Enter payroll instructions
Payroll administrators and principals have legal responsibilities when entering payroll instructions, to:
- give true and accurate information
- check that pay conditions fit employment agreement provisions
- obtain the employee's signature for changes
- only pay for work completed, i.e. do not make advance payments
- obtain the principal's or board's signature for changes to their own pay.
It is your responsibility to pay each employee based on the provisions of their employment agreement. See the Ministry of Education's website: People and employment
Before you make any changes to an employee's pay or personal details, the employee must give their approval. Obtain their signature for your records before you complete a payroll form for the change.
The Employment Relations Act 2000 requires that accurate employee wage and time records be maintained. See Payroll record keeping.
Only pay for work completed
Education Payroll pays employees in arrears for hours they have already worked, or will have worked within the current pay period fortnight.
Payments in advance fall within the Ministry's fraud policy: schools are liable for prosecution if they make prepayments. Falsifying wage records to prepay employees, (e.g. stating an employee has worked in the school on dates they didn't), is illegal under the Employment Relations Act 2000.
Changes to your own pay
Payroll administrators cannot alter their own pay details. Their pay must be managed by another administrator with higher access rights or by the principal.
EdPay does not allow any users at a school to alter a principal's salary details. Changes to a principal's payroll details must be submitted via form, signed by the board of trustees, if required.
Timing
See Cut-off times for pay instructions to ensure that payroll instructions are submitted on time each pay period.
Related links
Resources:
Information for: