Accounting firm · Payroll
Client payroll processing
Run every client's payroll the same way each period, without chasing starters, leavers and hours by email. The client submits changes and approves the payroll through one shared link, and nothing goes to the client before the payroll manager approves the calculation.
- Duration: 3 to 5 working days per pay period
- How often: Every pay period, for every payroll client
- Steps: 8 steps
- AI agents: 1 AI agent
- Approvals: 1 approval
Free plan, no credit card needed.
What changes with this template
Without it
Starters, leavers and hours arrive by email, phone and spreadsheet until the last minute.
Missing pay rates and start dates turn up while the payroll is being run.
The payroll goes to the client without a second check.
The client's OK on the payroll is a reply somewhere in an email thread.
With it
The client lists every change for the period on one link before the cut-off.
An AI agent lists missing details first, and the payroll specialist sorts them out with the client.
The payroll report waits at the payroll manager's approval gate.
The client approves the payroll by name on the shared link, before the payment file goes out.
The template, step by step
Each step says who does it: someone on your team, an AI agent, or the client through a shared link. An approval keeps every later step locked until it is given.
- Done by your team
- Done by an AI agent
- Done by the client, through a shared link
Starts when
The pay period's cut-off is near. The payroll specialist starts the client's run with the pay period and the pay date.
- 1
Open the pay period and request the changes
5 working days before paydayPayroll specialist · Team
Close last period's payroll and send the client the shared run link with the cut-off date for this period's changes.
Checklist
- Last period closed
- Shared link sent to the client contact
- Cut-off date given
Fields to fill in
- Client name (required)
- Pay period (required)
- Pay date (required)
- 2
Submit the payroll changes
Up to the cut-offClient contact · Shared link
Through the shared link, the client lists the new starters, leavers, pay changes, hours, overtime, bonuses and absences for the period, or confirms there are none.
Checklist
- New starters listed with start date and pay
- Leavers listed with last working day
- Hours, overtime and absences entered
Fields to fill in
- Changes this period (required)
- Link to the timesheets
- Employees to pay (required)
- 3
Check the changes for missing details
Cut-off dayChanges checker · AI agent
The changes checker reads the client's changes against the checklist in its instructions and lists what is missing or unusual, such as a new starter without a start date or pay rate, or a leaver without a last working day.
Fields to fill in
- Missing or unusual items (required)
Checked by: The payroll specialist confirms the list with the client in step 4, and the payroll manager approves the payroll in step 5.
- 4
Process the payroll
4 working days before paydayPayroll specialist · Team
Confirm the checker's list with the client, enter the changes and run the payroll, then explain every difference from last period. If the client has not sent what is missing, mark the run blocked and note what.
Checklist
- Missing items resolved with the client
- Changes entered
- Differences from last period explained
Fields to fill in
- Gross pay total (required)
- Net pay total (required)
- Link to the payroll report (required)
- Differences from last period (required)
- 5
Review and approve the payroll
Hidden from the shared link3 working days before paydayPayroll manager · Team
Check the payroll report against the client's changes and the explained differences, and approve the calculation.
Checklist
- Changes match the client's list
- Starters and leavers calculated correctly
- Differences from last period explained
Fields to fill in
- Review notes
Approval: The payroll report does not go to the client until the payroll manager approves it.
- 6
Approve the payroll for payment
2 working days before paydayClient contact · Shared link
The payroll specialist emails the client the approved payroll summary. Through the shared link, the client approves it for payment, or notes what to correct.
Fields to fill in
- Decision (required)
- Approved by (required)
- What to correct
- 7
Send the payment file and payslips
1 working day before paydayPayroll specialist · Team
Once step 6 shows the client's approval, send the client the payment file to release in their bank, and send the payslips to the employees.
Checklist
- Client approval in step 6 checked
- Payment file sent to the client
- Payslips sent to employees
Fields to fill in
- Payslips sent on (required)
- 8
Make the payroll filings and close the period
After paydayPayroll specialist · Team
Submit the payroll filings your tax authority requires, send the payroll journal for the bookkeeping, and close the period in the payroll software.
Checklist
- Payroll filings submitted
- Payroll journal sent for the bookkeeping
- Period closed in the payroll software
Fields to fill in
- Filing reference (required)
Done when
The client has approved the payroll, employees have their payslips, the payment file is with the client, and the payroll filings are made.
Make it yours. Rename steps, change owners and add checklist items, fields or approvals. The template is a starting point for the way your team works.
The AI agents in this template
An agent only works on its own steps, and a person on your team checks what it did. Anything an agent writes to a connected app waits for approval unless you allow it.
Changes checker
Checks the client's payroll changes for missing details before the payroll is run.
What it does
- Reads the client's changes and ticked checklist on the run
- Checks them against the list of required details in its step instructions
- Records what is missing or unusual in its step
Checked by: The payroll specialist confirms the list with the client in step 4, and the payroll manager approves the payroll in step 5.
Questions this template answers
Give the client one place to list every change for the period, with a clear cut-off date. Step 1 sends the shared link with the cut-off, and in step 2 the client lists starters, leavers, hours and bonuses, or confirms there are none.
Explain every difference from last period, and have a second person approve the calculation. In step 4 the payroll specialist records the totals and the differences, and step 5 is an approval gate where the payroll manager approves the payroll.
Ask for the approval on the same link the client used for the changes, with a name on it. In step 6 the client approves the payroll or notes what to correct, and step 7 has the payroll specialist check that approval before sending the payment file.
Let AI check the submitted changes for missing details, and keep the calculation and the approvals with people. In step 3 the changes checker lists missing or unusual items, and in steps 4 and 5 the payroll specialist and the payroll manager check them.
Ask for the details each starter and leaver needs in the client's own step, and check them before the payroll is run. Step 2 asks for start dates, pay and last working days, step 3 lists what is missing, and step 5 checks that starters and leavers are calculated correctly.
Run each client's pay period as its own run, with the pay date recorded from the start. Step 1 records the pay date, each step is planned in working days before payday, and a run that waits on the client is marked blocked in step 4.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.