# Set Up Pay Groups and Employees in Astalty

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/setup-pay-groups-and-employees-in-astalty

> Set up the pay groups and employees in Astalty needed for the Xero payroll integration.

Scheduling add-on - This feature requires the Scheduling add-on, which is available on Astalty Premium. See How to enable Scheduling.

> **Your Pay Group setup depends on the Pay Item method you chose in Xero**
>
> If you're using the **Rate Per Unit** method, you'll need a separate Pay Group for each pay classification. If you're using the **Multiplier** method (recommended), use separate casual and permanent Pay Groups **for each award**. Additional groups may be needed for different payroll rates or arrangements.
>
> Not sure which method to use? [Review the full comparison in the previous guide](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/setup-pay-items-and-employee-templates-in-xero) before proceeding.

## Overview

A worker's employment contract selects the award and employment basis used by Astalty's interpreter. Their pay group maps the resulting pay categories and allowance quantities to payroll items. It does not change their award or the base rate used for Astalty costing.

Assigning a pay group and creating or changing employment details need access to those employees' HR details.

## Which System Calculates Pay?

| Payroll path                                  | What Astalty sends                                                                        | What you must configure                                                                      |
| --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Xero API or Xero-formatted Excel              | Interpreted pay categories, hours and allowance quantities                                | Matching award and employment basis, Xero pay items, employee base rates and allowance rates |
| Employment Hero, PayCat or QuickBooks Payroll | Timesheet records and work types                                                          | The award or agreement, penalties, overtime and minimum payments in that payroll system      |
| SCHADS interpreted Excel                      | Astalty's interpretation for each worker's contract award, despite the legacy export name | Check the result against the applicable award and payroll setup                              |
| Raw shift data                                | Shift records                                                                             | Your payroll process must determine pay                                                      |

The interpretation supports [SCHADS](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/scheduling-faq/schads-interpretations-in-astalty), [Nurses](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/scheduling-faq/nurses-award-interpretations-in-astalty), [Aged Care](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/scheduling-faq/aged-care-award-interpretations-in-astalty) and [Health Professionals](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/scheduling-faq/health-professionals-award-interpretations-in-astalty). Each award page lists implemented rules and manual checks. Rostering alerts, estimated costs and a successful export do not certify a pay run.

## Check an End-to-End Pay Run

1. Confirm award coverage, classification and employment basis. Record these in [Staff Contracted Hours](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/workers/staff-contracted-hours).
2. Set the correct [pay period](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/scheduling-settings#pay-period) and [public holidays](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/public-holidays).
3. Assign a pay group for the same award and the appropriate casual/permanent rates. Map every category the worker can earn, including overtime, sleepovers and enabled allowances.
4. Approve shifts, travel, breaks and active overnight work. Resolve or investigate [award alerts](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/scheduling-award-alerts).
5. Review the [Award Pay Report](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/reports/schads-pay-report) for the full period, including excluded employees and interpretation traces. Check manual entitlements and work crossing a pay-period boundary.
6. Export or send the [timesheet batch](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/timesheet-batches), then compare the resulting payroll amounts with the expected award rates before posting the pay run.

## Create a Pay Group

Create a separate pay group for each combination of award and payroll mapping. The award must match the workers assigned to it.

### Create a Pay Group

1. Open **Settings > Integrations**, then select **View Details** for Xero.

![The Integrations page in Settings, with Settings in the main menu marked 1 and the View Details button on the connected Xero card marked 2.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-xero-view-details.png)

2. Select **Pay Groups** from the sub-menu.

![The Xero Integration Settings page with an arrow pointing to Pay Groups in the sub-menu, between Charge Items and Employees.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-pay-groups-submenu.png)

3. Click **Add Pay Group**.

![The empty Pay Groups page with an arrow pointing to the Add Pay Group button, below a message that no Pay Groups have been created yet.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-create-pay-group.png)

4. Enter a **Pay Group Name**, choose the matching **Award**, and click **Create Pay Group**.

![The Create Pay Group form with the Pay Group Name field highlighted and filled in, and an arrow pointing to the Create Pay Group button.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-pay-group-name.png)

5. Click the three dots next to the Pay Group and select **Edit Pay Item Mapping**.

![The Pay Groups page with a Pay Group's action menu highlighted and open, and an arrow pointing to Edit Pay Item Mapping below Edit Pay Group.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-edit-pay-item-mapping.png)

6. Map every Astalty pay category and allowance that workers in this group can earn to the corresponding Xero Pay Item. Select the appropriate Pay Classification or Employment Basis, such as Casual or Permanent. Unused mappings may remain empty, but export validation blocks a batch when an interpreted line needs a missing mapping.

![The Edit Pay Items form with the mapping list highlighted, pairing each pay category and allowance, from Weekday Daytime to Kilometre Allowance, with a Xero Pay rate, and an arrow pointing to the Update button.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-pay-item-mapping.png)

> **Check a Xero Pay Item before mapping it**
>
> You can check the Pay Item details by clicking **Show Details** in the Pay Item Mapping pop out.

