Off-cycle payrolls

You might need to pay your team outside of your regular pay schedule for a variety of reasons, and to do that you can run an off-cycle payroll. There's no extra fee to run an off-cycle payroll.

Off-cycle payrolls default to using the same withholding rates, deductions, and contributions made in regular payrolls. If you're paying more than one employee with the same payment details, you can click Bulk edit to save you time. Off-cycles typically pay out in 2 business days, but can vary depending on your company's direct deposit speed.

Note: To pay bonuses with a supplemental withholding rate of 22%, run a bonus payroll.

Run an off-cycle payroll

Follow the steps below to run an off-cycle payroll. If at any point you need to exit to payroll flow, click Save changes for later at the bottom of the page to save this payroll as a draft. The steps to access this draft are the same below.

Click the Payroll section and select Run payroll.
Scroll to "Other payroll options" and select Off-Cycle Payroll.
Enter a work period.
- The timeframe in which the employee worked to earn this payment.
  - If you enter a timeframe in which an employee has requested time off, the bonus payroll will include and pay out the time off.
- Off-cycles do not accrue time off.
Select the check date.
If you have multiple bank accounts set up, select which bank account you would like to process payroll from.
- If you don't see this option, head to this article to learn more.
Select if you want deductions and contributions to be included.
- Block all deductions and contributions:
  - We won't make any benefit deductions or contributions.
    - Important: We're unable to turn off 401(k) deductions and contributions due to the requirements of most plans.
- Make all the regular payroll deductions and contributions:
  - We'll make all your normal benefit deductions and contributions.
  - If your benefits are managed by Gusto, your standard benefit will not automatically be applied unless you choose them to be included.
Review the tax withholding rates.
- If you want to make a change, click Edit rates under the Tax withholding rates section.
Next to the employee, click Enter Payment.
Select the name of the people you want to pay, and click Enter Payment to enter their payment details (hours, earnings, payment method, etc).
- Gross Earnings: the amount of money your employees receive before any taxes and deductions are taken out.
- Net Earnings: the amount of money your employees take home after all deductions have been taken out. This is the money they have in their pocket on payday.
Click Save & continue.
Add in any vacation or sick hours for the employee(s) selected.
Click Save & continue.
Review the details of your payroll. When you're ready, click Submit payroll. If you need to make changes, click Go back.

On the next screen, you'll see a summary of the payroll. From here, you can:

Return to your Home page
Click Full Summary to view a downloadable PDF report
Cancel this payroll

You'll receive a confirmation email letting you know that your off-cycle payroll has been processed.

Note: If your employee has an active garnishment, you may need to check with the garnishment authority to see if there are specific requirements for garnishing the off-cycle payroll.

Reasons for running an off-cycle payroll

Here are some examples of why you might need to run an off-cycle payroll:

An employee needs to be paid before the next regular pay day.
An employee is given extra compensation outside of regular payroll.
You are paying a dismissed employee through direct deposit outside of regular payroll.
You are paying severance to a previously dismissed employee.
You are fixing errors from a previous payroll.