How to Configure Rule Groups

What This Feature Does

Rule Groups are collections of payroll rules configured within a pay rate document. They control how rates are calculated beyond the base classification rate, including overtime thresholds, shift-based multipliers, activity allowances, minimum engagement guarantees, consecutive shift penalties, and shift spacing rules.

Each pay rate document can contain one or more rule groups, and each rule group can include any combination of the rule types below.

Rule Types Overview

In addition to these rule types, each rule group has two per-rule-group settings:

• Worked Hours Loading — emit a separately coded loading line (e.g. a casual 25% loading) on every worked hour, alongside the base line.
• Higher Duty Settings — re-code a worker's whole day to a higher duty role when a daily hours threshold is met (role-based documents only).

Accessing Rule Groups

1. Navigate to Pay Rates in the left sidebar under "Project Management"
2. Click the Pay Rate Documents tab
3. Open a pay rate document by clicking on the Rates Data icon
4. In the document editor, click the Rule Groups tab

How Rule Groups Apply to Timesheets

When "Apply Pay Rates" is clicked for a pay period:

1. The system matches each timesheet to a pay rate document (via tree template matching)
2. If Higher Duty Settings are enabled, the day is evaluated first: when a higher duty role meets its daily hours threshold, every timesheet that day is re-coded against the higher duty role's rate tree node before rates are calculated
3. The base classification rate is determined (Regular, Overtime, Second Overtime)
4. The following rule types within the rule group are evaluated:
   • Break rules check hours worked and insert/extend breaks (unpaid or paid)
   • Shift rules check the shift start time and apply segment multipliers
   • Allowance rules check activity conditions and add allowance payments
   • Custom activity rules code matched activities to a multiplier or a rate-tree tier (rate + cost code)
   • RDO rules check hours worked against the threshold and accrue Rostered Day Off entitlements
   • Minimum engagement rules check if actual hours meet the minimum threshold
   • Consecutive shift rules check the worker's recent shift history
   • Shift spacing rules check the gap between consecutive shifts
   • Worked hours loading, if enabled, adds a parallel loading line on every worked hour (and, when its overtime toggle is on, on overtime hours)
5. After daily and weekly classification, fortnightly overtime rules re-code any hours still classified as ordinary time past the fortnightly threshold (see Fortnightly Overtime Rules)
6. Each rule that matches generates a pay line item linked to a cost code

Best Practices

• Name rule groups clearly: Use names that reflect the award or agreement they represent
• Set priorities: When multiple shift rules could match, priority determines which applies first
• Link cost codes: Every rule output should map to a cost code for accurate project costing
• Test with sample timesheets: After configuring rules, apply rates to a test period and review results
• Keep rules specific: Avoid overly broad conditions that match more timesheets than intended

What's Next

• Configure Shift Rules for time-based rate multipliers
• Add Fortnightly Overtime Rules for thresholds like 76 hours per fortnight
• Set up Allowance Rules for activity-based payments
• Configure Custom Activity Rules to code activities to a multiplier or rate-tree tier
• Accrue Rostered Day Off entitlements with RDO Rules
• Define Minimum Engagement Rules for guaranteed hours
• Add Consecutive Shift Rules for fatigue penalties
• Configure Shift Spacing Rules for rest period enforcement
• Set up Break Rules for automatic break insertion
• Configure Worked Hours Loading to emit a separately coded loading line on worked hours
• Configure Higher Duty Settings to re-code a day to a higher duty role (role-based documents)