Glossary

What is payroll?

Payroll is the process of working out what each employee is paid for a period, applying the statutory deductions and contributions that apply, paying the net amount, and filing the returns and forms that follow the pay run.

A payroll run turns inputs, days worked, leave, overtime, pay structure and any one-off adjustments, into a gross figure, then into a net figure after tax and statutory contributions, and produces the payslips, challans, returns and year-end forms that the law of each country requires.

The statutory half of payroll, the rates, slabs and filings, is country-specific and changes often, which is why many teams split the work: an HR system holds the record and compiles the inputs, and a payroll partner or provider does the computation and the filing.

Capstan is the complete HR platform, free for teams up to twenty people.