How to Perform a Payroll Period Locking?

The timesheet closing process finalizes the payroll period. Once a closing is locked, no further edits or new punches can be made, and the data becomes ready for export and digital signature.

This feature is available under Payroll > Lockings and is restricted to users with Payroll permissions.

1. Create a new closing

   • Navigate to Payroll > Lockings and click New Payroll.

   • Select the Payroll Group from the drop‑down and confirm the Date range for the period.

   • Click Create.
     
     

2. Review the period before locking

   • Click a row to open the period details. Columns include Employee, Worked Days, Supervisor, Planned hours, Worked hours, Extra hours, Banked Hours, Night Shift and Status.

   • Review and correct punches and absences.
     
     

3. Lock the period

   • On the details page, click Lock to close the period.

   • A message will confirm that the period has been locked and that exporting the payroll is now possible.
     
     

4. Request digital signatures (optional)

   • After locking, click Request to sign to send digital signature requests to employees.

   • Select the columns to be displayed in the export and confirm. Each employee's status will appear as PENDING or SIGNED on the signatures page.
     
     

5. Unlock for adjustments

   • If data correction is needed, click Unlock all to reopen the period.

   • To unlock only specific employees, click Unlock on the desired row. This allows specific adjustments without reopening the entire period.
     
     
     

6. Export and/or send to Payroll

   • Click Export to download the payroll file.

   • Choose the Payroll Layout in which you want to export the information.

   • If there is integration with your Payroll system, this option will be replaced by Send to payroll, where time tracking events information will be automatically sent to the integrated payroll system.
     
     

Tips or troubleshooting

• Make sure all employees are assigned to the correct group before closing.

• Use the Unlock option only when necessary; reopening the period cancels pending exports and signatures.

Best practices

• Plan deadlines and locking periods well to keep payroll up to date.

• Review the period together with supervisors to avoid errors after locking.

• Use electronic signatures to record employee agreement and meet legal requirements.

Frequently asked questions

1. Does locking prevent any adjustments?
   Yes. To make adjustments, you need to unlock (fully or partially) and, after correction, lock again.

2. What happens to signatures when unlocking the period?
   When unlocking (fully or partially), pending signatures are canceled. After locking again, you will need to request the signatures a new time.

3. Do I need to export again after making adjustments?
   Yes. If the period was unlocked and changes were made, a new export is necessary to ensure updated data is sent to the payroll.