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Overtime

Log, approve, and track overtime hours for accurate payroll calculations.

Overview

The Overtime screen provides a structured way to log extra working hours, get them approved, and have them flow automatically into payroll calculations. No manual spreadsheets, no emailing hour totals to Finance — approved overtime appears in the Payroll module as a line item ready to include in the next pay run.

Each overtime entry records the employee, the date, the number of hours worked beyond the standard day, and the reason. Managers review and approve or reject each entry individually.

Payroll Integration

Approved overtime hours flow directly into Finance → Payroll. When you run payroll for the month, each employee's approved overtime hours are already populated in the overtime column — no manual transfer required.

Recording Overtime

  1. Click Add Overtime in the screen header.
  2. Select the Employee from the dropdown.
  3. Set the Date — the specific day on which the overtime was worked.
  4. Enter the number of Overtime Hours (decimal values accepted, e.g. 2.5 for two and a half hours).
  5. Enter a Reason — for example "End-of-quarter data migration", "Emergency client support", or "Product launch preparation". A clear reason helps managers approve quickly and provides an audit trail.
  6. Click Save. The entry is created with a Pending status.

Log on the Day

The most accurate practice is to log overtime on the same day it occurs. Retroactive logging (entering multiple days at once at month end) is supported but makes the reason field harder to fill accurately. Encourage employees or team leads to log on the day.

Approval

The approval flow for overtime is identical to Leave Management:

Pending
→
Approved
or
Rejected
  • Click the Pending filter pill to see only unreviewed entries.
  • Click any row to open the detail view.
  • Click Approve to accept the hours — they immediately become available in Payroll.
  • Click Reject to decline — optionally record a rejection reason (e.g. "Overtime not pre-authorised").

Approve Before Payroll Run

All overtime entries must be approved before you run payroll for the period. Any Pending entries at payroll time will NOT be included in the payroll calculation. Set a monthly deadline — for example, all overtime must be submitted and approved by the 25th of each month — to ensure nothing is missed.

Monthly Summary

The screen header shows four summary stat cards for the selected time period:

Stat CardDescription
Total Hours SubmittedSum of all overtime hours regardless of approval status
Hours PendingOvertime hours awaiting manager approval
Hours ApprovedOvertime hours approved and ready for payroll
Employees with OvertimeCount of unique employees with at least one entry in the period

Use the month/year selector to view totals for a specific pay period. This helps you quickly confirm that the figures you are about to send to Payroll are correct.

Department Breakdown

Below the summary cards, a department breakdown table shows total approved overtime hours per department for the selected month. This is useful for identifying which teams are consistently working beyond standard hours — a signal that may indicate resourcing issues, project timeline pressure, or seasonal peaks.

Payroll Integration Detail

When overtime is approved, the Payroll module uses it in the net pay calculation as follows:

Overtime Pay = Approved Overtime Hours × (Base Salary / Monthly Working Hours) × Overtime Rate Multiplier

  • Base Salary — the monthly gross salary stored on the employee record in Employees.
  • Monthly Working Hours — default is 160 hours (40 hours/week × 4 weeks). Adjustable in Settings.
  • Overtime Rate Multiplier — default is 1.5× (time and a half). Adjustable per employee or globally in Settings.

Changing the Overtime Rate

Navigate to Settings → HR → Payroll Rules to change the default overtime multiplier. You can set different rates for weekday overtime, weekend overtime, and public holiday overtime. Changes take effect on the next payroll run.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to overtime entries that are still Pending when I run payroll?
Pending entries are excluded from that payroll run entirely — only entries with an Approved status are included in the overtime pay calculation. If an entry is approved after payroll has already been run for that period, you must include it manually in the next pay run or process a correction. This is why setting a monthly approval deadline (e.g. the 25th of each month) before running payroll is strongly recommended.
Can I edit or delete an overtime entry after it has been approved?
Once an entry is Approved, it should be treated as final because it may already be reflected in payroll calculations. If a correction is needed, reject or adjust the entry before the payroll run for that period, or coordinate with Finance to issue a manual payroll correction if the pay run has already been processed.
How is the overtime pay rate determined?
Overtime pay is calculated as Approved Overtime Hours × (Base Salary ÷ Monthly Working Hours) × Overtime Rate Multiplier. The default Monthly Working Hours is 160 and the default Overtime Rate Multiplier is 1.5×, but both can be adjusted globally or per employee in Settings → HR → Payroll Rules, including separate rates for weekday, weekend, and public holiday overtime.
Can I log overtime for a previous week or month?
Yes, retroactive logging is supported — you can select any past date when adding an overtime entry. However, logging on the same day the overtime occurred is recommended, since it makes the reason field more accurate and gives managers better context for approval. If you need to log several days retroactively, do so before the monthly approval deadline so the hours can still be approved in time for payroll.