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Using Pending Employee Statuses

In this article:

Understanding Employee Statuses

You will have the ability to set statuses and effective dates for your employees.

  • Active – Employee is currently employed and being paid.
  • Inactive – Employee may or may not still be considered “employed” but is not currently being paid. The employee with an inactive status will not appear on the payroll screen. This status may be useful for a seasonal employee who returns each year, or a future employee with a pending active status.
  • Terminated – Employee is not currently employed (either through their own resignation or firing by employer). The employee is not being paid and will not appear on the payroll screen.
  • Leave of Absence – Employee is still employed and still being paid.

To update the historical employment statuses, please see our help article, Using Employee Status History

When to Use a Pending Status

Pending Statuses are a convenient feature when you have changes that will take place in the future on a specific date. For example, a new hire who starts next week, or an employee who will be leaving at the end of the month. Learn how to set a status with a future date.

You’ll use “Current Status Updates” when the change is happening today and immediately updates the employee’s current status in the system. For example, an employee changed from “Active” to “Terminated” effective today. Learn more on our article, “How to Update an Employee’s Current Status.”

Also see “ Viewing Employee Status History“

Setting a Status with a Future Date (Pending Status)

There are two places to add a pending status:
Coming soon to payroll customers! From the Employee Record:

  1. Payroll > Employees > Employee List > {select Employee’s Name} > Employee Info tab
  2. Click the ‘Edit’ option next to the Employee’s name
  3.  Find the “Status” section.
  4.  Click the +Add a Pending Status link.
  5. Select the Status from the dropdown list: Active, Inactive, Leave of Absence, or Terminated.
  6. Enter the Effective Date of the status change. 
  7. Enter payroll effective dates
    • (Optional) If adding a new, hire and you want to pay the employee before the hire date, click the “Pay this employee before the hire date box, and enter a Payroll Start Date. 
    • (Optional) If updating the employee status to Inactive or Terminated, enter the Final Pay Date. 
  8. Enter a Reason (Optional)
  9. Enter any Comments (Optional)
  10. Click Save.


From the Employee List – Available for HR Coming soon to payroll customers!

  1. Payroll > Employees > Employee List
  2. Click the dropdown by the employee’s name in the status column
  3. Select the Status from the dropdown list: Active, Inactive, Leave of Absence, or Terminated.
  4. Enter your future Effective Date of the status change.
  5. Enter payroll effective dates (Optional)
    • If updating the employee status to Inactive or Terminated enter the Final Pay Date.
  6. Enter a Reason (Optional)
  7. Enter any Comments (Optional)
  8. Click Save.

Automatic status changes

  • If no final pay date has been entered, the system will keep the employee in their current status and automatically change to the new status shortly after midnight in your time zone on the new effective date. 
  • If a final pay date has been entered the system will change to the new status shortly after midnight on the day after the final pay date.  This will ensure the employee stays active in the payroll so the employee can be paid.

Example 1: Employee A

  • Employee A’s current status is active
  • Employee A’s pending status is terminated, effective 1/14/22
  • Employee A has no final pay date.  
  • The system will keep Employee A active until 1/13/22 and then automatically change the employee status to terminated on 1/14/22

Example 2: Employee B

  • Employee B’s current status is active.
  • Employee B’s pending status is terminated, effective 1/14/22
  • Employee B’s final pay date is the same day, 1/14/22
  • The system will keep Employee B active until 1/15/22 and then automatically change the status to terminated.

Example 3: Employee C

  • Employee C’s current status is active.
  • Employee C’s pending status is terminated, effective 1/14/22
  • Employee C’s final pay date is 1/21/22
  • The system will keep Employee C’s status active until 1/22/22 (the day after) and then automatically change the status to terminated.

New hire employee status display

When adding new employees if the hire date is in the future, the employee’s current status will be “inactive” with a pending status of “active” until that hire date has arrived. 

If you have Patriot HR you’ll have access to the, “Pending Statuses Report” for information on employees with a pending status.

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