How to Create a Correction?
Create a Correction — Step-by-Step Guide
What is Create a Correction?
Create a Correction is a feature in FreePayroll that allows you to reopen a previously submitted payroll run and make changes to it — without having to start everything from scratch.
It's there to help you fix mistakes quickly and keep your payroll accurate, whether that's a missed pay item, an incorrect number of hours, or anything else that needs adjusting.
When Should I Use It?
You'll want to use Create a Correction whenever you realise something wasn't quite right after submitting a payroll run. Common situations include:
- You forgot to add a pay item for one or more employees
- The hours worked were entered incorrectly
- A deduction or addition was missed before submission
If any of these sound familiar, you're in the right place!
How do I create a correction?
- Navigate to History On the left-hand panel, click Payroll, then select History. Find the payroll run you'd like to correct and click the Create a Correction button next to it.
- Choose your correction scope You'll be presented with three options. Pick the one that best fits your situation:
Option | When to use it |
|---|---|
One Employee | The mistake only affects a single person |
Multiple Employees | You need to correct a specific group, whilst keeping the scope controlled |
Entire Payroll | The correction genuinely affects the full payroll run |
Not sure which to pick? Start with the narrowest scope that covers your needs.
Once selected, click Continue.
- Select your employees If you chose One Employee or Multiple Employees, you'll now be prompted to select the relevant people. Tick the appropriate names and click Continue to Review.
- Review the correction chain A summary screen will appear showing the payroll run you're correcting, as well as any additional runs that need to be closed as part of FreePayroll's correction chain. When you're ready, click Start Correction.
- Make your corrections You can now make the necessary changes directly within the correction run — such as adding a missing pay item or updating hours worked for an employee.
- Submit and follow the chain Once you're happy with your changes, click Submit Payroll. A confirmation modal will appear for you to review and finalise.
If there are additional payroll runs in the correction chain that still need to be closed, you'll be automatically redirected to each one in sequence. Work through the remaining runs until the entire chain is complete — only then will your payroll be ready to run again.
What Happens After I Click "Start Correction"?
Once you click Start Correction, the system will open the payroll run and allow you to make your changes — such as adding missing pay items or updating hours worked.
When you're done, click Submit Payroll. A confirmation modal will appear for you to review and finalise your changes.
Important: Once you click Start Correction, you'll need to complete the entire process before you can run payroll again or open a new correction. So make sure you have a few minutes set aside before getting started!
What if I Can't Finish the Correction Right Now?
No worries — life happens! If you need to step away before completing the correction, FreePayroll has you covered.
An alert will appear on your Home page as a reminder that a correction is currently in progress. When you're ready to pick up where you left off, simply head back to the Home page and follow the prompt to continue.
Just bear in mind that your payroll will remain on hold until the correction is fully completed.
How Does the Correction Chain Work?
This is an important one! In FreePayroll, corrections don't always stop at a single payroll run.
Here's how it works:
- When you create a correction, FreePayroll identifies all payroll runs that are linked to the one you're correcting.
- You'll see a summary screen listing the payroll you're fixing, as well as any additional runs that need to be closed as part of the chain.
- After you submit your corrected payroll, you'll be automatically redirected to each remaining run in the chain — one by one — until the entire process is complete.
Think of it as a domino effect: once you start, FreePayroll guides you through each step until everything is properly closed off and your payroll is ready to run again.
Updated on: 27/04/2026
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