Switching payroll systems? A checklist for your first payroll run
Switching payroll systems? Find out what to transfer, how to handle the cutover and what to check before you run payroll in the new system.
You’ve chosen a new payroll system. Your employees are set up, and payday is approaching. Then the questions start. Which shifts belong in the first payroll run? Did the carried-over holiday days come across? Who fixes a timesheet that’s still in the old system?
Start with three decisions: where the old system ends and the new one begins, what data needs to move, and who signs off on the first payroll run. This checklist is for restaurants, shops, event companies and other businesses with hourly staff.
1. Set a clear cutover between the two systems
Write down which pay period will be the last in the old system and which will be the first in the new one. Record both the dates covered by each period and the date employees will be paid.
For hourly staff, the day a shift was worked and the payday it appears on are two different things. If you switch systems partway through a period, decide how hours and absences from the first part of that period will carry over. Otherwise, a shift can be counted twice or missed entirely.
Decide who deals with late corrections, too. If someone spots a missing clock-out after the switch, everyone involved should know where to correct it and how it will reach the right payslip.
2. Check what came across after the import
A successful import means the new system could read the data. The next step is to check that the information still means what you expect it to.
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Employees and employment details | The correct employing company, employment dates, pay type and current rate or salary. |
| Pay supplements and deductions | Unsocial-hours premiums, fixed supplements and recurring deductions. Check the settings against the terms that apply to your team. |
| Annual leave | Accrued, used and carried-over days, plus any other balances the new system needs. |
| Data from previous pay periods | Cumulative amounts and opening balances required by the new system. Ask the provider to confirm which ones. |
| Items still to be processed | Hours, absences and corrections due to appear in an upcoming payroll run. |
| Tax and payment | Check tax details, the payment account and who is responsible for making the payment. |
Find out how you’ll access old payslips and supporting records when your previous contract ends. Decide what to export before you lose access.
3. Follow real shifts all the way to the payslip
Start with a typical shift to make sure the basics work. Then choose two or three cases that usually need someone to check them.
Try a shop worker who stayed late after closing, an employee who went home sick halfway through a shift, or an event shift that ran past midnight. If you’ve had a missed clock-out, test that too. It shows who needs to confirm the finishing time and how the approved hours reach payroll.
Ask four questions for each case:
- What happened during the shift?
- What time and any absence were approved?
- Which items appeared on the payslip, and can you explain the amounts?
- Does anything still need to be transferred or calculated manually?
If possible, run a trial for the same period in both systems before making the first payment. Investigate differences line by line. The old result gives you a useful comparison, but check the underlying records before deciding which figure is correct.
4. Give the first payroll run its own timetable
Work backwards from payday. Set a timesheet deadline, schedule a trial run and leave time to fix anything you find. If you need to prepare and approve a bank payment file, allow time for that too.
Assign an owner to each step. In a small business, one person may handle several of them. What matters is that someone checks each step before the payment goes ahead.
Before paying staff, check that:
- Everyone due to be paid is included under the right company and pay period.
- Hours, absences, pay supplements and late corrections are included without being counted twice.
- You can explain unexpected differences in gross pay, tax withheld or net pay.
- The payment instructions match the approved payroll.
- Someone is responsible for payslips, accounting records and the Swedish employer declaration (AGI), where applicable.
Getting the time clock running is only the first milestone
When Casa del Cava switched to Simflexity, the employee records were imported, the time clock went live and the restaurant manager created the first weekly schedule. Before the first payday, the team had to resolve a few missed clock-outs and adjust the payslips. Staff were paid.
Those are two separate milestones. First, staff need to be able to use the schedule and the time clock. Then the person running payroll needs to be able to trace a shift to the payslip and explain the amount. Plan for both from the start.
Bring a week of shifts to your walkthrough
In Simflexity, approved timesheets can feed into payroll. If you’re considering a switch, bring a typical shift and one that didn’t go to plan. We can walk through what you need to transfer, what managers need to approve and what to check before your first payday.
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