a layout that mirrors the on-screen summary, making it easy to share with finance stakeholders.
      

Payroll funds will be debited on the business day following the scheduled approval date. Your Payroll Status will update as the processing progresses.

Understanding Payroll Statuses

Payroll statuses are used to indicate the current stage of a payroll in its processing.

• Draft: Payroll has not been submitted. This payroll must be approved by 8pm ET on the approval date.
• Submitted for Approval: Payroll has been submitted for approval. Approval is required by 8pm ET on the approval date.
• Pending: This payroll has been approved! No action is required. The payroll status will move to Processing within 60-75 minutes.
• Processing: Payroll processing is on track for a successful payday of [Payday].
• Paid: This payroll has been successfully paid!
• Failed: This payroll has failed funding. Please contact Arcoro support.
• Partially Paid: One or more worker payments failed to process. Please contact Arcoro support.