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Turn on and turn off parallel pay run mode

Updated

Available for the following plans: Employment Lite, Employment Plus, Employment Unlimited
Available for the following user access level: Admin    

Parallel pay runs allow you to test payroll processing without affecting live data. This is especially useful when switching between payroll systems, as it gives you the ability to compare outputs side by side and verify accuracy before going live.

When Parallel pay run mode is turned on, your Employment Hero platform temporarily stops syncing HR data (such as new employee profiles, salary changes, and bank details) to payroll. This creates a stable testing environment, so you can validate payroll results using consistent data across runs.

Helpful Hint

Parallel pay run mode is especially useful if you need to do one or more of the following:

  • Migrate payroll data from another system and need to verify accuracy without interference
  • Run a test pay run before finalising system changes
  • Compare payroll outputs between old and new systems

Getting started

Turn on Parallel pay run mode
  1. Log in to the Employment Hero platform.
  2. Click Settings on the main menu.
  3. Click Security & Access Control on the submenu.
  4. Select the System Setup tab.
  5. Under Parallel pay run mode, select Yes.
    screenshot of Company Settings page, highlighting Employment Settings tab and Yes button under 'Parallel pay run mode'
  6. Scroll down and click the Save button. (A confirmation popup will say "Success: Your company profile was updated".)

Important

Now Parallel Pay Run Mode is active, HR data (e.g., new employees, salary updates, and bank details) will stop syncing to the Payroll platform until the mode is turned off. A banner will appear in the Payroll platform, warning users that the mode is active.

Some Payroll platform data will be locked and cannot be edited. See the Further Information section below for a list of employee files that will be locked.

Turn off Parallel pay run mode
  1. Log in to the Employment Hero platform.
  2. Click Settings on the main menu.
  3. Click Security & Access Control on the submenu.
  4. Select the System Setup tab.
  5. Under Parallel pay run mode, select No.
    screenshot of Company Settings page, highlighting Employment Settings tab and No button under 'Parallel pay run mode'
  6. Scroll down and click the Save button. (A confirmation popup will say "Success: Your company profile was updated".)

FAQs

Can I process real pay runs while Parallel pay run mode is on?
No, this mode is for test pay runs only. You will need to ensure Parallel pay run mode is disabled if you want to run a real live pay run.
Will historical payroll data be affected?
No, Parallel pay run mode only prevents new changes from syncing. Past payroll data remains unchanged.
What do I do if I need to edit locked data?

You must disable Parallel pay run mode to edit locked fields. Ensure you only do this when it is safe for you to resume HR-to-payroll syncing.


You can refer to the Further information section below for more details on locked and unlocked data.

Further information

Employee files that are locked during Parallel pay run mode

When Parallel pay run mode is on, the following employee files are locked:

  • Employment record
  • Personal details
  • Employment history
  • Pay details
  • Tax declaration
  • Superannuation
  • Banking details
Employee files that are unlocked during Parallel pay run mode

When Parallel pay run mode is on, the following employee files are unlocked:

  • Emergency contacts
  • Work eligibility
  • Audit trail
  • Medical disclosure

  • Leave requests
     

    Important

    Although you can still technically create leave requests, as well as timesheets, when Parallel pay run mode is on, it is strongly recommended that you avoid doing so as it can cause discrepancies.

  • Additional information
  • Account provisioning
  • Employee benefits
  • HR documents
  • Performance
  • Asset management

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