The four statuses
Draft
Generated but not yet approved. Editable. Can be regenerated to pick up new data.
Approved
Finance-approved and locked to edits. Ready for payment.
Paid
Payment recorded. Visible on the staff Earnings page as paid.
Disputed
Flagged for investigation — either by the operator or by staff via the Earnings page.
Payroll records list with status badges.
The state machine
Transitions
A record cannot skip a state. To mark something as paid you must first approve it. This preserves the audit trail.
Approving a record
1
Open the Records tab
Select the period.
2
Review the pay slip
Click a record to see the full pay slip breakdown — gross, hours, tips, deductions, advances, net.
3
Click Approve
Confirm in the dialog. The record is now locked.
Bulk approve
Use the checkboxes at the top of the list to select multiple Draft records, then click Approve Selected. Useful for high-volume pay runs.Marking a record as paid
1
Open an Approved record
Only Approved records can move to Paid.
2
Click Mark as Paid
Enter the payment method (Bank Transfer, Mobile Money, Cash) and reference number.
3
Confirm
The record is now Paid and appears on the staff member’s Earnings page as paid income.
Handling disputes
Staff can flag a Paid record from their Earnings portal (see Staff Earnings Portal). Admins can also flag a record directly.1
Investigate
Review the pay slip, hours, and any relevant clock-in logs.
2
Correct if needed
If a genuine error is found, generate an adjustment record for the next period rather than editing the disputed one. This preserves the audit trail.
3
Resolve
Click Resolve Dispute. The status returns to Paid and the resolution is logged.
Reverting to Draft
Sometimes an approved record needs a correction before payment.1
Open the Approved record
Locate it in the Records tab.
2
Click Revert to Draft
A confirmation dialog appears. The record returns to Draft and becomes editable.
3
Regenerate or adjust
Regenerate to pick up new hours or tips, then re-approve.
Tips and best practices
- Approve on the same day you generate to keep the pipeline moving.
- Batch Mark as Paid once you have processed all bank transfers.
- Never edit a disputed record directly — always issue a correcting record.
- Use payment references (bank reference, mobile money confirmation) so staff can verify their pay.
Common mistakes
- Skipping approval. You cannot mark a record as Paid until it is Approved.
- Editing after approval. Impossible — revert to Draft first.
- Deleting records to “fix” mistakes. Records are immutable once approved. Use adjustments instead.