What happens before the month is closed
A checklist turns month close into a routine instead of a last-minute scramble. Give each branch or department an owner for the checklist, with a date to finish it, so nobody waits on a single person at head office.
- Pending leave, correction, WFH and on duty requests are approved or rejected
- Missed punches are followed up with the employees concerned
- Late-mark and early-going penalties are reviewed, and genuine cases waived with a reason
- Night shifts that cross midnight are checked against the right day
- Paid days and LOP days are checked for joiners and leavers
Why the month is locked
Once salaries are calculated, any change to attendance means payroll no longer matches the records. Locking the month prevents quiet edits and keeps the audit trail simple: attendance for September is exactly what was closed in the first days of October. If a genuine error surfaces later, HR reopens the month with a recorded reason or pays an arrear next month, and both paths leave evidence of what changed and why.
How month close feeds payroll
Payroll should read attendance only from a closed month, never from live data that can still change. In ZeniaHR, month close finalizes attendance and freezes it for payroll, and it can be reopened with a reason. Attendance corrections are blocked in a finalized month, and Direct Payroll takes paid days from the finalized attendance month, with a manual override for exceptions.
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Why do companies lock attendance before payroll?
Locking ensures that the attendance used to calculate salaries stays exactly as it was when payroll ran. Without a lock, a late correction could change paid days after payslips are issued, leaving records and salary out of step. A closed month gives payroll a stable base, and any later correction becomes a visible arrear or a recorded reopening rather than a silent edit.
Can a closed attendance month be reopened?
In most systems yes, but only by authorized HR users and with a reason recorded. Reopening is meant for real errors, such as a device fault found late or a wrong holiday setting. If salaries have already been paid, the usual practice is to correct the attendance and settle the difference as an arrear or recovery in the next month's payroll.