Setting up and running a payroll can be daunting, and it is not always obvious where to start. To help, we have created a series of guides. Each one pulls together the links that explain how to set up and use a particular area of Cintra iQ.
If you are new to Cintra iQ, you might find the tour of the Cintra iQ layout a useful starting point.
Setting up Cintra iQ
Implementation form: detailed document used during onboarding to collect the key information needed to set up your payroll
Lookup tables: creating and maintaining dropdown lists, such as job or post categories, which can be secured to restrict editing
Record filters: sorting, displaying, or restricting records by set criteria, used for targeted reporting and access control
Letters: creating, managing, and generating standard documents from system data, filed automatically into personnel records
Importing data: bulk uploading new starter and other data via CSV to speed up onboarding and updates
Conditional numeric functions: automating pay and deduction adjustments using numeric conditions
Security: controlling who can access what in Cintra iQ
Managing employees and other people
New starters: adding new employees and completing their onboarding records
Managing leavers: processing employees who are leaving and ending their records correctly
Payroll and employee tasks: creating checklists for payroll periods or individual employees to track required actions
Absence and entitlements: recording absences and managing holiday and sickness entitlement balances
Managing documents: uploading, storing, and managing employee-related documents
Policy documents: creating and administering policy documents that require employee acknowledgement
Email notifications: configuring and sending automated emails triggered by data changes or events
Inputting payroll period data: entering, adjusting, and reviewing payroll inputs for each pay period
Payslips: calculating, reviewing, customising, and publishing payslips
Working patterns: setting up and assigning the schedules that define standard working days
Non-working days and excluded days: recording non-working days such as bank holidays and attaching them to employee calendars
Voluntary deductions: setting up and managing non-statutory deductions such as loans or charity donations
Corrections: adjusting or correcting payroll input data for prior periods
Jobs, posts, and spine tasks
Jobs: setting up and managing job roles within your organisation
Organisation charts and posts: recreating your organisation structure and assigning posts to it
Posts and post history: assigning posts to employees and maintaining a history of changes
Pay spines, points, and grades: setting up salary structures using pay spines and grade links
Using posts to pay employees: using post assignments for payroll calculations and salary allocation
Payroll tasks
Adding payroll information
Inputting payroll information: entering regular and variable payroll data for employees
Batch input of payroll data: uploading or entering payroll data in bulk using templates or CSV files
Payroll cycle
Payroll cycle: the end-to-end payroll process, from opening periods to finalising payments
Payroll workflow: automating and tracking payroll activities in a defined sequence
Pensions: pension scheme setup, assessments, and deductions
Auto enrolment: automatic enrolment for workplace pensions and related compliance
Paying third parties: generating payments for third parties such as pension providers or courts
Payroll membership: assigning employees to a payroll and managing their payroll status
Paying employees: generating and approving employee payments
Payslips: calculating, reviewing, customising, and publishing payslips
Paying HMRC: creating and submitting payments to HMRC for PAYE, NI, and other liabilities
Apprenticeship levy: calculating and submitting the apprenticeship levy
Month end tasks: checks and reconciliations to close each payroll month
Period end tasks: final steps and reporting to close out a payroll period
Preparing for year end: final checks and submissions before starting a new tax year
Benefits, holiday, and sick pay
Mileage schemes: creating and managing mileage payment schemes for employees using private vehicles
Holiday pay: how holiday pay is calculated and processed for different schemes
Holiday entitlement: setting up and managing annual leave allowances
Maternity claims: recording and processing statutory and occupational maternity pay
Occupational parental pay: setting up and administering enhanced parental pay schedules
Managing sick pay: setting up and administering occupational and statutory sick pay
Benefits in kind: recording and processing taxable benefits in kind
Analysing sickness absence: reviewing and analysing employee sickness and absence data
Reporting and compliance
User-defined reports: creating custom reports using data fields from across the system
Gender pay gap: setting up and producing gender pay gap reports
Other payroll reports: payroll-related reports that are documented in other sections rather than under Payroll reports
Accounting tasks
Accounting process: mapping payroll costs and outputs to your accounting structure
Journal output tasks: entering and reconciling payroll journals for financial reporting
Education-related guides
Monthly Contribution Reconciliation (MCR): running monthly contribution reports for teachers' pensions
Further Education Workforce Data (FEWD): submitting and importing workforce data for FE colleges
Self-Service related tasks
Self-Service forms: creating and managing forms for employee Self-Service portal actions
Cintra iQ and Self-Service timesheets: managing and approving timesheets within the Self-Service portal