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Employee payroll components

How to set the payroll components that apply to an employee, from standard earnings and deductions to fixed-period components, with worked examples.

For Payroll officer, HR admin · Last reviewed

Overview

The Payroll Components tab on the Employee form allows you to configure which payroll components (earnings, deductions, and accumulators) apply to an employee and their respective amounts.

The screen is divided into two sections:

Section Purpose When to Use
Standard Components Permanent components that apply every pay period indefinitely Salary, housing allowance, transport — anything ongoing
Fixed-Period Components Time-bound components with specific start and end dates Temporary allowances, project bonuses, probation deductions

Articles in this guide

  1. How do I set up standard components?Standard components are permanent — once checked, they apply to every payroll run until you manually uncheck…
  2. How do I set up fixed-period components?Fixed-period components have a specific start and end date .
  3. What do payroll component setups look like?Scenario: An employee is assigned to a special project from March to August 2026 and receives a project…
  4. Which rules apply to payroll components?Rule Details Standard = Forever Standard components have no end date.

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Component not appearing on payslip Check if the component is checked (Standard) or if the pay period falls within the date range (Fixed-Period)
Wrong amount on payslip Check if a Fixed-Period entry is overriding the Standard amount
Cannot edit component name in Fixed-Period By design — delete the row and add a new one with the correct component
Save button not visible You may not have edit permissions for this employee's payroll components
"Date range overlaps with closed pay period" error The start/end date falls within an already-closed pay period. Adjust dates.

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