Did you get payroll right over the holiday season?

Now that we are on the other side of our summer holiday, and it is all but a vision in the rear-view mirror, it is a perfect time to do a review while things are still fresh.

The lead up to the holiday season break was hectic, especially if you oversee payroll. There are many moving parts to line up to ensure staff are paid as they should be while on holiday. Each year can be a little different to the last, this year there was Mondayisation and Tuesdayisation.

There may be some adjustments to make due to changes in the circumstances. It is a good idea when making these adjustments that you consult with your payroll software provider to ensure you are not causing issues in other places.

A review of the pays processed over the holiday season while everything is fresh mitigates any compliance risks. Making mistakes in payroll can be compounding and time-intensive to untangle.

Here are some areas you will want to check:

1. Leave balance checks for those employees who took leave. Has their balance reduced in proportion to what they took? ie 5 days annual leave is taken, 1 week deducted from the balance. You may need to look at a report to determine the balance before the leave was taken.

2. Any employees who worked on a public holiday that would be a typical working day have been given an alternative holiday to take another time.

   Note: Christmas day and New Year’s Day were transferred to Tuesday for those that don’t typically work Sunday’s

3. All employees who typically work either a Sunday and/or Monday and did not work were paid for a public holiday over the Christmas, New Year break.

   Note: Mon – Fri workers had these days transferred to Monday, and Tuesday)

You can always reach out to your payroll provider, or payroll specialist if you need help understanding your software or interpreting legislation.