Edit a completed pay run
Description

Once you've completed a pay run in Sage Payroll, you may need to make changes.

For example, you may have forgotten to pay overtime to an employee or paid an employee using the wrong tax code.

This article explains how to make these corrections and the impact on your future pay runs.

Cause
Resolution

Before you edit a completed pay run

Before you edit a completed pay run, we recommend that:

  • You print payslips for any employees whose pay you're changing. For steps on how to do this, read our article Payslips
  • Print the detailed report for the pay run. This allows you to compare the values before and after the changes made

You should also print the detailed report this pay run relates to. This means you can compare the values before and after the changes made.

 CAUTION: Read through this complete article before running through the steps. 


How to edit a completed pay run

If you need to correct any errors or make any adjustments, you can edit your payroll.

If you change an employee Tax Status or PRSI Code this only applies to the pay run you edit. If this is a permanent change, make sure you update the employee record.

If you change the Directors Tax Status or PRSI Code, the changes apply to the current pay run and all future pay runs. Any changes apply immediately.

To edit pay

  1. Select Pay Runs from the menu bar
  2. Chose the relevant completed pay run.
  3. Select Edit pay run.
  4. Select the checkbox to confirm you understand the impact of editing a pay run, then Confirm.
  5. Make any required changes.
  6. To save your changes, select Save corrections.
  7. Choose from the options; Show in the next pay run or Do not show in the next pay run as appropriate.
  8. Select Confirm.

Next steps

When you select Complete Pay Run, we send your pay run details to Revenue straight away. This happens even if you haven't paid your employees yet.

Once you make a correction, you must resubmit the correction to Revenue yourself:

  1. Select the Pay Runs tab, then the relevant pay run you edited.
  2. Under ROS Real Time Reporting a warning message appears advising you to resubmit.
  3. Select View Details. A resubmission window opens and you’re prompted to enter your ROS login credentials.
  4. Select Browse, then your ROS Certificate (.P12) file, and Open.
  5. In the Enter Password box, enter your ROS digital certificate password.
  6. Check the values are correct and select Resubmit.

If the changes you make affect the amount of Net pay due to an employee, a correction shows in the next pay run. This is to cover this change.

It's not added to the pay run you're changing.

What you need to do next depends on whether you paid your employee before or after making any changes.

▼You already paid your employee the adjusted amount in the corrected pay period

There may be times when you don’t want the correction payment or deduction to show in the next pay period.

For example, your employee, Alex, received their usual pay in month 11.

After you complete the pay run, you discover a missing overtime payment for Alex that you need to add.

You edit the month 11 pay run to include the overtime and provide Alex with a new payslip.

Alex receives the correct pay (including the overtime).

In this example, Alex received the right pay in month 11, so you don't want to adjust their pay again in month 12.

  1. Select Do not show difference in the next pay run.
  2. Select Confirm. No correction line will appear in the next active pay run.

Confirmation of your changes show on the Payroll Summary tab. Also on the Completed Pay Run window.

▼You’ll pay your employee the adjusted amount in a following pay period

There may be times when you do want the correction to apply in the next pay run.

For example, your employee, Jordan, received their usual pay in month one.

After you complete the pay run, you discover a missing overtime payment for Jordan that you need to add.

You edit the month one pay run to include Jordan's overtime.

You have already paid Jordan the original amount, so you agree to include the overtime payment in month two.

In this example, the employee received the wrong pay in month one. You want to add the corrected amount to the employee's next pay period.

When you Save Correction, select Show difference in the next pay run.

This will ensure the employee gets the right Net pay in that period.

 NOTE: The correction also shows on the employee payslip.

▼There’s an unwanted correction in the employee record

There may be times when you’ve included the correction in the next pay period but don’t want it to be there.

For example, your employee, Alex, received their usual pay in month one.

After you complete the pay run, you discover a missing overtime payment for Alex that you need to add.

You edit the month one pay run to include the overtime and provide Alex with a new payslip. You are in time to pay Alex the correct pay including overtime. In error, you select Show difference in the next pay run. This results in an unwanted correction showing in the current pay run.

In our example, Alex received the right pay in month one, so you don't want to adjust his pay again in month two.

Remove the correction from the employee's pay and from their payslip. We call this reversing the correction. 

Read how to reverse correction deductions and payments:


Auto enrolment

Changes to a completed pay run from 1 January 2026, could also affect any pension deductions. If this is the case, you will need to inform My Future Fund about the new values. 

To see the options you have, read Edit pay and Auto enrolment.

Steps to duplicate
Related Solutions

Correct pay runs for more than one pay period