> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.edustream.ng/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Staff Payroll: Setup, Processing & Payslip Dispatch

> Set up employee salary profiles, configure PAYE tax and pension deductions, run the monthly payroll, and dispatch digital payslips to all staff.

Edustream's payroll module gives school administrators a complete, end-to-end salary processing workflow without requiring a separate HR system. From defining each employee's base salary and allowances to calculating PAYE tax and pension deductions, running the monthly payroll, and dispatching digital payslips directly to staff inboxes — every step happens within the platform. This page guides you through the full payroll lifecycle, from initial setup through to a completed monthly run.

<Note>
  **Payroll is an Enterprise-only feature.** It is not available on Core or Operations plans. To unlock the Payroll module, upgrade your school's subscription to the Enterprise plan. Visit [Plans & Pricing](/getting-started/plans-and-pricing) to compare plans, or [contact the Edustream team](/help/contact) for pricing information.
</Note>

***

## Setting Up Employee Salary Profiles

Before you can run payroll, every staff member who receives a salary through Edustream must have a salary profile. A salary profile defines the employee's fixed compensation structure — base pay, allowances, and department — and forms the foundation for all payroll calculations.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Payroll Setup">
    In the left navigation, go to **Payroll → Employee Profiles**. This screen lists all staff members synced from your school's employee directory. If a staff member is missing, add them first via **HR → Staff** before proceeding.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open a staff member's profile">
    Click on a staff member's name to open their salary profile. If they have not yet been configured, the profile will be in a *Draft* state with empty compensation fields.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the base salary">
    Enter the employee's gross monthly **Base Salary** in your school's base currency. This is the fixed pay before any allowances or deductions.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add allowances">
    Click **Add Allowance** to include supplementary pay items. Common allowances include:

    | Allowance Type               | Description                                             |
    | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Housing Allowance**        | A fixed monthly housing supplement.                     |
    | **Transport Allowance**      | Fixed monthly transport contribution.                   |
    | **Medical Allowance**        | Monthly healthcare stipend.                             |
    | **Responsibility Allowance** | Additional pay for heads of department or senior staff. |

    For each allowance, enter the name and the fixed monthly amount. You can add as many allowance lines as needed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign the department">
    Select the staff member's **Department** (e.g., Academic, Administration, Support Services, Finance). Department assignment determines which department salary ledger the employee's pay is charged to and enables department-level payroll reporting.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the profile">
    Click **Save Profile**. The profile status changes from *Draft* to *Active*. Repeat this process for every staff member before running your first payroll.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Use the **Bulk Import** option under **Payroll → Employee Profiles → Import** to upload salary profiles from a CSV spreadsheet if you are onboarding a large number of staff at once. Download the provided template, fill in the required columns, and upload the completed file.
</Tip>

***

## Configuring Tax and Pension Deductions

Edustream applies statutory deductions automatically during each payroll run, based on the rates you configure here. Set these up once; they apply to every subsequent payroll run until you change them.

### PAYE Tax Configuration

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Tax Settings">
    Go to **Payroll → Settings → Tax Configuration**. The PAYE setup screen displays the current tax band table.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review or enter tax bands">
    Edustream uses a progressive tax band structure aligned with the standard PAYE schedule. Verify that the income thresholds and corresponding tax rates reflect the current rates published by your country's tax authority. Click **Edit** to update any band if the rates have changed.

    A typical PAYE band table looks like this:

    | Annual Taxable Income | Tax Rate |
    | --------------------- | -------- |
    | First ₦300,000        | 7%       |
    | Next ₦300,000         | 11%      |
    | Next ₦500,000         | 15%      |
    | Next ₦500,000         | 19%      |
    | Next ₦1,600,000       | 21%      |
    | Above ₦3,200,000      | 24%      |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the consolidated relief allowance">
    Enter the **Consolidated Relief Allowance (CRA)** percentage and fixed amount as specified by the relevant tax authority. Edustream deducts the CRA from gross income before applying the tax bands.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save tax settings">
    Click **Save Tax Configuration**. Changes take effect from the next payroll run. Previously completed payroll runs are not retroactively altered.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Pension Deduction Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Pension Settings">
    Go to **Payroll → Settings → Pension Configuration**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter contribution rates">
    Enter the employee and employer contribution rates as percentages of the employee's gross emoluments (basic salary + housing + transport allowances, as defined by the applicable Pension Act). For example:

