Payroll · Setup & configuration · 6 min read

Pay groups and pay periods

Define who is paid together, in which currency and package, and set up each period with cutoff and pay date.

Before you begin

• An approved rule package exists (see Rule packages, elements and rules).
• You hold payroll.configure.

Steps

Create a pay group

1. Go to Payroll > Configuration > Pay groups and click New group.
2. Enter the Code. It is upper-cased, up to 30 characters and unique in the company, for example MONTHLY.
3. Enter the Name, for example "Monthly staff".
4. Enter the Currency (default AED). Only employees whose contract is in this currency are paid by the group.
5. Enter the Rule package code the group is paid with, for example DEMO-AE. The system does not check that the code exists; a wrong one fails when you freeze a run.
6. Save.

Create pay periods

1. Go to Payroll > Configuration > Pay periods and click New period.
2. Choose the Group.
3. Enter Start and End, for example 2026-10-01 and 2026-10-31. Periods of one group cannot overlap.
4. Enter the Input cutoff, the last day for inputs to count. Empty means the End date. This field may be Required or Hidden by the company's field rule.
5. Enter the Pay date. Empty means the End date. It is the value date on payment instructions.
6. Save. The period code defaults to YYYY-MM of the start, for example 2026-10.

What happens next

• The group and period appear in New run, shown as "MONTHLY 2026-10".
• When a run is created, its list shows the cutoff and the word "passed" once the cutoff date has gone while the run is still a draft.
• When a run is frozen, everyone in the group is included. If the group has named members, only they are; if it has none, everyone on the roster whose contract currency matches the group's currency is included.

Good to know

• Overlap: 'This overlaps period 2026-09 (2026-09-01 to 2026-09-30).'
• End before start: 'The period cannot end before it starts.'
• Pay date before the period: 'The pay date cannot precede the period.'
• An inactive group refuses new runs: 'This pay group is inactive.'
• A group with nobody in it: 'No employees fall in this pay group and period.'
• A contract in another currency is blocked at freeze: 'The contract is in USD but the pay group pays in AED; no conversion is applied.'
• The screen creates groups with monthly frequency. Editing a group, changing frequency and naming members are not on the screen; ask your implementation team.
• The system does not check that the cutoff date lies near the period.