The Payroll module in TRUE provides tools for processing employee compensation based on time entries, managing payroll configuration, and integrating with TRUE Accounting or external payroll systems. The Payroll module works in conjunction with Personnel records and Time Review data to calculate labor costs, apply wage rates, and generate payroll exports or journal entries for accounting purposes.
Payroll Processing
Process employee compensation from approved time entries with automated calculations
Labor Cost Calculation
Apply wage rates, overtime rules, and burden calculations for accurate job costing
Time Review Integration
Process approved time entries from Time Review for payroll calculations
Travel & Mileage
Configure travel time rates and mileage reimbursement calculations
Accounting Export
Export payroll data to QuickBooks, TRUE Accounting, or external payroll systems
Personnel Integration
Pull wage rates and pay configuration from Personnel records
⚠️ Requirements: Payroll processing requires properly configured Personnel records with active Position History and wage records. Time entries must be reviewed and approved in Time Review before payroll processing.
Note: TRUE does not process payroll itself but calculates and prepares time clock data with correct pay rates to provide to a payroll provider or responsible payroll processing party.
List View
View and manage all payroll records with the most recent at the top
Create new payroll records for each pay period
Track payroll stage and accounting status
View completed payroll records with green checkmark indicator
Access payroll processing workflow for each record
Payroll Record List Fields
Field
Description
Payday
Date employees will be paid.
Payroll Period
Period for which time punches are captured and employees will be paid.
Stage
Optional dropdown list to indicate the payroll record's current stage.
Description
Optional field for notes or description of the payroll record.
Accounting
Displays the accounting status of the payroll record.
Complete
Green checkmark indicates completed payroll records.
List View Buttons
Button
Description
+ (Plus)
Creates a new payroll record.
↻ (Refresh)
Refreshes the payroll records list.
🗑️ (Delete)
Deletes the payroll record (irreversible action).
Selected Record View
Process payroll through a series of steps from pay period setup to completion
Follow guided workflow steps to complete payroll processing
Verify personnel records and time punches before processing
Export payroll data to third-party payroll providers
Generate certified payroll reports and labor job costing records
Step 1: Pay Period Details
Field
Description
Payroll ID
Internal or external payroll ID number.
Stage
Optional dropdown to denote the payroll record's stage.
Start / End Date
Date range for time punches included in this payroll.
Period
Frequency of payroll (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly).
Payday
Date employees will be paid.
Company
Relevant company if multiple companies are set up.
Description
Optional field for notes or description.
Step 2: Personnel Selection
Option
Description
Add w/Punches
Automatically adds personnel with approved and locked punches within the pay period.
Manually Add
Allows manual selection of personnel records to include in payroll.
Steps 3-5: Verification
Step
Description
Verify Payroll Period
Confirms review of pay period details and personnel selection.
Verify Personnel
Checks for necessary information in personnel records (position, rate, primary designation).
Verify Punches
Ensures all punch data in Time Review is error-free and complete.
Step 6: Breakouts
Calculates breakout punch records by cost center, including duration, type, pay rate, and gross amounts. Use the ⚙️ button to access options to edit or export breakout data.
Steps 7-8: Export & Results
Step
Description
Payroll Provider Export
Generates export file for payroll provider based on company preferences.
Payroll Provider Results
Custom Import Option allows import of processed payroll results. Manually Input Option enables manual entry of pay types and withholdings.
Steps 9-10: Job Costing & Complete
Step
Description
Job Costing
Automatically calculates labor job costing records for all cost centers.
Complete
Marks the payroll record as completed.
Files/Emails/Notes
Use the + button to add new files, documents, email capture codes, notes, or checklists to the payroll record.
Reports
Generate various PDF reports from the payroll record:
Report
Description
Payroll Summary
Overview of payroll totals and summary information.
Payroll by Personnel
Payroll breakdown by individual employee.
Payroll by Cost Center (Activity)
Payroll breakdown by activity-based cost centers.
Payroll by Cost Center (HR)
Payroll breakdown by HR cost centers.
Withholdings Summary Report
Summary of all employee withholdings.
Certified Payroll
Certified payroll report for prevailing wage compliance.
Company Preferences: Time Clock, Overtime, Payroll, Alerts, Unions
⚙️ Icon (Settings): Activities, Wages for prevailing wage contracts
Personnel Records: Payroll, Position History, Fringe Offset for prevailing wage contracts
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about payroll processing and configuration in TRUE.
Payroll Processing
Before processing payroll, several configuration steps must be completed in TRUE.
Personnel Records Configuration:
All employees must have Personnel records created in the HR module
Each Personnel record must have an active Position History with current wage rate
Employee Type must be set (Employee, Vendor, or Subcontractor)
Payroll ID should be configured if integrating with external payroll systems
Time Entry Requirements:
All time entries must be reviewed and corrected in the Time Review module
Time entries should be approved before payroll processing
Verify time entries have appropriate activities and cost center assignments
Tip: Establish a regular payroll review cadence (e.g., weekly review before Friday payroll processing) to catch and correct time entry errors early.
TRUE Payroll can generate journal entries that post directly to TRUE Accounting ledger accounts.
When processing payroll with TRUE Accounting integration enabled, the system uses ledger account assignments from:
Divisions: Department-level ledger accounts for overhead labor
Facilities: Location-specific ledger accounts
Cost Codes: Activity-based ledger accounts (linked through Activities)
Jobs/Contracts: Project-specific cost tracking
Automatically creates journal entries for labor expenses and payroll liabilities
Note: Contact TRUE support to configure the extended payroll journal entry workflow and ledger account mappings for your organization's chart of accounts.
Travel time compensation and mileage reimbursement rates are configured in Company Preferences.
Navigate to Gear icon → Company Preferences to configure:
Travel Time Rules: Define what constitutes compensable travel time
Travel Pay Rates: Set pay rates for travel time (may differ from regular rates)
Mileage Rates: Configure reimbursement rates per mile
Mileage Tracking: Enable automatic mileage calculation if using GPS data
Criteria for qualifying travel (distance thresholds, time requirements)
Tip: Ensure travel time and mileage policies comply with local labor laws and company policies. Consult with your HR or legal team before configuring these settings.
Payroll data can be exported from TRUE for processing in external payroll systems like ADP, Paychex, or QuickBooks.
Payroll export options include:
CSV Export: Standard comma-separated format compatible with most payroll systems
Custom Export Templates: Configure field mappings to match your payroll system's import format
Date Range Selection: Export specific pay periods
Employee Filtering: Export all employees or specific groups
Include Payroll IDs to match TRUE employees with external payroll system records
Note: Contact TRUE support to set up automated export schedules or configure custom export templates tailored to your payroll provider's import specifications.
TRUE captures GPS coordinates for time punches but does not prevent employees from clocking in/out outside designated locations.
When an employee punches in or out using TRUE Time, the system:
Captures GPS coordinates from the mobile device
Allows the punch to process regardless of location
Stores location data with the time entry for review
Flags entries during payroll review if punch location is outside the expected job site radius
During payroll processing, TRUE provides notifications for time entries where:
Punch location is outside the job site address radius
GPS data could not be collected (device permissions or connectivity issues)
Location data is significantly different from the assigned Division or Facility address
Tip: Review GPS location discrepancy notifications during time review and address any patterns of off-site punching with employees as needed.
