Salary disagreements in a small shop usually come from the same three things: nobody is sure how many days someone worked, an advance was given but not written down, and the month-end sum was done in a hurry. None of these is hard to fix. They only need a simple routine and a record. This guide shows how to run payroll that way with eKhata.
Key points
- Mark attendance daily so the month-end count is a fact, not a memory
- Write down every advance on the day it is given
- Let the system work out the net salary instead of doing the sum by hand
- Keep a ledger and a salary slip for each employee
Add each employee once
Start by adding your staff with their name, role, phone number and monthly salary. From then on each employee has their own profile and ledger, which holds everything that has happened with their pay.
The staff screen shows how many members are active and what the monthly payroll comes to, so you know the size of the commitment before the month begins.
Mark attendance every day
Open the daily attendance screen and mark who is present. It takes a minute and it settles the most common argument before it starts. At the end of the month, the days present are already counted.
If you wait until the end of the month, you are working from memory, and two people's memories rarely agree.
Record advances on the day
An advance is a loan against salary. If it is not written down, it will be argued about later. Record it in the employee's ledger when you hand it over. It is also posted to the cash book, so your drawer and your payroll agree.
- Date of the advance
- Amount
- A short note, such as the reason
Work out the net salary
At month end, eKhata uses the days present and the advances recorded to work out what each employee has earned and what has already been paid. You see the monthly payroll and the amount paid so far, so you know exactly what is left.
Because the figures come from entries made through the month, the total is easy to explain to the employee.
Pay, record and share the slip
When you pay, record the payment. It reduces what is owed and posts to the cash book as a salary expense. Each employee has a salary slip you can share, and a ledger showing everything paid to date.
That record protects both sides. The employee can see what they received, and you can show it if anyone asks.