Payroll Changes

A payroll change is any adjustment that affects an employee’s salary or benefits. This could be a one-time update, like a bonus, or a more permanent change, such as a salary increase reflected in the employment contract.

Payroll changes are the primary — and only — way for businesses to directly impact an employee's payout. In practice, each payroll change is submitted as a pay item in Lano. This ensures all updates are properly tracked and included in the upcoming payroll.

Here are a few useful things to know related to payroll changes:

• Payroll cut-off dates vary by frequency and entity. Learn more

• Payroll cycle statuses show the progress and state of each cycle. Learn more

• You can approve employee expenses directly in Lano. See how to enable it

• You can approve employee time off requests directly in Lano. See how to enable it

Payroll changes are implemented through pay items, which you can add or edit during the reporting window. There are two types of pay items:

• One-time: e.g. Bonuses, Expenses, Overtime – applied only in the current cycle

• Recurring (Contractual): e.g. Salary, Allowances – continue across all future cycles

Pay item attributes usually include:

• Pay item type

• Start/end date (if applicable)

• Amount

• Attachment

• Optional comment

You can submit payroll changes in five ways:

Option 1: From the Payroll Team Member Profile

1. Go to Team > Team Members

2. Select the relevant Payroll team member

3. Scroll to the Salary and Benefits section

4. Click Edit Cycle

5. To add a new pay item, click + Add; to change salary, click Edit

6. Complete the form with the necessary details

7. Click Save

Option 2: From the Cycle Report

1. Go to Payroll and select the desired payroll cycle

2. Click View Full Report

3. Find the Payroll team member and click on their row

4. Click + Add or Edit as needed

5. Fill in the required pay item details

6. Click Save

Option 3: From the Payroll Tab

1. Go to Payroll

2. Click Add Pay Item

3. Find and select the Payroll Team member

4. Select the cycle (if applicable)

5. Click Continue

6. Fill in the required pay item details

7. Click Save

Option 4: Import from a Template

1. Go to Payroll and select the relevant payroll cycle

2. Click View Full Report

3. Click Export & Import

4. Click Import file

   
   

5. Download the provided .xlsx or .csv template and enter your payroll change data. Templates are also attached to the reminder and recap email notifications sent 10 and 3 days before the cut-off date.

6. Upload the completed template back into Lano.

7. Select the header row of your sheet — this is the row containing column titles like "Employee name," "Employee email," etc.

   
   

8. Review and adjust the column mapping. Lano will automatically map columns if you used its standard template.

   
   

9. Check all entries for accuracy. The importer will highlight any errors and let you correct them directly in the interface — no need to reupload the file.

   
   

10. Click Complete import to finalize the process.

    • If you're importing a payroll item type that can be both one-time and recurring, it will be added as a one-time item by default. 

    • Imported pay items are added to the cycle report draft. However, if the pay item type can only be added once per employee per cycle, the import will override the existing item with the new values.

Option 5: Automated Import from HRIS

Lano supports automated import and update of certain pay items directly from your connected HRIS system. This allows for seamless and accurate data synchronization without manual input.

Learn more about HRIS integrations and supported pay items

If changes are submitted after the cut-off date, they are considered off-cycle. These submissions are subject to approval and may not be included in the current payroll cycle. Here’s what to keep in mind about off-cycle changes:

• Best practice: To avoid delays and additional costs, always submit payroll changes before the standard cut-off.

• Fees: Any applicable fee is charged according to the approved Schedule.

• Off-cycle warning: When you add a change to the cycle after the cut-off date, an infobox appears before submission. This ensures you’re aware that the update is off-cycle and prevents accidental submissions.

To help you stay on track, Lano sends:

• First reminder: Sent 10 days before the cut-off date, this email reminds you that the payroll change window is open and encourages you to review or submit any required updates.

• Second reminder: Sent 3 days before the cut-off, this follow-up includes a recap of all submitted changes and prompts you to make any final edits if needed. This ensures you have enough time to review, adjust, and finalize any updates.

IInstead of submitting expenses or time off manually as payroll changes, you can enable expense management and time off management in Lano. This allows employees to submit their own requests — such as travel reimbursements, office purchases, or vacation days — directly through the platform. Submissions are routed into the approval flow and integrated automatically into the payroll cycle, streamlining both reimbursement and absence tracking.

Learn more about enabling expense management

Learn more about enabling time off management

Still have questions? Reach out to your Platform Experience Team at help@lano.io.