Structure rules
A structure rule says which pay structure an employee should get, based on their details. For example: Grade M1 and above use the Management structure; Contract workers use the Contract structure; everyone else uses Standard.
Structure rules save HR from picking the structure by hand for every new joiner, and stop employees from being set up on the wrong one. They only suggest a structure; you can always change it.
Structure rules are optional. Find them in Payroll configuration → Structure rules.
When the suggestion is used
| Where | What happens |
|---|---|
| Set an employee's first salary | When you pick an employee who has no salary yet, the Pay structure is filled in from the matching rule, checked as of the employee's date of joining. |
| Salary revision for an existing salary | The employee's current pay structure is kept. Rules are not applied again. |
| Salary batches (import) | If a row leaves Pay structure empty, the matching rule's structure is used. If no rule matches, the row is rejected with No pay structure given and no structure rule matches this employee. |
Create a rule
- Go to Payroll configuration → Structure rules and select Add rule.
- Fill in the fields below and save.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pay structure | The structure to suggest. Required. |
| Priority | The lowest number wins when several rules match. |
| Grade, Location, Designation, Employment type, Pay group | The employee details to match. Leave a field as Any to match everyone. |
| Active | Inactive rules are ignored. |
An employee matches a rule only if they match every field you set. A rule with every field left as Any matches everyone; the Applies to column shows it as Everyone.
When several rules match:
- The rule with the lowest priority number wins.
- On a tie, the rule with more conditions wins.
Example
| Priority | Pay structure | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Contract | Employment type = Contract |
| 20 | Management | Grade = M1 |
| 20 | Management – Pune | Grade = M1, Location = Pune |
| 100 | Standard | Everyone |
- A contract worker matches Contract (priority 10) and Standard. They get Contract.
- An M1 manager in Pune matches three rules. Management and Management – Pune are both priority 20, and Management – Pune has more conditions, so they get Management – Pune.
- An M1 manager in Delhi gets Management.
- Everyone else gets Standard.
Tip: keep one Everyone rule with a high priority number as a catch-all, so every new joiner gets a suggestion and salary imports never fail for lack of a structure.
Good to know
- Rules use the employee's details as they are today and their pay group on the salary's effective date.
- Changing a rule doesn't move existing employees to a new structure. To change an existing employee's structure, create a salary revision.
- A pay group criterion only works if you use pay groups.