Pay Conditions Interpretation

Overview

The rules you use to interpret hours and allowances are applied to an approved timesheet in Payroll > Pay Conditions > Pay Conditions. These rules can cover:

• overtime hours
• hours paid at different rates (eg weekends, public holidays)
• fixed rate allowances (eg meal allowance, tool allowance)

Once a timesheet is approved, the status will update to ‘Ready for Interpretation’ and display in the Pay Conditions report.  If there are any rule groups linked to the employee’s job, the system will interpret the timesheet hours against these rules.

Clicking on the + icon expands the contents of a selected timesheet line by line, showing how rules or allowances linked to the employee or job have been applied.

If there are no rules, rule groups or allowances linked to a timesheet, the expanded view will include the base pay only.

To confirm the setup of the Rule Group, Pay Rules and Rate Cards, select the relevant option from the Pay Condition Setup section in the left side menu.

Review the Interpretation

1. Go to Payroll > Pay Conditions > Pay Conditions.

2. Click Export > Export Selected Detailed and review the data in the spreadsheet that you download.

3. Click the + icon for a timesheet line to open the detailed view.

4. Check that the interpretation (units of pay and charge, rates) has applied the hours correctly, or amend any incorrect information.

5. If a Pay Item needs to be added, click +Add Pay Item and select the Pay Item and pay code.

Update an Interpretation

If a Rule Group, Pay Rule or Rate Card is updated while a timesheet is Ready for Interpretation, you can reinterpret the timesheet to apply any changes that were made.

To do this, click Reinterpret in the expanded view of the timesheet.

Amend Timesheet Information

If the information in a timesheet is incorrect, you should reset the timesheet and amend the units here rather than adjusting the units in the Pay Conditions report. Doing this means that the timesheet will accurately reflect what the employee has worked.

Resetting a timesheet will automatically pull it from the Pay Conditions report until it is resubmitted and approved.

Amend Incorrect Rates

If a rate is incorrect, you should fix the rate rather than adjusting the units in Pay Conditions. When a rate is corrected, this will not automatically apply to existing data.

You will need to reinterpret the timesheet in Pay Conditions. Expand the timesheet line in the report then click Reinterpret to apply the updated rate information.

After Interpretation

After a timesheet is approved, it will appear in the Pay Conditions screen for interpretation. Once a timesheet is interpreted, the next step is for the timesheet to be finalised. 

Approved timesheets cannot flow into a payroll for processing until they have been finalised.