Approve payroll

Approval is an optional workflow action on the payroll review screen, not a step that appears in every preparation wizard. Use it only when the screen displays “Approve payroll” (or “Approve correction”).

Before you begin

Review the run’s schedule and service period, close-by date, statutory effective date, status, pack identity, totals, employee outcomes, generated statutory outputs, and audit evidence. Confirm your local approval authority and that the run’s available-actions response includes “Approve”. Approval does not execute payment.

Steps

1. In Payruns, select Review calculations for the run.
2. Complete the review described in Review payroll.
3. Select “Approve payroll” when that exact action is visible. For a source-linked reversal, the label may be “Approve correction”.
4. Wait for the action to finish and reload the run state.
5. Confirm the status changes to “Approved” and check which next action is now available, such as “Finalise payroll”.

What to check

The status badge should show “Approved” and the review data should remain tied to the same run ID and pack snapshot. If the action is absent, do not describe the run as approved; absence means the backend has not made that action available in this context.

Important distinction

The regular and off-cycle preparation wizards show “Review & Finalise” followed by direct “Finalise payroll” after a successful preview. They do not show a separate approval button. The payroll review screen shows “Approve” only when the run offers that action; a static guide or an old status label is not proof that approval is available.

Compliance boundary

Approval is an internal payroll workflow state. It does not submit PAYE, NSSA, ZIMDEF, or any other file to an authority. Review and submit generated files through the applicable official channel.

Common problems