Background
Payroll provides monthly calendars to help HR Professionals & Budget Contacts track retro and current payroll deadlines, along with required actions before and after each deadline.
Payroll Deadlines (Retro versus Current)
Understanding the distinction between retro and current deadlines is essential to ensure employees are paid correctly and on time. Communicating these deadlines to employees, managers, and business process approvers is critical. Missed deadlines are the most common cause of incorrect pay results and can create financial hardship for employees and negatively impact the university’s reputation.
Workday is used by all 12 Universities and eight State Agencies within the Texas A&M University System. Workday Services establishes retro and current deadlines to ensure timely payroll processing and compliance with federal and state payday laws.
Monthly Retro Deadline
The retro deadline applies to any Workday business process, time off request or time off correction with an effective date prior to the start of the current monthly pay period.
To be included in the employee’s next on‑cycle payday, all retro-related actions must be fully completed and approved by the published retro deadline. Although Workday’s retro process is robust, it is not real-time. Missed deadlines can result in payment delays of at least one month.
Monthly Current Deadline
The current deadline applies to any Workday business process, time off request or time off correction with an effective date within the current monthly pay period.
These actions must be fully completed and approved by the listed current deadline to be included in the employee’s current on‑cycle payday. Current payroll processing is real time, with pay results continuously updated as actions are completed and approvals are finalized. Payroll periodically refreshes current pay results, as noted on the payroll calendars, and updated information is available after each refresh.
Monthly Payroll Cycle Overview
Each monthly pay period includes eight key deadlines or action items, all listed on the monthly Payroll Processing Calendar. There are 12 monthly pay periods per fiscal year. Refer to the Monthly Pay Schedule for details.
Calendar Monthly Payroll Deadlines & Action Items (Quick Guide)
1. Monthly Payday
Occurs: Monthly paydays are the first business day of each month (excluding bank holidays) for earnings from the preceding month. For example, the 7/1/2027 paycheck reflects 6/1/2027 through 6/30/2027 earnings.
Action: HR Professionals must respond within one business day to Payroll Distribution emails regarding ACH/direct deposit issues.
2. Monthly Retro BP (Business Process) Approvals Due at 5 p.m.
Applies to: Business processes effective before the current pay period, including:
- New hires
- Compensation changes
- One‑time payments/emoluments
- Terminations
- Transfers/promotions
- Costing allocation updates
- Time off requests and/or corrections
Action: Managers, Approvers, Budget Contacts, and HR Professionals must ensure processes are fully completed to be included in current pay.
Reminder: Retro deadlines occur earlier than current deadlines.
3. Monthly Pay Calculation Results Report Available at Noon
Applies to: HR Contacts and Budget Contacts.
Action:
- Review Pay Calculation Results for a Period report to confirm expected pay (salary, retro, extra pay, allowances, longevity). Use the Pay Calculation Results for a Period Reference Guide in Workday Help for guidance.
- Verify new hires are being paid and costing allocations are correct.
Note: Emoluments are not included; use the One Time Payments report. Begin corrective actions immediately if issues are found.
4. Monthly Pay Calculation Report Refreshed at 10 a.m.
Meaning: Payroll refreshes current-period results, incorporating approvals completed since the previous business day’s report or refresh. This process runs four times, as noted on each calendar, before monthly finalization.
Action: HR and Budget Contacts should run and review reports after each refresh and take any corrective or final action.
5. Monthly PPRs Due at 11 a.m.
Applies to:
- Payroll Payment Requests
- Emolument Exception Requests
- Death Benefits/Final Wages forms
- Payroll Request (Laserfiche) forms
Action: HR Professionals submit completed forms with required PDF attachments to payroll@tamu.edu for manual entry. Most entries are processed off cycle on an upcoming biweekly pay period. Payroll administrators will follow up with expected payment or entry date.
6. Current Monthly BP (Business Process) Approvals Due at 5 p.m.
Applies to: Business processes effective within the current pay period, including:
- New hires
- Compensation changes
- One‑time payments/emoluments
- Terminations
- Transfers/promotions
- Costing allocation updates
- Time Off Requests or Corrections
Action: Managers, Approvers, Budget Contacts, and HR Professionals must ensure processes are fully completed to be included in current pay.
Reminder: Completion of a process does not guarantee payment. Generate Pay Calculation Results for a Period and other Workday Reports to review pay results for accuracy.
7. Final Monthly Refresh at Midnight
Meaning: System-wide final refresh before payroll is finalized.
Action: All current business processes and time off requests or corrections must be fully approved by this time.
Important: Anything incomplete will not be paid. No manual additions can be made after this point.
8. Monthly Final Pay Calculation Report Available After Noon
Meaning: Generating and reviewing the Pay Calculation Results for a Period report reflects final pay for the upcoming payday. Payroll is closed.
Action: HR and Budget Contacts review final results.
- Use One Time Payments report for emoluments.
- Email payroll@tamu.edu immediately if issues are identified.
- Start corrective business processes in Workday or PCTs in FAMIS
- Notify affected employees.
Important: Once monthly payroll is closed, the current payroll period moves to the upcoming month.
Support
For questions about payroll deadlines or calendar items, email payroll@tamu.edu.