Avanza RRHH · Practical guide

What to prepare before implementing a payroll system

Payroll implementation starts with organizing information and agreeing who reviews it. Gather employee data, payment rules and events for one pay period; then validate a complete calculation with your team before going live.

By the Avanza Code team

1. Consolidate each employee record

Define a single information source so the same person does not have different details across spreadsheets. Assign someone to review records before import.

  • Internal identification, start date and employment status.
  • Department, position, branch and supervisor.
  • Salary and applicable salary structure.
  • Contact and payment details required by the scope.

2. Document payroll calculation and approval

The system should reflect your operations. Agreeing on rules before configuration helps HR, finance and approvers work with the same criteria.

  • Pay periods and the cutoff date for payroll events.
  • Recurring and variable earnings, bonuses, commissions and overtime.
  • Deductions, advances and outstanding installments.
  • People responsible for review, approval and payment authorization.

3. Connect attendance, vacation and absences

Payroll depends on what happened during the period. Define attendance data sources and how events affecting payment are validated.

  • Schedules, shifts and attendance recording methods.
  • Vacation, leave and sickness records to capture.
  • Approval flow and responsibility for corrections.
  • Opening balances and the system start date.

4. Validate a period before launch

Choose a representative pay period and compare results against data reviewed by your team. Include common situations such as variable earnings, an absence or an installment deduction.

  • Review results per employee and payroll totals.
  • Confirm events affect the correct pay period.
  • Check payslips, reports and access within the contracted scope.
  • Validate labor and tax configuration with your company’s responsible staff.

5. Prepare the people using the system

Training should follow real tasks: updating a record, entering an event, reviewing payroll and checking a payslip. Define who handles operational questions and how queries are reported during launch.

  • Access and permissions by role.
  • Training sessions for administrators and users.
  • Launch date and treatment of previous periods.
  • Acceptance criteria agreed before going live.