Payroll & Finance

Financial Locks

Lock a client's finished pay period so its hours cannot change, check it is ready first, and unlock it with a reason when a correction is needed.

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Overview Check First Lock a Period Unlock What an Unlock Does Lock History Troubleshooting Related Guides

Overview

A lock stops any change to a period's shifts.

Before you start

  • Agency console: the Payroll preset, an Admin or a super admin can lock (needs Lock and close pay periods). Only a super admin can unlock, or lock past the checks.
  • Client dashboard: an Admin can lock, and can unlock locks made in the client dashboard. A lock made by the agency can only be lifted by the agency.
  • For a normal weekly close, use Close week. It makes the same lock, one week at a time.

Agency console: Time & Pay > Financial locks. Client dashboard: Time & Pay > Financial locks.

A lock covers one client and a date range, for all sites or one site. While it is in place nobody can edit, approve or delete the shifts in it. A lock for all sites also freezes the pay and charge figures of every whole pay week it covers, so a later rate change cannot move them. A lock for one site stops changes but does not freeze figures.

Check a Period Before Locking

See what would stop the lock.

Choose the period

Agency console: under Check a period before locking, choose the Client and set From and To, then click Check. Client dashboard: set Check from and to, then click Check before locking.

Read the result

The result gives the number of shifts and says Ready to lock. or Not ready to lock: with the reasons: shifts not approved, shifts with no clock-out, open queries, shifts without client sign-off, or a period that has not ended.

Lock a Period

With a reason, every time.

Open the form

Click Lock Period. The Lock Financial Period form opens.

Fill it in

Choose the Client (agency console only) and a Location, or leave all locations. Type a Reason (required, at least 3 characters, for example "Week 39 payroll sent to Sage"). Set Period Start and Period End. A lock can cover up to a year.

Lock it

Click Lock Period. The lock appears under Active Locks with who locked it, when, and the reason. In the agency console, an active lock made in the client dashboard is marked "(client console)".

Important

Every shift must be approved and closed, with no open queries and with client sign-off where the client requires it, and the period must have ended. A super admin can tick Lock past the checks to lock anyway. That lock is marked "Locked past the checks by a super admin." The client dashboard cannot lock past the checks.

Unlock a Period

A reason is required and recorded.

Console Who sees Unlock Which locks
Agency console Super admin only Any lock, including those made in the client dashboard.
Client dashboard Admin Locks made in the client dashboard. A lock made by the agency shows "Locked by the agency" and has no Unlock button.

Start the unlock

Click Unlock on the active lock. The Unlock Period box names the period.

Give the reason

Type the Reason for unlocking (at least 3 characters) and click Unlock Period. The unlock is written to the audit log.

What an Unlock Does

And what relocking does.

The shifts can be edited and approved again.
The frozen figures are released. The weeks are priced at the live rates again until they are locked again.
Late clocks that arrived while the week was locked leave the "Clocked into a locked week" adjustment list. Approve them in their own week so they are paid there.
A late clock that was already marked paid as an adjustment in a later week stays out of its own week for good, so relocking never pays it twice.
Relocking the week (on Close week or here) freezes the new figures and settles any late clocks now included.
If the week's Sage file or invoices were already sent, export again with a reason, and correct any invoice already in Sage Accounting by hand.

Lock History

Every lock, kept.

Unlocked periods move to Lock History, which shows the client, the period, the location, Locked By, Unlocked By and the unlock reason. In the agency console filter it by client with All Clients.

Troubleshooting

Common messages.

Message Why What to do
"Cannot lock yet: ..." The checks failed. Fix the items listed, or wait until the period has ended.
"Give a reason for the lock ..." The reason was too short. Type at least 3 characters.
"This period is already locked." The same client and dates are locked. Nothing to do.
"Only a super admin can unlock a payroll period." Agency console unlock by a non super admin. Ask a super admin.
"This period was locked by the agency. Ask them to unlock it." A client dashboard Admin tried to lift an agency lock. Ask the agency.
Your Payroll Week (the Payroll role checklist)
Closing the Pay Week
Editing Entries
Export and Payroll Issues
Previous Closing the Pay Week Next The Sage Payroll File
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