Before you start
Confirm the following are ready. Payroll figures are only as accurate as the data behind them.
- You can see Compensation in the left menu. If not, ask your administrator to grant you the payroll permission.
- Employees have active job records with a pay basis (monthly, daily, or hourly) and a rate.
- Attendance for the cutoff is complete and finalized, including overtime, holidays, and approved leaves.
- Your government contribution tables (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, GSIS) and BIR tax tables are current for the applicable year.
- Payment methods and accounts exist in Finance so payroll can be posted and paid.
First-time setup
Work through these once, in order, before your first live run.
- Define salary grades (optional but recommended). Open Salary Grades and create your pay bands with minimum, midpoint, maximum, and step counts. This standardizes rates across roles.
- Record salary history. Open Compensation > Salary History and add each employee's current rate as an approved record. Payroll always reads the approved salary history first, so this is the source of truth for pay rates.
- Set up earnings and deductions. Open Compensation > Earnings & Deductions and assign recurring allowances, bonuses, loans, and contribution templates to employees. Create any custom categories you need first.
- Review de minimis and commissions setup. If you grant tax-exempt benefits or pay commissions, configure them under De Minimis Benefits and Commissions so they flow into pay automatically.
Your first task
Try the Contributions calculator to confirm your statutory rates are correct before running a full payroll.
- Open the contributions calculator from the payroll area or an employee's compensation tab.
- Enter a sample monthly salary.
- Choose All to see SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and GSIS side by side.
- Review the employee share, employer share, and total for each agency, then the grand totals.
If the amounts match the current agency schedules (including SSS WISP where applicable), your tables are ready. If they look wrong, ask your administrator to update the contribution tables before you process live pay.
Where to get help
- Read Run a Payroll for the full cutoff procedure and Review Payslips for validation steps.
- Use Payroll Status Legends to understand what each status color means and what you can do next.
- Check Permissions to see which actions your role allows.
- For rate, table, or access issues, contact your ERPat administrator or the ERPat Team.