Approve payroll for processing

  • Updated on Mar 27, 2026
  • Published on Jan 22, 2026
  • 1 minute(s) read
Prev Next

Overview

After technicians and office employees sign off on payroll for a pay period, you can approve payroll for processing.

Who uses this feature

  • Administrators and managers

Feature configuration

Things to know

  • Payroll is ready for manager approval when the employee signs off and the payroll’s Employee Status is Approved.

  • The Manager Approved tab of the Payroll Dashboard lists the employees whose payroll is approved by a manager or administrator.

  • After payroll is manager approved, you can run the Master Pay File report and export the report for use with a third-party payroll processor.

  • After payroll is manager approved, payroll adjustments and timesheet edits made do not move the payroll back to the Pending tab. Before you make any payroll changes after payroll, first undo payroll approvals.

Approve payroll

  1. Go to the top toolbar, click your Profile icon , and then click Payroll.
    Menu options including Payroll, Time Clock, and training sections highlighted for user navigation.

  2. On the Payroll Dashboard that opens, you’ll see all the employees you manage. Use the dropdown to select the pay period you want to view.
    Payroll dashboard displaying hours worked, pay details, and approval status for the week.

  3. Select the employees whose payroll you want to approve.

    Tip: Click the checkbox in the top corner of the table to select all listed employees whose Employee Status is Approved.

  4. Click the Approve by Manager dropdown:

    1. To approve it on the employees’ behalf, select Approve by Manager. 

    2. To approve it on the employees’ behalf and then lock the payroll for further editing, select Approve by Manager and Lock. 
      Employee payment approval interface showing selected employees and payment details.

On the Payroll Dashboard, the selected employees’ payroll moves from the Pending tab to the Manager Approved tab. If you locked the payroll after approving, they will appear on the Locked tab.  

Undo payroll approvals

To make changes to manager approved payroll, undo payroll approvals:

  1. Select the employees whose payroll approvals you want to undo.

  2. Click Undo Approval.
    Table displaying employee payment details with options to undo approval and view actions.

  3. The employees’ payroll moves to the Pending tab, where you can create payroll adjustments and edit non-job timesheets.

  4. If you want to lock the employees’ payroll, click Lock. This moves their payroll to the Locked tab. 
    Table displaying employee payment details, including amounts and hours worked for approval.

Unlock payroll

If you locked a payroll after approving it, you can unlock it if further changes are needed. 

  1. On the Payroll Dashboard, click the Locked tab.
    Payroll dashboard displaying pending, approved, and locked statuses with time and pay details.

  2. Select the employees who you want to unlock payroll for. Then click Unlock.
    Table displaying employee payment details, including amounts and hours worked for each.

The payroll will unlock and move to the Pending tab, where changes can be made.  

Want to learn more?

Related articles