From employee schedule to approved payroll data

The schedule records what the business expected. Time records capture what the employee reported. The payroll basis contains the time and information a responsible manager has reviewed and approved for the next payroll step.

Keep those values separate. Replacing the schedule with recorded time removes the reason for a variance. Treating scheduled time as payable time can ignore what actually happened.

Four time values with different purposes

Value	Purpose
Scheduled time	The published expectation for the shift.
Recorded time	The employee's recorded start and finish.
Effective time	Working time after configured handling such as breaks.
Approved time	The time accepted by a manager after review.

Contracted hours provide another reference for expected time across a period. They do not replace any of these four values.

1. Retain the published schedule

Once published, scheduled time should remain available as a reference. Later changes need a clear status, showing whether they were proposed or approved. A private message should not become the new source of truth until the decision has been written back to the schedule.

2. Record the working day

An employee time clock captures start and finish while the event is current. Breaks, absence and missing events must remain visible. The digital time clock guide explains the available approaches, while the guide to Danish time-recording requirements covers daily records, access and retention.

3. Turn variances into a review queue

A difference between schedule and record is not automatically an error. It is a question that needs an explanation. Common examples include a missing clock-out, a longer operational close, a different break, absence, a swap not written back to the schedule, or an addition requiring a manager's decision.

Review incomplete records and significant differences first. Use comments and the published schedule as context while checking what happened.

Example: A shift with a 30-minute difference

Sara is scheduled from 08:00 to 15:00. She clocks in at 07:58 and out at 15:32, but no break appears in the record.

The manager should not simply approve 7 hours and 34 minutes or replace the record with scheduled time. First, check the missing break and the late finish. Sara may have helped with a delivery after closing and taken the agreed break without recording it. Once the event is clear, the manager can correct the relevant details, add a comment and approve the result.

Keeping schedule, record and approval separate makes that decision understandable later.

4. Approve the accepted time

Approval is a decision. The manager confirms which time and supporting information should enter the period's payroll data. A useful sequence is to resolve missing records, check breaks and absence, apply relevant pay codes or additions, and approve the result.

The original schedule and time record should continue to explain the approved decision. Businesses can lock a completed period according to their own operating process.

5. Create the report and export

After the relevant shifts have been reviewed, Monoplan can create payroll reports and approved payroll data. The basis may include approved hours, pay codes, additions, absence, employee numbers and department data.

The report supports review. The export file passes structured data onward. Depending on the setup, Monoplan supports handover to Danløn, DataLøn, DataLøn Branche, Zenegy or generic PDF/CSV formats. See integrations and export options.

Monoplan prepares the approved hours and supporting details. Payroll calculation and payment then happen in the payroll system.

Check the period before export

• Does every relevant shift have a complete record?
• Have significant differences been explained?
• Have absence, breaks, additions and pay codes been reviewed?
• Has the responsible person approved the hours?
• Do employee numbers and departments match the payroll setup?
• Are the period and export format correct?

Once each point is resolved, the payroll data is ready for the payroll system. See how this review fits into the complete workforce management journey.