Docs
How to do anything in SeroPayroll
145 step-by-step articles in 15 sections, from installing the app to filing year-end slips.
Getting started16
- What SeroPayroll isA short description of what SeroPayroll does and who it is for.
- System requirements and platformsWhere SeroPayroll runs and what each kind of device can do.
- Install on WindowsInstall SeroPayroll from the MSIX package and keep it up to date.
- Install on macOSUse SeroPayroll on a Mac and open key and company files.
- Use the browser editionRun SeroPayroll in a web browser with no install.
- Create an account and confirm your emailMake a SeroPayroll account and confirm it with the 6-digit code sent by email.
- Sign in and the inactivity sign-outHow signing in works, and how the app signs you out when nobody uses it.
- Start the 14-day free trialTry SeroPayroll for 14 days with one company and up to 25 employees.
- What a trial cannot doWhich actions a trial blocks, and how its documents are marked.
- Buy a plan, renew and manage seatsBuy or renew a licence on the web and have it activate in the app.
- Seats, computers and deactivating a computerHow many computers a licence allows, and how to free a seat.
- Activation keys and .serokey filesWhat an activation key is, and three ways to put one on a computer.
- Licence banners and read-only modeWhat the licence banners mean, and what read-only mode allows.
- Work offline and the 30-day check-inSeroPayroll works without the internet, but must check in with the licence service at least every 30 days.
- The dashboardThe company's payroll at a glance: figures across the top, charts and lists in cards you can arrange, hide and resize.
- Find your way around and keyboard shortcutsThe menu, global search and the keyboard shortcuts.
Companies and files11
- Create your first companyUse the setup wizard to create an encrypted company file with its tax numbers, pay groups and password.
- Passwords and the recovery keyHow the company file password and recovery key work, and how to change the password.
- Open and switch companiesOpen a company from the list or a file, switch between companies, and close one.
- The Companies screenSee every company on this computer, and rename, duplicate, remove or delete one.
- Backups and restoreHow automatic and manual backups work, and how to restore one as a separate company.
- Move a company to another computerExport, import or email a company file when you do not use the Cloud add-on.
- Browser edition: storage and Download company fileIn the browser edition your company file lives in the browser's storage until you download it.
- Trash and restoreDeleted records stay in the Trash for 90 days and can be restored.
- Audit log and historyThe app records changes to important data. You read them on each employee's History tab.
- Drafts and "Resume where you left off"The app saves half-finished forms and offers to bring them back.
- Company files and cloud sync foldersWhy a company file should not live in OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud Drive, and how to move it.
Employees16
- Add an employeeUse the Add employee wizard to enter identity, employment, pay, tax and banking in six steps.
- Employee list, filters and searchFind employees with the list filters and search, and open an employee record.
- The Tax tab (TD1 and tax settings)Enter TD1 claims, extra tax, exemptions, CPT30, Quebec plans, the dental code and the income tax method.
- The Employment tabChange pay group, department and location, move province, set an employee inactive, terminate and rehire.
- The Pay tabSet pay type and rate, vacation, holidays and overtime rules, and add recurring earnings, deductions and benefits.
- The Banking tabAdd direct deposit accounts, split net pay between accounts, and see who may view account numbers.
- Year-to-date opening balances and adjustmentsEnter pay made before the company file existed, correct year-to-date figures, void an entry, or import many from a CSV.
- Court orders and garnishments on an employeeRecord a support order, CRA requirement to pay, garnishment or wage assignment so pay runs deduct it within the legal limits.
- The Transactions tab and quick reportsSee every pay, payment, cheque and year-to-date entry for one employee, and make quick reports.
- Notes and to-dosKeep pinned notes and to-dos with due dates on an employee, and see due to-dos on the dashboard.
- Custom fields and other contactsAdd your own fields to every employee record, and keep other phone numbers and emails.
- Employee history and documentsKeep TD1 forms, contracts and void cheques inside the company file, and read every change on the History tab.
- Letters for an employeeMake an employment verification letter or a pay history letter as a PDF on your letterhead.
- Bulk edit employeesChange many employees at once with a preview, and export the selection to CSV.
- Import employees from a CSV fileBring in many employees at once from a CSV file, check the preview, and fix flagged rows.
- The Time off tab on an employeePut an employee on a time-off policy, set an opening balance, adjust, pay out and read the history.
Pay items5
- The pay items catalogueThe list of earning, deduction and benefit types a company uses, which ones come built in, and how to switch one off or remove it.
- Add a custom earning, deduction or benefitCreate your own pay item and set how it is taxed.
- Treatment flags in plain wordsWhat each box on an earning, deduction or benefit changes in a pay.
- Vacation pay base, ledger account and ROE allocationThree settings on a pay item that feed vacation pay, the Record of Employment and the accounting journal.
- Deduction order and court-order priorityHow the Order number sets which deductions come off first, and how court orders are placed ahead of the rest.
Pay runs17
- How a pay run worksThe steps of a pay run from hours to stubs, and the kinds of run you can make.
