Pay Rates Module

Configure and manage labor rates for your construction workforce. The Pay Rates module provides a comprehensive system for uploading award documents, configuring payroll rules, managing workers, and applying rates to timesheets.

Core Features

Payroll Processing Guide

End-to-end guide covering the complete payroll workflow from document upload to rate application and export. Start here if you're new to the module.

Pay Rate Documents

Upload and manage award documents, EBAs, and rate schedules. Features include:

• AI-powered rate extraction from PDFs
• Document scoping (global, client-specific, project-specific)
• Milo AI assistant for querying document content
• Classification and rule configuration

Workers

Maintain your workforce database for payroll processing:

• Import workers from Assignar (automatic sync) or CSV
• Manage worker pay items and employment assignments
• Search, filter, and bulk operations

Employment Types

Classify workers into categories for accurate rate matching:

• Full-Time, Part-Time, Casual, Contractor
• Import from Assignar or create manually
• Links to tree template matching and minimum engagement rules

Payroll Rules

Rule Groups

Configure collections of payroll rules within pay rate documents. Each rule group can include any combination of the rule types below.

Shift Rules

Apply rate multipliers based on when a shift starts:

• Define shift windows (e.g., 6 PM - 6 AM for night shifts)
• Configure segments with different multipliers per time period
• Priority-based evaluation when multiple rules match

Fortnightly Overtime Rules

Pay overtime once hours cross a threshold measured over a fortnight:

• Up to two tiers per rule group (e.g., 1.5x after 76h, 2x after 86h per fortnight)
• Counts ordinary hours by default, or all worked hours including daily overtime
• Fortnight windows follow the account's payroll cycle (see Payroll Cycles)
• Replacement or Loading application method; hours that already earned a premium are never double-paid

Allowance Rules

Add payments for specific activities or work conditions:

• Five types: Hourly, Daily, Per Timesheet, Weekly, Fortnightly
• Weekly/Fortnightly allowances apply once per period when hour thresholds are met
• Fortnight periods follow the account's payroll cycle (see Payroll Cycles)
• Activity Filter (include or exclude registered activities; exact match) and role-based conditions
• Enable/disable toggle for seasonal or temporary allowances

Cost Code Threshold Rules

Re-code hours to a different cost code after a period-wide hour threshold:

• Threshold is measured over the whole payroll cycle, not each calendar week
• Consumption order decides which hour types count
• Pay does not change — only the cost code on hours past the threshold

Custom Activity Rules

Code specific activities to a different rate:

• Target activities by name pattern (required to re-rate hours); optionally restrict to specific worker roles
• Pay at a flat multiplier, or use the rate tree to code matched hours to a tier (e.g. travel as Overtime) with that tier's rate and cost code
• Control whether the matched hours contribute to overtime thresholds

RDO Rules

Accrue Rostered Day Off entitlements based on hours worked:

• Daily or weekly threshold windows with configurable accrual
• Apply by splitting time out of regular hours or as a separate deduction line
• Optional pay amount override and role/employment-type/activity linking
• Cost code from a specific code or the matched shift tree node

Minimum Engagement Rules

Guarantee minimum paid hours per shift:

• Configure minimum hours and offset rate (normal or overtime)
• Scope to all shifts, weekday only, weekend only, or public holiday only
• Filter by employment type (e.g., Casual only)

Consecutive Shift Rules

Adjust rates after working multiple consecutive days:

• Set threshold for consecutive days before rule activates
• Configure multiplier, fixed rate, or graduated adjustments
• Optional work type continuity requirements

Shift Spacing Rules

Enforce minimum rest periods between shifts:

• Set gap threshold (e.g., 10 hours between shifts)
• Apply penalty rates when rest period is insufficient
• Optional client/project continuity conditions

Break Rules

Automatically insert or extend breaks based on hours worked:

• Configure unpaid breaks (deduct from worked hours) or paid breaks (convert to payable activity)
• Set hours worked threshold and break duration
• Choose break placement: middle of shift or after specific time
• Overlap handling: shift activities forward or deduct from overlapping activities

Higher Duty Settings

Re-code a worker's whole day to a higher duty role when a daily hours threshold is met:

• Role-based setting for documents structured as Employment Type → Role, or Role
• Off by default; nominate higher duty roles with per-role daily hour thresholds
• When a threshold is met, every timesheet that day is paid at the higher duty role's rates and rate type

Configuration

Payroll Cycles

Set the pay period length used by the Pay Rates page and payroll processing. Managed under Settings → Billing & Payments → Payroll Settings.

• Five cycle types: Weekly, Fortnightly, Four Weekly, Monthly, Twice a Month
• Anchor date aligns fortnightly/four-weekly cycles to your week start day
• Monthly and twice-a-month cycles run from a chosen day of the month, with mid-week boundaries handled automatically

Rate Overrides (Client, Project & Role)

Pay a different base rate, or use different cost codes, for one client, project or role without duplicating the document:

• Set a per-client, per-project or per-role base hourly rate on any rate bucket
• Override cost codes per rate card (regular, overtime, penalties, tiered Saturday/Sunday)
• Overrides layer role → client → project, so a client-wide uplift plus one differently-coded project both apply
• The role scope is offered only when the tree has no Role level (otherwise the tree already expresses the role)
• Keeps a worker's week in ONE document, so weekly overtime and RDO rules stay correct

Cost Code Linking

Map every rate component to project cost codes:

• Link classifications, allowances, and shift segments to cost codes
• AI suggestions with confidence percentages
• Bulk linking for documents with many classifications

Public Holiday Calendars

Define which dates are public holidays so the holiday rate applies automatically. This is now managed under Settings → Billing & Payments → Payroll Settings → Public Holiday Calendars.

• Create one or more calendars (e.g. per state); link each to a worker tag, or leave the tag empty to apply to all workers
• Add one-off or yearly-recurring holiday dates (e.g. 25th April)
• Override a single timesheet's holiday status when needed

Getting Started

New to Pay Rates? Follow this sequence:

1. Pay Rate Documents - Upload your award or EBA documents
2. Rule Groups - Configure shift rules, allowances, and engagement rules
3. Cost Code Linking - Map rate outputs to cost codes
4. Employment Types - Set up workforce classifications
5. Workers - Import your workforce
6. Payroll Processing Guide - Apply rates to timesheets

Integration with Other Features

Pay Rates integrates seamlessly with:

• Timesheets - Rates apply to timesheet entries via tree template matching
• Cost Codes - Track labor costs by activity type
• Projects - Project-specific rate documents and cost tracking
• Invoicing - Use rate data for client billing
• Assignar Operations - Automatic sync of workers and employment types

Best Practices

• Start with documents: Upload award/EBA documents first to leverage AI extraction
• Configure rules comprehensively: Set up all applicable rule types (shift, allowance, engagement)
• Link all cost codes: Ensure every rate component maps to a cost code
• Use the tab workflow: Documents → Employment Types → Workers → Rates
• Review before applying: Always verify timesheets before clicking "Apply Pay Rates"
• Leverage AI: Use Milo for rate queries and AI suggestions for cost code matching