Welcome! 🎉
This guide is designed for Admins who will be setting up Singapore (SG) Payroll. We’ll walk you through the exact setup flow as it appears on the platform, so you can confidently prepare everything needed before generating payroll.
Step 1: Fill in Your Company Details
Why this matters:
Accurately filling in company details is important, as this information directly affects the payroll process
Where to find it: Settings > Company Management > Company Details
Action:
Ensure that you complete all required company information. Providing accurate and complete company details is important, not only for compliance but also for maintaining clear and consistent records, regardless of your business location.
Make sure to enter your CPF Submission Number (CSN) if you plan to use the SG Payroll module. This is required for generating CPF files. Without the CSN, CPF contributions cannot be processed through the system.
Select this option if your company is GST-registered in Singapore.
Step 2: Create Payment Period
Why this matters:
Your payroll cycle determines when employees are paid and how salary items are tracked.
💡Use Case:
If your company pays full-time staff monthly but processes overtime fortnightly, you can create two different payment periods.
Where to find it: Go to the side navigation menu > SG Payroll > Payroll Setting > Payment Period
Actions:
Choose the payment frequency (e.g., Monthly, Bi-weekly, or a Separate period for Overtime). Specify whether the payment period is monthly, weekly, etc., and set up whether overtime follows the same period or a different one.
Step 3: Set up the Employee’s Profile Accurately
Why this matters:
Accurate employee details ensure statutory deductions (CPF, SHG, SDL) are automatically calculated and paid to the right bank accounts.
💡Use case:
If an employee is Singaporean, the system will automatically apply CPF contributions. For foreign employees, CPF contributions won’t be applied if the Citizenship is set correctly.
Where to find it: Employees > ⋮ (three-dot menu) > Click Edit (pencil icon) > Personal Details & Employment Details
Actions:
Under Personal Details: make sure to complete the accurate information of Date of Birth (a), Identity type and number (b), Nationality (c), Citizenship (d), Race (e), and Religion (f).
In the Employment Details section, ensure that all information has been filled in:
a. CPF Submission Number (CSN)
b. Country of work
c. Payment Method
d. Bank Name
e. Bank Account Number
f. Payment Period
g. Check Contributions (untick only if employee is exempt, toggle the option on to allow the employer to cover the full CPF contribution.)
h. Pay Scheme: Contains the payment information of the individual employee
i. Pay Scheme Details: Enable the configuration of various pay structures during the onboarding process of new employees.
Under Permissions: Enable the Payroll & Payslip toggle to allow authorised Admins to generate payroll for this employee.
Step 4: Configure Payroll Settings
Why this matters:
Configuring payroll ensures that all salary items and reporting align with your company policies.
Where to find it:
Go to the side navigation menu > SG Payroll > Payroll Settings, or,
Go to the side navigation menu > Settings > SG Payroll > Payroll Settings
Actions:
Under Settings > Define payslip settings as shown below:
Under Pay Item Types > You may add additional pay item types if needed (e.g. Allowances, Deductions, OT).
Setting the pay item types enables admins to have the selections to add pay items such as when creating shifts, generating payroll, or editing payslips.
Set up cost centres if applicable.
Step 5: Generate Payroll
Why this matters:
This is the main step where employees’ salaries are calculated, adjustments added, and totals finalised.
💡Use case:
If an employee worked extra shifts, you can add an overtime pay item before confirming payroll.
Where to find it: Go to the side navigation menu > SG Payroll > Generate Payroll
Actions:
Select the employee(s) for the payroll batch.
Add or adjust pay items.
Review the final salary amounts.
After payroll generation is ready for viewing, click the refresh button to view the payroll batch as shown below:
Step 6: Generate Payroll Report
Why this matters:
Reports allow Admins to cross-check payroll amounts for accuracy before making official submissions.
💡Use case:
Finance can use the report to verify salary breakdowns match the approved HR records.
Where to find it: Go to the side navigation menu > Reports > SG Payroll tab
Actions:
Download the payroll report in Excel or PDF.
Review totals before moving to GIRO and CPF submissions.
Step 7: Generate GIRO File
Why this matters:
This step ensures employees are paid directly via bank transfer.
Where to find it:
Go to the side navigation menu > SG Payroll > Payment Files > GIRO Tab
OR
Go to the side navigation menu > SG Payroll > All Payrolls > Select month > Select payroll batch > GIRO button
Select your disbursing bank.
Download the GIRO file.
Submit the file to the bank.
Step 8: Generate CPF File
Why this matters:
The CPF file is required to fulfil statutory obligations for local employees.
Where to find it:
Go to the side navigation menu > SG Payroll > Payment Files > CPF Tab
OR
Go to the side navigation menu > SG Payroll > All Payrolls > Select month > Payroll batch > CPF button
Actions:
Select your bank.
Download the CPF file.
Submit it to the CPF Board.
Nice! You’ve learned the steps to set up and generate payroll for your employees-great progress toward smoother payroll management!
Still exploring? Head over to our Help Centre for more in-depth guides and FAQs.
👉 Next up: Check out this guide if you’re planning to use the Attendance and Shift Schedule modules in Gutsy
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at support@gutsyhq.com. We'll get back to you from there.