Your payroll tracker spreadsheet worked. Until the month it didn't.

Where tracker spreadsheets break

• They depend on memory. A cell only changes colour when someone remembers to change it. Busy weeks are exactly when that slips.
• Nobody outside the bureau can see them. Clients and accountant partners email to ask where things are, and each answer means stopping work.
• Different frequencies don't fit. Weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly and monthly payrolls in one grid get messy fast.
• There's no history. Who approved what, and when? The spreadsheet doesn't know.
• Queries live elsewhere. The tracker says a pay run is done; the inbox has three unanswered questions about it.

What to look for in a replacement

1. Every pay run generated from each client's schedule, so nothing has to be added by hand.
2. An owner, due date and status on every pay run.
3. A prioritised list for today, not just a grid for the month.
4. Client and partner logins, so status is visible without an email.
5. Queries, documents and approvals attached to the pay run they belong to.

How The Payroll Portal does it

The Payroll Portal gives every pay run one record with an owner, a due date and a status that your team, your clients and your accountant partners all see. Your team starts each day from a "Start here" list sorted by urgency, and month-end progress is visible at a glance. When you join, we load your client list and pay schedules for you.

If you're not ready to switch yet, start with our free month-end checklist for payroll bureaus.