Releasing a payroll

Releasing is the last step after a payroll is approved. It tells Sahora the payroll is ready to be paid: only then are the disbursement list, the bank files and the monthly remittance reports made from it. This guide shows who releases a payroll, how, and what changes afterwards.

Who releases

• Your Finance user, or an Owner / Management user. Payroll officers and payroll approvers can't release.
• If your company has no Finance user, the owner releases the payroll.
• If your company has a Finance user, the payroll can't be paid out until it is released.

Releasing is a separate step from approving, so the person who handles the money confirms the payroll before any payment file is made.

Release a payroll

1. Open Payroll and choose the pay period. The status line says the payroll is approved and "Waiting for Finance (or the owner) to release it". Your dashboard also lists approved payrolls to release.
2. Check the register and the totals.
3. Click Release payroll.
4. Read the confirmation: "Release this payroll? It can no longer be unlocked; corrections go through an adjustment run. Bank files and remittance reports become available." Click OK.

You see "Released. Bank files and the remittance reports now include this payroll." The status line then shows who released it.

Adjustment runs are released the same way, on their own page.

After the release

• Payout: the internal disbursement list can be downloaded, and a bank file for each bank Sahora has set up for your company. See Payout and the journal entry.
• Remittances: the payroll is included in the monthly SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG reports. See SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions.
• No unlock: a released payroll can't be unlocked. Corrections go into an adjustment run (see Adjustment runs and back pay).

What can go wrong

• "The payout list is available once the payroll is approved and released by Finance (or the owner)." or "Bank files are available once the payroll is approved and released by Finance (or the owner)." Release the payroll first.
• "Finance must release this payroll before it is paid out." Your company has a Finance user and the payroll isn't released yet. Ask Finance to release it.
• "This payroll is not approved, or was already released." Reload the page. The payroll may still be waiting for approval, or someone already released it.
• There is no Release payroll button. The payroll isn't approved yet (see Submitting and approving a payroll), or your role can't release.

Good to know

• Finance users can read registers, results and loans, release payrolls and make bank files and government reports, but they never change employees or pay.
• Releasing doesn't send money. You still pay employees through your bank as usual.