    * **Employee Contribution**: 8%
    * **Employer Contribution**: 10%
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign PFA codes (optional)">
    If your school tracks individual Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) details, you can enter each employee's PFA name and RSA PIN on their salary profile. This information is included in the payroll export for remittance purposes.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save pension settings">
    Click **Save Pension Configuration**. Edustream will apply these rates when calculating net pay during every subsequent payroll run.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Adding Bonus and Extra Pay Items

For months where staff receive one-off payments — such as a 13th-month bonus, a performance bonus, or a special allowance — you can add extra pay items to the current payroll run before finalising it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the current payroll run">
    Go to **Payroll → Monthly Payroll** and open the payroll run for the current month (see the next section for how to initiate a run).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a bonus item">
    Click **Add Extra Pay**, select the employee (or choose *All Staff* for a school-wide bonus), enter the pay item name (e.g., *End of Year Bonus*), the amount, and indicate whether the item is **Taxable** or **Non-Taxable**. Taxable bonuses are included in the gross taxable income calculation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and review">
    Click **Save**. The extra pay item appears on the employee's payroll row, and the net pay figure updates to reflect the addition.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Running the Monthly Payroll

<Steps>
  <Step title="Initiate a new payroll run">
    Go to **Payroll → Monthly Payroll** and click **New Payroll Run**. Select the **Month** and **Year** for the run (e.g., *November 2024*). Edustream will not allow you to create a duplicate run for the same month.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the payroll summary">
    The system automatically generates a payroll row for every active employee, calculating:

    * **Gross Pay** = Base Salary + All Allowances + Any Bonus Items
    * **PAYE Tax** = Calculated per the configured tax bands
    * **Pension (Employee)** = Employee contribution rate applied to emoluments
    * **Pension (Employer)** = Employer contribution rate (for ledger reporting)
    * **Net Pay** = Gross Pay − PAYE Tax − Employee Pension Contribution

    Review the figures for each employee. If any amount looks incorrect, click the employee's row to inspect their profile and make corrections before approving.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add any bonus or extra pay items">
    If applicable, add bonus items now as described in the previous section. Net pay figures will update immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approve the payroll run">
    Once you are satisfied that all figures are correct, click **Approve Payroll**. Approval locks the payroll run — no further edits can be made after this point. A confirmation dialog will display the total gross payroll amount, total tax liability, total pension deductions, and total net pay for the month. Confirm to proceed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Dispatch payslips">
    After approval, click **Dispatch Payslips**. Edustream generates a personalised digital payslip PDF for every employee and sends it to their registered staff email address. A dispatch log shows the delivery status for each email (Delivered, Pending, or Failed).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Payroll approval is irreversible. If you discover an error after approving a payroll run, you must contact your Edustream account administrator to request a correction and create a supplementary adjustment run for the affected employee(s). Do not approve until all figures have been thoroughly reviewed.
</Warning>

***

## Reviewing the Department Salary Ledger

The department salary ledger gives a breakdown of payroll expenditure by department for each month, making it easy to analyse staffing costs and prepare management accounts.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Salary Ledger">
    Go to **Payroll → Salary Ledger**. Select the month and year you want to review.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Filter by department">
    Use the **Department** filter to drill into a specific department (e.g., *Academic*). The ledger shows every employee in that department with their gross pay, deductions breakdown, and net pay for the selected month.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review summary totals">
    At the top of each department view, a summary row shows the department's total gross payroll, total tax, total pension, and total net pay. This matches the figures that feed into the school's overall financial reports.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Export the ledger">
    Click **Export** to download the ledger in Excel or CSV format. The export is scoped to the current filter selection — for a full school export, clear all department filters before exporting.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Employee Payslip History" icon="file-lines">
    Staff members can view their own payslip history by logging into the Edustream staff portal and navigating to **My Payslips**. Every dispatched payslip is archived here, downloadable as a PDF, and accessible at any time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payroll Audit Trail" icon="shield-check">
    Every action taken within a payroll run — creation, edits, approval, and dispatch — is timestamped and attributed to the logged-in administrator. This audit trail is accessible under **Payroll → Audit Log** and cannot be modified.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  Edustream does not process the actual salary disbursements to staff bank accounts — it calculates payroll and generates payslips. Use the exported payroll file to instruct your bank on the net pay amounts to transfer to each employee. Integration with bank bulk-payment platforms is on the Edustream product roadmap.
</Info>