How to Set Up and Manage Auto Payroll

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Background

You may want to consider using Auto Payroll if your company pays W-2 salaried employees or pays W-2 hourly employees the same amount each pay period.

Auto Payroll is not available for 1099 Contractor payments.

With Auto Payroll, you can select a previously run regular payroll and use it as a template to automatically process future payrolls.

Requirements for Setting Up Auto Payroll

Before you can turn on Auto Payroll, make sure you meet all of the following requirements:

• You’ve set up dates on your pay schedule. See our help article, “How to Set Up Pay Schedules.”
  • Your schedule can be weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly.
• You’ve run at least one payroll after you set up your pay schedule with dates.
• You use checks or standard direct deposit.
  • Auto Payroll isn’t available if you’re using prefunding, wire, or instant payment options.
• You’re not using Patriot’s Time & Attendance software.

Direct Deposit with Auto Payroll

⚠️ Important: Expedited direct deposit timing will not be used for Auto Payroll. If you have expedited direct deposit timing you can still use it for off-cycle payrolls.

Auto Payroll will run 5–6 days before the pay date (depending on banking holidays and weekends) to allow for standard 4-day ACH bank processing. Example: During a normal workweek, Auto Payroll will run on Monday for a Friday pay date.

• Direct deposit collections are pulled 4 banking days before the pay date.
• Tax collections (for Full Service Payroll) are pulled one banking day before the pay date.

How to Set Up Auto Payroll

💡 The person who sets up Auto Payroll is the Auto Payroll Administrator and will receive all email notifications about Auto Payroll. See “Auto Payroll Email Notifications & Enrollment” for more info.

Step 1: Select a Payroll Template

1. Go to Settings > Payroll Settings > Auto Payroll.
2. Click “+ Add New.”
3. You’ll see a list of previously run payrolls eligible criteria to use as a template.
4. Select a payroll that reflects your “normal” payroll (e.g., same number of employees, total hours, pay amounts, etc.). 
   • A few circumstances will make a previous payroll in a pay schedule ineligible to use as a template for Auto Payroll. 
     • Paying a contractor within your employee pay schedule within your payroll run
     • An employee one-time hourly rate change
     • Paying with a wire or instant payment (Only traditional direct deposit and paper/printed checks are eligible.)
     • Using pre-fund direct deposit (Only traditional direct deposit and paper/printed checks are eligible.)
     • One or more employees weren’t paid
     • A previously paid employee in the pay schedule is no longer active
     • Adding a new employee to the pay schedule since the payroll was run
     • An employee deleted payroll information for direct deposit
5. Click the pay period link to expand and review payroll details.
6. Click “Continue.”

Step 2: Review Auto Payroll Timeline and Details

8. Review the Auto Payroll Timeline and payroll details.
   • Reminder: Expedited direct deposit is not available with Auto Payroll. Payroll will be processed 5–6 days before the pay date.
9. Click “Continue” to proceed.
   • Otherwise, click “Back to Payroll Selection” or “Cancel” using the links at the bottom to reselect or stop set up.

Step 3:  Notifications and Authorization

10. Click, “Enable Auto Payroll, ” as a final step to confirm you acknowledge the terms and conditions.
11. You’ll see a confirmation message that your Auto Payroll has been saved.
12. As the auto payroll administrator, you will automatically be receiving emails for the notification of a impending payroll and when auto payroll has been disabled.
13. See our help article “Events That Automatically Disable Auto Payroll.“

You can return to the Auto Payroll Settings page at any time to view:

• Auto Payroll Pay Schedule
• Pay Frequency
• Next Scheduled Payroll Run
• Next Scheduled Pay Date
• Employee Count

How to Disable Auto Payroll

If you have set up Auto Payroll, and need to make a change, can disable your Auto Payroll.

💡The deadline for disabling Auto Payroll is by 8:00 p.m., ET the day before the pay date. After that time, you will need to void the payroll if corrections are needed.

1. Go to Settings > Payroll Settings > Auto Payroll
2. Click the name of the pay schedule you want to disable.
3. Click “Disable this Auto Payroll.”

Also read our help article Events That Automatically Disable Auto Payroll to read about the company and employee changes that will disable your auto payroll.

Auto Payroll Email Notifications & Enrollment

The administrator who set up Auto Payroll will automatically be signed up to receive email notifications, although anyone who has access to payroll can sign up for email notifications.

Auto Payroll email notifications will be sent for:

• Reminder notifications the day before the Auto Payroll payroll run.
• Status change notifications that disable Auto Payroll. See our help article, “Events That Automatically Disable Auto Payroll,” for more information.

How to Add Yourself to Receive Auto Pay Notifications

Users who want to receive notifications must add their email address on the auto payroll settings.

1. Go to Settings > Payroll Settings > Auto Payroll
2. Select the name of the Auto Payroll you want notifications for
3. Slide down to the “Notifications” section
4. Click the box that reads “Add me as an Auto Payroll Administrator and subscribe me to these Auto Payroll emails.”
   1. 💡 This check box will only be shown for users who are not the original admin who set up auto payroll. 
5. Click “Save.”
   

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