Payslip and batch statuses explained
Every payslip in a payroll batch has a status, such as Open, Pending, Verified, Approved, Closed, Paid, On Hold or Inactive. This article explains what each status means, who can move a payslip from one status to the next, and why a batch shows Open, Closed or Paid.
Where: Payroll › the batch › Payslips tab › the status button on each row
You need:
- The Payroll Processor (Edit & Calculate) right to change statuses on the Payslips, Wages and Compare tabs
- A level in the batch cycle's Authorized Persons (Verify, Approve, Close or Pay) for each step you want to take
The payslip statuses
The statuses run in a fixed order. A payslip normally moves up one step at a time.
| Status | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Created with the batch, never calculated. It has no figures yet. | Calculate it |
| Inactive | Taken out of this batch. Its figures and its other payments are cleared. | Move it back to Open or Pending, then calculate |
| On Hold | Held back from payment. It keeps its figures. | Release it, or pay it later from On Hold Payslips |
| Pending | Calculated and waiting to be checked. Every calculation puts a payslip here. | Recalculate it, or verify it |
| Verified | Checked by a verifier | Approve it, or send it back |
| Approved | Signed off by an approver | Close it, or send it back |
| Closed | Final and ready to pay. Employees can see it if Allow viewing Closed payslips is on. | Pay it from the Payment tab |
| Paid | Payment confirmed, with a paid date | Nothing. Reopen batch on the Payment tab returns paid payslips to Closed. |
⚠️ Only Open and Pending payslips can be calculated. To recalculate a Verified, Approved or Closed payslip, move it back to Pending first. It then needs verifying and approving again.
How to change one payslip's status
- Open the batch and go to the Payslips tab.
- Click the status button in the payslip's row.
- Pick the new status from the menu: Inactive, On Hold, Pending, Verified, Approved or Closed.
You can also click the row to open the payslip's Overview and change the Status drop-down there. Paid is never in these menus: a payslip becomes Paid only when you confirm payment on the Payment tab, on the employee's payslip, or on the On Hold Payslips page.
How to change many statuses at once
- On the Payslips or Wages tab, tick the payslips. Use the arrow next to the header tick box to Select all on the page or Select All in the batch.
- Click Bulk Actions.
- In Payroll Bulk Actions, each status you selected from has its own row. Under Move to, pick the new status for that row.
- Check Your payroll authority and Payroll approvers in the dialog, then click Change status.
Open payslips show Calculate to change status: they must be calculated first. The same dialog has Bulk Delete payslips, with Delete All for the selection.
Who can move a payslip, and how far
Status changes follow the batch cycle's approval chain. Each person in Authorized Persons has one or more levels: Verify, Approve, Close and Pay. The dialog calls them Verifier, Approver, Closer and Payer.
- Moving up one step needs that step's level. A verifier can take Pending to Verified; only an approver can take Verified to Approved.
- Moving down goes one step at a time, for example Closed to Approved. Any level in the batch cycle is enough to move a payslip down.
- No skipping, in either direction. The dialog's wording about demoting "to any lower status" is broader than what KAMI accepts.
- On Hold is the exception. You can put any calculated payslip on hold in one step, and from On Hold move it straight to Pending, Open or Inactive.
- Inactive can be chosen from Open, Pending or On Hold. An Inactive payslip can go back to Open, Pending or On Hold.
- Someone who holds every level can move a payslip to any status in one go.
If a change is refused, KAMI tells you which statuses you are allowed to choose.
💡 To recalculate a Closed payslip quickly, put it On Hold, then move it to Pending. That is two steps instead of three.
The batch status
You never set a batch's status directly. KAMI works it out from its payslips every time one changes. Even Close batch and Reopen batch on the Payment tab work by changing the payslips.
| Batch status | When |
|---|---|
| Open | At least one payslip is still Open, Pending, Verified or Approved |
| Closed | Every payslip is Closed, Paid, On Hold or Inactive |
| Paid | Every payslip is Paid or Inactive |
So a batch with one payslip on hold stays Closed, even after everyone else is paid. It becomes Paid when that payslip is paid or made Inactive.
On the dashboard, open batches are batches still being worked on, and batches to be paid are Closed batches.
What Happens Next
- Paid triggers the follow-on work: loan and scheduled-payment instalments are marked paid, expenses in the payslip are marked paid, and a final pay record is marked paid.
- Inactive clears the payslip's figures and removes its other payments. Loan deductions on it are released.
- Moving a payslip towards release (Verified, Approved, Closed) re-runs its validation checks, so a problem found late still gets flagged.
- Each single status change is saved on the payslip and shows in the payroll audit trail.
Tips
- Calculate, then verify straight away. A Pending payslip is the only one a stray batch recalculation will rebuild.
- Keep verifier and approver different people. The second pair of eyes is the control. Set this in Batch cycles.
- Use On Hold for one person, not the whole batch. Everyone else can be paid on time. See Holding a payslip and paying it later.
- Use Inactive for someone who should not be in this batch at all, not for someone you will pay later. Inactive wipes the figures.
Troubleshooting / FAQ
Q: Why can't I move a payslip from Pending to Approved? You cannot skip Verified unless you hold every level. Verify it first, or ask a verifier.
Q: Why can't I send a Closed payslip straight back to Pending? Moving down is one step at a time. Put it On Hold first, then move it to Pending.
Q: The status menu says I am not allowed. Your level in the batch cycle does not cover that step. Ask whoever manages Payroll user rights and the batch cycle's Authorized Persons.
Q: Why is the batch still Closed when everyone is paid? Somebody is On Hold. Pay them from On Hold Payslips, or make them Inactive.
Q: I recalculated the batch but a Verified payslip did not change. Only Open and Pending payslips are calculated. Move it back to Pending and recalculate.