- Start a regular pay runUse the New pay run wizard to pick a pay group, check the period and choose who is paid.
- The hours grid and one-off amountsType hours and one-off amounts for each employee, then calculate.
- Import a timesheet CSVLoad hours and amounts into the pay run grid from a CSV file, with the exact columns.
- Calculate, holiday pay and overtimeWhat Calculate does, and the rows it adds for statutory holidays, overtime, vacation and time off.
- Review warningsRead the review step and understand each warning before you approve.
- Hold an employeeMove one employee into a separate draft run so everyone else can be approved and paid now.
- Approve a pay runWhat approving does, what stops you, and what you can do afterwards.
- Pay the run and make stubsMark a run paid, make the bank file or cheques, and print, save or email the pay stubs.
- Off-cycle payMake an extra pay outside the regular schedule for the people you pick.
- Bonus runsPay a bonus, commission or retroactive pay on its own, taxed as a non-periodic payment.
- Final payPay someone who left, including vacation owed, and get a Record of Employment draft.
- Correct a pay runFix an approved pay by pricing it again as it should have been, so only the difference is posted.
- Reverse a pay runTake an approved run back out of the year to date, with a reason, and void payments not yet sent.
- The payroll calendarSee pay dates, remittance due dates, filing deadlines and ROE due dates by month.
- Change a pay group's scheduleChange frequency, first period or pay date offset, and how earlier periods keep the old schedule.
- Email stubs and the PDF passwordSend pay stubs by email as password-protected PDFs, or print and save them.
Payments7
- The Payments screenWhere deposits, cheques and e-transfers for a paid run are made, and what each payment status means.
- Bank originator setupSet up the profile that tells your bank who is sending the direct deposit file.
- Direct deposit files (CPA-005)Make a deposit file for your bank, send a test file first, mark it sent, and void it if needed.
- ChequesPrint pay cheques with a stub, choose the layout, number them, and void or reprint one.
- Cheque registerA list of every cheque by number, with void, cleared and the next number.
- E-transfer listExport the list of e-transfers to send from your bank for employees paid that way.
- Batch historySee every deposit file you made, its number, total, value date and whether it was sent.
Remittances10
- How remittances are builtRemittances list what you owe CRA, Revenu Québec, health tax and workers' compensation boards, built from your approved pay runs.
- CRA remittances (PD7A)How the CRA row for each period is worked out, and how your remitter type sets the schedule.
- Revenu Québec remittances (TPZ-1015)How the Revenu Québec row is built, including QPP, QPIP, Quebec income tax, the Health Services Fund and CNESST.
- Health tax, HSF and workers' compensationRemit employer health tax and workers' compensation premiums (WCB, WSIB, CNESST) by province.
- Remittance schedulesChoose how often Revenu Québec, BC health tax and each workers' compensation board are paid.
- Nil remittancesReport a period with no pay to CRA or Revenu Québec, and record that you did.
- Mark a remittance paidRecord how and when you paid a remittance, and reopen it if you made a mistake.
- Liability historyA list of every remittance payment and adjustment, with filters, export and the option to add or void entries.
- Remittance adjustments after a correctionWhat happens to remittances when you correct or reverse a pay in a period that was already paid.
- Payee remittances (court orders)Send what was withheld under court orders to each payee, mark it paid, and export a CSV or PDF.
Time off6
- Time off policiesCreate vacation, sick and other policies with accrual, a cap, a yearly reset, carry-over and payout on leaving.
- Time off balances as a ledgerA balance is always the total of its movements, so you can see where every hour or dollar came from.
- Time off requests and approvalRecord time-off requests, approve or decline them, see them on a calendar, and have approved time paid on the pay run.
- Vacation pay on stubsHow vacation pay is earned and paid, and what the stub shows for the vacation balance.
- Time off year resetWhen a policy's year closes, what carries over, and what is forfeited or paid out.
- Time off: final pay payoutA final pay pays out the remaining balance of policies that pay out on leaving.
Reports and accounting5
- Reports: the listEvery report in the Reports screen, what it shows and who it is for.
- Run and export a reportPick a date range and filters, read the report, and save it as CSV, PDF or Excel.
- Chart of accounts and mappingKeep a list of general ledger accounts and say which account each payroll amount posts to.
- Journal export (CSV and IIF-style)Export a pay run as a balanced general ledger journal, as CSV or as generic IIF-style text.
- What posts where in the journalWhat each payroll category is, and why the journal balances.
Year-end8
- Year-end readinessUse the Year-End checklist to find missing details before you prepare slips and returns.
- T4 slips and the T4 returnMake T4 employee copies as PDF and the T4 return as an XML file for CRA Internet File Transfer, checked against CRA's schema.
- Contractors and their paymentsKeep a list of contractors and the fees you pay them, for the T4A.
- T4A slips for contractorsPrepare T4A slips for fees paid to contractors, save the XML return, print copies and record the CRA confirmation.
