Available for the following plans: Lite, Plus, Unlimited HR, Essentials, Engage, Elite, Unlimited HR+Payroll
Available for the following HR plans: Standard, Premium, Platinum
Available for the following user access levels: Manager, Admin
Hero AI Checker is a proactive compliance tool that detects and surfaces issues across Timesheets, Leave, and Expenses earlier in the process — before they reach payroll. By validating submissions at the point of entry, Hero AI Checker guides employees to fix issues before they submit, and gives managers clear, actionable signals during review. This reduces rework, improves accuracy, and creates a smoother end-to-end experience.
Helpful Hint
Hero AI Checker is currently available as an open beta for Australian organisations. It will be expanded to other regions shortly after. To access this feature, you will need to enable it via the Beta Features panel.
In this guide, we will cover how to enable and configure the Hero AI Checker. Click on the topic you want to learn about:
- Enable the Pre-Payroll Checker beta feature
- Access the Pre-Payroll Checker settings
- How built-in checks work
- Upload a policy document (optional)
- Manage extracted compliance rules
- How it works for employees
- How it works for managers
1. Enable the Pre-Payroll Checker beta feature
Before you can use the Hero AI Checker, you need to enable it through the Beta Features panel. This will activate the feature for your entire organisation.
- Click the Beta flask icon in the top navigation bar.
- The Beta Features Access panel will open.
- Locate Pre-Payroll Checker in the list.
- Click the toggle to turn it on (the toggle will turn purple when enabled).
Important
Enabling this feature applies it to your whole organisation. All managers and admins will have access to the Pre-Payroll Checker settings once it is turned on.
2. Access the Pre-Payroll Checker settings
Once enabled, the Pre-Payroll Checker appears as its own card in your Settings page under the Hero AI section.
- Click the Settings menu.
- Locate the Hero AI section.
- Click Pre-Payroll Checker.
From here you will see tabs for Leave and Expenses, where you can view and manage the compliance rules applied to your organisation.
3. How built-in checks work
Hero AI Checker comes with a set of standard compliance rules that run automatically as soon as the feature is enabled — no policy documents need to be uploaded for these to work. These built-in checks cover common compliance scenarios across timesheets and leave, and are applied at the point of submission for all employees in your organisation.
Examples of built-in checks include:
- Timesheet entries that overlap with an approved leave period
- Leave requests submitted for dates where leave has already been approved
- Insufficient rest time between shifts
- Team availability conflicts on requested leave dates
When a potential issue is detected, the employee will see a Needs Review caution banner at the bottom of their submission form, along with a checklist showing which rules passed and which require attention.
The following screenshots show examples of built-in checks surfaced during a timesheet entry and a leave request:
Helpful Hint
Policy documents are optional. Uploading a policy allows Hero AI to extract additional organisation-specific rules to supplement the standard built-in checks — but the checker will work straight away without one. See Upload a policy document if you'd like to customise the rules further.
4. Upload a policy document (optional)
In addition to the standard built-in checks, Hero AI Checker can extract compliance rules from your organisation's own written policy documents. This allows you to tailor the checker to your specific policies — for example, a custom travel expenses policy or a leave policy with organisation-specific requirements.
- From the Pre-Payroll Checker page, click Go to Policy Management. Alternatively, navigate to Policy Management directly from your Settings.
- Click Add new policy to create a policy from scratch, or Upload files to upload an existing document (for example, a travel expenses policy PDF).
- Give the policy a name (for example, Travel Expenses).
- Click Save.
- Click Publish to make the policy active.
Important
Additional rules extracted from your policy documents will only become active once the policy has been published. After publishing, the system will process the document and populate the relevant rules in the Pre-Payroll Checker under the Leave or Expenses tab.
5. Manage extracted compliance rules
Once a policy has been published, Hero AI will extract the individual compliance rules from the document and list them in the Pre-Payroll Checker. You can choose which rules are active and applied to submissions.
- Click the Settings menu.
- Under the Hero AI section, click Pre-Payroll Checker.
- Select the relevant tab — Leave or Expenses.
- Review the list of extracted rules.
- Use the toggle next to each rule to turn individual rules on or off as required.
Helpful Hint
Turning off a rule means it will no longer be validated at the point of submission or during manager review. You can re-enable rules at any time.
How it works for employees
When an employee creates a timesheet entry or submits a leave request, Hero AI Checker validates the submission in real time against your active compliance rules. If a potential issue is detected, the employee is notified immediately — before they submit — so they can resolve it on the spot.
Examples of issues that may be flagged include:
- A timesheet entry that overlaps with an existing approved leave period.
- A leave request where the employee does not have sufficient leave balance.
- An expense submission that does not meet a policy requirement.
The system will display a Needs Review warning alongside a clear explanation of the issue, giving the employee the opportunity to amend or justify the submission before it moves forward.
How it works for managers
Even if an employee submits a timesheet, leave request, or expense with a potential issue, managers receive a clear Hero AI review signal during the approval process. This gives managers the information they need to make an informed decision without having to investigate manually.
- Navigate to Leave Management (or the relevant Timesheets or Expenses section).
- Look for submissions flagged with a Hero AI review indicator.
- Click the submission to view the flagged issue — for example, "Leave may not have enough balance."
- Review the details and choose to approve, decline, or request more information from the employee.
Important
A Hero AI flag is a signal to prompt review — it does not automatically block or reject a submission. Managers retain full control over all approval decisions.
Helpful Hint
By surfacing issues at both the employee and manager stage, Hero AI Checker ensures that errors are caught and resolved before they ever reach payroll — reducing rework and keeping your approval workflows running smoothly.