WFM UK: UI Refresh: Completing and Approving Payroll – Fourth & HotSchedules Customer Success Portal

Overview

This article outlines the four key stages of processing payroll in the Fourth Workforce Management (WFM) system:

Previewing Payroll - Using the onscreen Payroll Preview
Completing Payroll – Locking down payroll data to prevent further changes
Approving Payroll – Reviewing and confirming payroll before payment
Paying Employees – Generating and submitting payment files to the bank

Running the Final Payroll Preview

The Payroll Preview displays exactly what will be paid to employees. It is the final report before completing payroll, so it is advised that a copy is taken and saved for any future queries that might come up during reconciliations.

Go to Payroll home.

Using the side menu, go to Payroll > Payroll Homepage and select the required current Pay Run

Fig.1 - Selecting a current Pay Run

On the next page, use the Page Links drop-down and select Preview

Fig.2 - Page Links > Preview

In the pop-up that appears, configure the preview
Select the required Location and Division
For Type, there are several options:
- Basic Details - Shows Gross to Net pay. By exporting to Excel, it is possible to see the distinction between employer's and employees' NI. Excel Functions can also be used to check for high/low tax deductions, tax refunds, high net pay, high gross pay, pension contributions, negative nets etc
- With Pay Elements - Includes salary/hours and anything added on top
- With Pay Elements and Deductions - Includes salary/hours and anything added and deducted, for example, SSP and SMP. Again, by exporting to Excel, pay elements can be filtered to cross-match against any uploads
- Payroll Differences - Shows payments on the left and deductions on the right
For the Preview More, choose On Screen Preview
When all selections are made, select Run Preview

Fig.3 – Preview criteria

Fig.4 – Basic Details preview

Fig.5 – With Pay Elements and Deductions preview

If Export to Excel is selected, this preview will display a list of all the pay elements and deductions on the preview, and any employee Termination dates. The exported Pay Elements and Deduction preview can be filtered/made into pivot tables and used to check the Payroll information.

Fig.6 – With Pay Elements and Deductions - 'Export to Excel'

Completing Payroll

Completing payroll is the process of finalising pay data before approval. This step locks down figures, preventing further changes from other modules and allowing for a stable review period.

Steps to Complete Payroll:

Go to Payroll > Payroll Homepage and select the relevant pay run from the 'Current Payruns' section
Scroll to the bottom of the page and Select All to mark all employee records

Fig.7 – With Pay Elements and Deductions - 'Export to Excel'

To exclude pay for any individual employees, tick the Hold? box(es)

Fig.8 – With Pay Elements and Deductions - 'Export to Excel'

Scroll to the bottom and select Save, ensuring that every employee is marked either as Complete or Hold
Go to Page Links in the top-right corner and select Complete Payroll

Fig.9 – With Pay Elements and Deductions - 'Export to Excel'

In the pop-up:
- Enter a reference (e.g., 'Weekly Payroll – Week 12')
- Choose whether to close the pay run in the background (recommended for large payrolls)
To finalise, select Save

Fig.10 – With Pay Elements and Deductions - 'Export to Excel'

The pay run will show on the 'Current Pay Run List' page, with the '% Completion' indicated onscreen (see Fig.11), and payslips will begin appearing in the Employee Self-Service app.

Fig.11 – With Pay Elements and Deductions - 'Export to Excel'

The system will send the FPS (Full Payment Submission) to HMRC automatically.

Once completed, the pay run will move from the 'Current' to the 'Past Payruns' page.

Approving Payroll

Once a pay run is completed, users with approval permissions receive an automated email notification.

Go to Payroll > Payroll Homepage
In the 'Past Payruns' section, select the pay run to approve

Fig.12 – Selecting a pay run to approve from the 'Past Payruns' section

Review the 'Total Gross Pay', 'Net Pay', and 'Payment Method'
Optionally, select individual 'pay elements' (e.g., Holiday, Bonus) to see employee-level breakdowns
For a full breakdown, use 'Page Links > Pay Run Report' and follow on-screen instructions.
Once satisfied, click 'Approve'.

Fig.13 – Selecting a pay run to approve from the 'Past Payruns' section

Confirm approval in the pop-up window. The pay run status will change to 'Approved' (green)

Paying Employees

After approval, you can generate a BACS file or CSV to process payments.

For BACS Users:

⚠️ Note: This process is for customers managing their own BACS payments. Bureau-managed customers should not use this method.

From the Payroll Homepage, select the approved pay run (now green)
Go to Page Links > Create A BACS File

Fig.14 – 'Page Links' > 'Create A BACS File'

In the form:

Select the Bank Name
Keep the Location set to All
Confirm the BACS Sending Date, Processing Date', and Pay Date (these should match the greyed-out 'expected dates')
Enter your BACS User Number (if applicable)
Enter a Narrative (e.g., “Fourth June Payroll”) for the bank statement
Finally, select Create File

A text file will be generated for submission to your bank.

Fig.15 – BACS file details

For CSV Users:

Go to Payroll > Reports > View Reports
Run the Payroll BACS Transfer Report to generate a CSV file

More Payroll Process articles can be found here - WFM UK: Payroll Processes Articles