Public holiday payroll – scheduling payroll in advance

With the holiday season fast approaching, we’ve put together this blog to help take the pressure off payroll teams so that like the rest of the business, they can enjoy a well-earned break over the festive season. Planning payroll for public holidays is essential for smooth payroll operations, especially when your team is running at reduced capacity or your payroll manager is away.

Here at Aurion, we know that getting payroll right during the holiday periods is crucial for both compliance and employee satisfaction. We’ve put together some tips on how you can confidently schedule your pay runs in advance and keep everything running smoothly. 

Why schedule payroll in advance? 

Public holidays and office shutdowns can disrupt your usual payroll processes. By preparing early, you can ensure employees are paid on time and avoid last-minute stress. Whether you’re using Aurion or another payroll solution, a few proactive steps can make all the difference. 

Essential steps for advance payroll processing 

The following key steps will help you to successfully set up payroll in advance:

1. Communicate with employees

Inform your team about any changes to pay schedules, shutdown periods, and cut-off times for submitting leave requests well in advance, especially if you’re processing back-to-back pay runs outside your standard timeline. 

2. Enter & approve employee leave early

Make sure all leave requests are submitted and approved before you process payroll. This ensures accurate pay and leave balances. 

3. Review public holiday and office closure dates

Double-check your payroll system’s configuration for public holidays and any scheduled office closures. This helps prevent errors in pay calculations. 

4. Check your payroll solution’s requirements

Every payroll system is different. Typically, you’ll need to: 

• Set the pay run parameters for the date payments will be processed by the bank. 

• Review a sample employee’s Pay Summary to confirm the correct paid date. 

• Check your bank file settings to ensure the payment date is accurate. 

• Verify the process date when uploading your file to your payroll software. 

Aurion customers: get your step-by-step guide 

If you’re an Aurion customer, you can access our comprehensive Aurion Produce a pay in advance user guide (log in for access) for detailed, step-by-step instructions on producing a pay run in advance and troubleshooting common issues.  

Let’s chat! 

Stay ahead of the holiday rush – plan your payroll in advance with Aurion and keep your people paid, happy, and informed. If you want to know more about this and other powerful Aurion software platform features you can reach our experienced team by: 

• calling 1300 287 466 

• sending an email to [email protected] 

• filling out this contact form and we’ll reach out to you 

We’re excited to make life work better for your organisation!