Before finalising a pay run in your payroll platform, you can perform several actions to review, adjust, or correct the pay run. These actions help ensure your pay run is accurate and compliant before it is locked for processing.

This article explains how to:

Manage pre-finalisation pay run actions

This section covers how to use the available actions on an open (unfinalised) pay run, including deleting, recalculating, adding employees, adjusting pay periods, marking or clearing late submissions, and rechecking HMRC notices.

Steps to manage pre-finalisation pay run actions

Log in to Employment Hero HR.
Go to Payroll > Pay Runs.
Select an open (unfinalised) pay run from the list.
To delete the pay run:
1. Click the Delete button below the Finalise button.
2. Review the confirmation modal showing the pay period start and end dates.
3. Confirm deletion.
4. On success, you will return to the pay runs list with the run removed. If deletion fails, an error message will display and the run will remain for retry.
To recalculate the pay run:
1. Open the Pay Run Actions menu.
2. Select Recalculate Pay Run.
3. Wait for the progress indicator to complete. All edits and actions are disabled during recalculation. When finished, the pay run table and totals will refresh. If recalculation fails, an error message will display and existing figures remain unchanged.
To add an employee to the pay run:
1. Open the Pay Run Actions menu.
2. Select Add Employee.
3. Search for an active employee not already included in the run. If no match is found, an empty-state message will appear.
4. Select the employee to add. The employee will appear with default earnings and an inline prompt will advise you to recalculate.
To adjust the pay period:
1. Open the Pay Run Actions menu.
2. Select Adjust Pay Period.
3. Edit the end date or pay date as needed. Warnings will display if the new dates overlap with a prior finalised run or create a gap before the next scheduled period. You can proceed after acknowledging the warning.
4. Save your changes. A prompt will advise you to recalculate.
To mark all employees as late submission:
1. Open the Pay Run Actions menu.
2. Select Mark All as Late Submission.
3. Choose a required reason from the dialog (each shows plain-English text and the HMRC code letter).
4. Confirm to flag all employees as late. Each flagged employee will display a "late" label next to their name.
To clear all late submissions:
1. Open the Pay Run Actions menu.
2. Select Clear All Late Submission.
3. Confirm to clear the late flags from all employees. If no employees are flagged, the action will still complete successfully.
To recheck HMRC notices:
1. Open the Pay Run Actions menu.
2. Select Recheck HMRC Notices.
3. Wait for the progress indicator to complete. When finished, you will see a message indicating if new notices were found (with a count) or if there is nothing new to apply. If the action fails, an error message will display and existing notices will remain unchanged.
Once the pay run is finalised, the Pay Run Actions menu and Delete button are hidden. To make further changes, you must unlock the pay run.

Further information

What happens if I try to perform actions on a finalised pay run?

The Pay Run Actions menu and Delete button are hidden on finalised pay runs. To make changes, you must unlock the pay run first.

Does recalculating a pay run update employee salary or rate changes?

No. Recalculating a pay run only re-runs calculations on the figures already in the run. It does not pull updated salary or rate data from employee settings.

Can I see why an employee cannot be added to a pay run?

Currently, only eligible employees are shown in the Add Employee search. If no match is found, an empty-state message will appear. Displaying ineligible employees with reasons may be added in a future update.

What if an action fails?

If an action fails (such as delete, recalculate, or recheck HMRC notices), an error message will display with the reason. The pay run remains unchanged and you can retry the action.