![The Edit Pay Items form with an arrow pointing to the Show Details button in the top-right corner, above the Pay rate dropdowns.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-pay-item-mapping-show-details.png)

![A mapped Pay rate expanded to show its Xero details, including Earnings Type, Rate Type, Rate Per Unit, Type of Units, Account Code, Status, and the tax, super and leave settings.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-pay-item-details.png)

## Set Up Employees

Once your **Pay Groups** have been created, you will need to link employees between **Astalty and Xero**, assign them to the correct **Pay Group**, and ensure each employee has **Employment Details** configured.

> **Payroll calendars are assigned in Xero**
>
> Each employee also needs a **payroll calendar** assigned to them in **Xero**. Astalty reads these from Xero - see [Sync Payroll Calendars from Xero](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/sync-payroll-calendars-from-xero) for how to sync them and how staff without a payroll calendar are handled.

### Link Employees to Xero

1. Open **Settings > Integrations**, then select **View Details** for Xero.
2. Select **Employees** from the sub-menu.

![The Xero Integration Settings page with an arrow pointing to Employees in the sub-menu, below Pay Groups.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-employees-submenu.png)

3. In the **Xero Employee** filter, select **Not Linked**.
4. Click **Bulk Actions** and select **Bulk Link Employees**.

![The Employees page with the Xero Employee filter set to Not Linked marked 1, the Bulk Actions button marked 2, and Bulk Link Employees in its menu marked 3.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-bulk-link-employees.png)

5. For each Astalty employee, select the corresponding **Xero employee** from the dropdown menu.
6. Once all employees have been matched, click **Link Employees**.

Each Xero employee can be linked to only one Astalty employee. Resolve any duplicate link before continuing.

![The Bulk Link Xero Employees form with the Xero Employee dropdown column highlighted, some already matched by email and others blank, and an arrow pointing to the Link Employees button.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-link-employees.png)

### Assign Pay Groups

After linking employees, you will need to assign them to the correct **Pay Group**.

1. Change the **Xero Employee** filter to **Linked**.
2. Click **Bulk Actions** and select **Bulk Update Pay Groups**.

![The Employees page with the Xero Employee filter set to Linked marked 1, the Bulk Actions button marked 2, and Bulk Update Pay Groups in its menu marked 3.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-bulk-update-pay-groups.png)

To assign the same Pay Group to multiple employees:

1. Select the **Pay Group** from the dropdown menu at the top of the page.
2. Tick the checkbox next to the **Name** header to select all employees.
3. Click **Apply to Selected**.

![The Bulk Update Pay Groups form with a Pay group chosen at the top, the select-all checkbox ticked, arrows pointing to Apply to Selected and Update Pay Groups, and a Pay Group dropdown on each employee's row.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-apply-pay-group-multiple.png)

If an employee requires a different Pay Group, you can select the **Pay Group dropdown next to their name** and choose the appropriate group from the list.

Once all Pay Groups have been assigned, click **Update Pay Groups**.

### Create Employment Details

Each employee must have **Employment Details** configured in Astalty.

**To create employment details:**

1. In the **Linked Employees** list, open the action menu next to the employee's name.
2. Select **Add Employment Details**.

![The Employees page with a linked employee's action menu highlighted and open, and an arrow pointing to Create Employment Contract below Link Xero Employee and Update Pay Group.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/astalty-create-employment-contract.png)

3. Enter the relevant **Start Date** and select the employee's **Employment Basis**.
4. If required, enter the employee's **Weekly Hours**.
5. Select the **Award** and classification. Check the **Base Hourly Rate** before saving. For SCHADS, set the overtime stream and agreed ordinary-hours cap.
6. Enable allowance entitlements only where they apply; first aid training alone does not establish the SCHADS allowance entitlement.
7. Click **Create** to save. See [Staff Contracted Hours](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/workers/staff-contracted-hours) for award-specific fields and rate maintenance.

![The Create Employment Contract form with the Start Date, End Date, Employment Basis, Weekly Hours and Entitled to First Aid Allowance fields highlighted, and an arrow pointing to the Create button.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/contract-2a.png)

For employees who already have contract information in **Xero**, select **Prefill from Xero** in the **Employment Details** form. Where Xero supplies them, Astalty prefills the **start date**, **end date**, **employment basis** and **weekly hours**.

> **Review details imported from Xero**
>
> Prefill does not settle award coverage, classification, rates or allowance entitlements. Review those fields and the target **Weekly Hours** before saving.

![The Edit Employment Contract form with an arrow pointing to the Prefill from Xero button, above the Start Date, End Date, Employment Basis and Weekly Hours fields.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/prefill-from-xero-1.png)

Repeat this process for **all employees**.

## Setting Up Pay Groups and Employees Video Walk-Throughs

### Rate Per Unit Method

Create Pay Groups and set up employees using the Rate Per Unit method.

Video walkthrough: setting up pay groups and employees in astalty.

### Multiplier Method

Create Pay Groups and set up employees using the Multiplier method.

Video walkthrough: multiplier method pay groups and employees in astalty.

## Next Steps

Once all employees have been linked, assigned to the correct **Pay Groups**, and have **Employment Details** in place, follow [Process Timesheet Batches for Xero](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/process-timesheet-batches-for-xero-payroll-integration) to prepare the first batch.