Automatic drafts prepare regular payroll for your team to review. Each enabled schedule has its own first period, timing, and notification recipients. The resulting draft still needs its inputs reviewed, a current payroll preview, and authorised finalisation through the payroll wizard.

Before you begin

Confirm the organisation, schedule, employee assignments, and confirmed schedule periods. You need payroll automation access to change the policy. Resolve calendar and organisation payroll-readiness issues before expecting an automatic attempt to create a draft.

Steps

  1. Open the schedule's settings

    Open Payroll → Schedules and choose Automatic draft settings from the intended row. Check the schedule and organisation before enabling Create a draft automatically.

  2. Choose the first period and creation time

    Select a confirmed First automated period. Set Lead time before close by to a whole number from 0 to 30 business days, then choose Draft creation time. The time uses the displayed Schedule timezone, inherited from the effective schedule version. Business-calendar evidence is required to resolve working-day timing.

  3. Choose the in-app recipients

    In In-app notifications, use All authorised payroll admins (default) or Choose specific authorised users. Select the intended authorised recipients when using the latter. These notices are delivered in the app; email notifications are not used.

  4. Check the next draft preview

    Select Refresh preview. Compare the period, creation date and time, close-by date, and any Existing draft label or calendar warning. A preview can use current unsaved settings; it does not apply those changes.

  5. Save and check execution

    Select Save changes. Check whether automatic drafts run while the app is open or whether closed-app execution is available. Follow Workspace execution settings when that capability needs configuration. Use run history to verify an actual attempt and open its draft.

    Expected result: The screen shows Saved settings and the intended next draft timing.

Pause, resume, or disable

Save or cancel edits before choosing Pause automation or Resume automation. Pausing preserves the policy and stops future automatic attempts until resumed. To turn the policy off, clear Create a draft automatically and save. Review the next preview after changes to the schedule, calendar, or retirement date. The screen prevents enabling draft creation on or after the applicable retirement boundary.

After a draft is created

Open the draft and follow the payroll preparation checklist. Check the captured employees, service coverage, hours, time off, transactions, rates, and statutory requirements. An automatic draft or a notification that it is ready does not mean payroll has been calculated, finalised, paid, or submitted.