- RL-1 slipsPrint RL-1 employee copies for Quebec. The RL-1 XML file is not built yet.
- Records of EmploymentReview ROE drafts, issue them in a ROE Web file checked against Service Canada's schema, or print them.
- Earnings review (PIER)Check what CRA will recompute from the T4s against what you withheld, and fix a CPP or EI shortfall with a correction.
- Year-end rollover and prior yearsClose a tax year after filing, and look back at the previous year's slips and filings.
Settings16
- The Settings screenA map of every tile on the Settings screen and where to read more.
- Company profile and numbersEnter your legal name, address, CRA business number and payroll accounts, Revenu Québec numbers and the default T4 dental code.
- Pay groups, departments and locationsSet up pay schedules, departments for reports, and locations with their province, WCB and health tax details.
- Custom fieldsAdd your own text, date, number or choice fields to every employee record.
- Stub templateChoose what pay stubs show, how the PDF password is formed and what the email says.
- Email (SMTP) and stub deliverySet up your own mail server, send a test message, and choose how stubs reach employees.
- Tax tables and updatesSee which tax tables are in force, check for newer signed tables and install them.
- Users and rolesGive each person in a company their own PIN and role: Admin, Payroll or Read-only.
- LanguageUse SeroPayroll in English or Canadian French on this computer.
- Settings › Data and securityOne page for backups, the company password, moving a file, the Trash and the inactivity sign-out.
- Settings › Account and LicenceSee your plan and computers, sign out, buy or renew, and manage the activation key.
- Payees (court order recipients)Keep the courts, enforcement offices and agencies you send withheld wages to.
- Maya and the Maya add-onMaya is the assistant behind the AI features; the Maya add-on runs it on SeroPayroll's servers with 100 messages a month.
- Use your own modelRun Maya's features on your own AI provider account with your own key, with no message limit.
- Use a model on this computerRun Maya's features on a model in Ollama or LM Studio on this computer, so nothing leaves it.
- Ask MayaOpen Maya beside any screen to ask a question, see what needs you, or search the knowledgebase.
Cloud sync add-on8
- What the Cloud add-on isThe Cloud add-on keeps one company in step on several computers, with changes encrypted before they leave your computer.
- Sign in to Cloud syncConnect this computer to Cloud sync with your SeroPayroll account or with an emailed code.
- Put a company in the cloudUpload an existing company so other computers can sync it.
- Invite people and join a cloud companyThe owner invites someone by email and gives them an invite code. The invited person joins and gets their own company file.
- Conflicts: Keep mine or Keep theirsWhen two computers change the same payroll record before they sync, you choose which version to keep.
- Pay run leasesOnly one computer edits a pay run at a time. Others see it read-only.
- Cloud add-on: drafts and "Resume where you left off"With the Cloud add-on, a half-finished form saved on one computer can be resumed on the next.
- Save a standalone copyMake a copy of a cloud company that no longer syncs, for use without the Cloud add-on.
Security and privacy5
- How SeroPayroll protects your dataA short summary of how company files, sign-in, roles and the audit log work together.
- How company files are encryptedEach company is one fully encrypted file. This explains what is protected and where keys are kept.
- What leaves your computer, and whenThe complete list of times SeroPayroll uses the internet, and what each one sends.
- SIN, bank numbers and who can see themSINs and bank numbers show masked. Showing one in full needs approval and is recorded.
- Stub PDF passwordsHow emailed stubs are protected and what the protection does and does not do.
Troubleshooting and FAQ12
- Lost password or recovery keyWhat to do when the company password is wrong or lost, and what happens if the recovery key is lost too.
- A company says it is open elsewhereFix the message "This company is open in another window or on another computer."
- A seat is fullFix the message that a key is already in use on all the computers it allows.
- The licence is read-onlyFind out why the app is read-only and how to restore full mode.
- The trial was already usedWhy a second trial is refused and what to do instead.
- The bank refused the deposit fileSteps to take when your bank rejects a CPA-005 direct deposit file.
- An XML file was refusedFix a T4, T4A or ROE Web file that did not pass the built-in checks, or that CRA or Service Canada rejected.
- Email is not sendingFind why pay stubs do not send by email and fix the mail server settings.
- Browser storage was clearedWhat to do when the browser edition no longer shows your companies.
- The clock moved backFix the licence message that the computer's clock moved backwards.
- A pay run cannot be approvedThe reasons Approve is refused and how to fix each.
- Frequently asked questionsShort answers to the questions new users ask most.
Glossary3
- Glossary: contributions, premiums and leviesPlain meanings of CPP, CPP2, QPP, EI, QPIP, remitter type, PD7A, TPZ-1015, EHT, HSF, WCB, WSIB and CNESST.
- Glossary: forms, filings and file formatsPlain meanings of TD1, TP-1015.3, ROE, T4, T4A, RL-1, PIER and CPA-005.
- Glossary: payroll termsPlain meanings of pay group, YTD, off-cycle, correction, reversal, hold, lease and other terms in the app.