Payroll: Key Financial Controls

Payroll Process Overview Introduction to Payroll Process Main Payroll Starters Changes to Main Payroll Leavers Paid as Claimed Paid as Claimed Starters Paid as Claimed Payments Casual Pay Manage Payroll Key Financial Controls

The Departmental Administrator has overall responsibility for ensuring that payroll accurately reflects the costs of permanent and temporary staff resources.

Identified below are the key financial controls that must be complied with.

  1. Monthly checks are carried out to ensure all starters, leavers and changes to payrolls are processed. The monthly checks include, as applicable, a review of 'paid as claimed' values and reviews of payments made via the casual payroll.
  2. Total payroll cost to the department is reviewed by running monthly expenditure reports and comparing to that planned or budgeted.

Segregation of Duties

One of the key financial control principles to be adopted in all University finance processes is the need to ensure no single member of staff completes all stages of any particular process. This principle requires an adequate 'segregation of duties' when designing work flows. As an example in the Payroll process:

  • Staff must not authorize either their own payroll forms, or those relating to a close relative. (This includes forms relating to starters, leavers, salary adjustments, overtime, etc.)

For further advice on this subject please contact Financial Assurance Services.