Guide · HRMS
Biometric Attendance to Payroll, Step by Step
Biometric attendance to payroll is the path from a punch on an attendance device to an amount on a payslip: punches become daily attendance, attendance becomes payable days, and payable days become pay.
The short answer
In Suntel360 HRMS, a scheduled sync pulls punches from biometric devices (ESSL) once a day and saves one attendance record per employee per day, marked present, half day or pending. A payroll run rebuilds each employee's attendance into payable days and computes pay. Once payroll is locked, payslip PDFs can be generated and emailed to employees.
From device punch to payslip, stage by stage
1. The device sync pulls punches
Biometric devices (ESSL) are set up per business unit, by network address and port; a business unit without one is skipped. The scheduled pull runs once a day, at 03:00 UTC (08:30 IST), and matches punches to employees by the device user ID on each profile; an employee without one is skipped and counted. An unreachable device is reported as a device failure, not treated as a day with no punches. Each scheduled run re-processes from two days before its last checkpoint, so late punches are paired again. Attendance is one record per employee per date, so a re-run overwrites a day rather than duplicating it. HR can also re-sync a single employee, up to three months back, limited to what the device still holds.
2. Punches become a working day
For a day shift, the first punch of the date is the check-in and the last is the check-out. A single punch is saved as an open check-in with no check-out and zero hours, not as a finished day. For a night shift, one that ends earlier than it starts, an evening punch is paired with the next morning's. Employees can also check in and out in a desktop browser, not on a mobile phone. When a day has both device and web times, a web check-in within 15 minutes of the device time takes the device time, otherwise the web time; the check-out takes the later of the two.
3. Each day gets a status; late is a flag
The sync sets each day's status from hours worked: at or above the half-day threshold, present; above zero but below it, half day; with no hours, pending. The threshold defaults to four hours, and each organisation can change it. Late is not a status but a flag, set when the employee checks in or out on the web, or when the day is added or edited by hand: a check-in after the shift start plus a grace period, 15 minutes by default, marks it late. The device sync on its own does not set it, and with no shift window there is no late mark. A record open for 13 hours or more is closed automatically and marked pending review, and is not paid until a manager or HR resolves it.
4. The payroll run rebuilds the cycle
Creating a payroll run first rebuilds each employee's attendance figures for the cycle from the daily records, then computes pay from them. The cycle runs from the 26th to the 25th by default, and is configurable. Week-offs and configured holidays are not working days. A working day with no attendance record counts as absent, a full day of loss of pay; a half day counts as half. By default, every two late marks deduct another half day. Approved leave plays no part in it: approving leave updates the leave balance but writes no attendance record.
5. Holiday check and pay engine
If no holidays are configured for the pay period, the run stops before computing pay and warns that public holidays will count as working days. It goes ahead only when HR re-submits and acknowledges the warning. Pay is computed by the legacy engine, the default, unless the organisation's payroll configuration selects the newer engine; only there do its four pay models apply, chosen per employee: two monthly bases, hourly and daily wage.
6. Lock, mark paid, send payslips
A new run is a draft. Locking needs every record in the run to be processed. A draft can be cancelled; a locked run can return to draft by unlocking, which is refused once payslips exist. Marking a run paid works only from locked and records who confirmed it, the paid-on date and an optional payment reference; it does not move money. Payslips can be generated only for locked or paid records, one per employee per month, singly or for the whole run. Each payslip PDF is stored and emailed to the address on the employee's profile; a failed delivery is recorded, and HR can resend it.
Worked example: one employee, one pay cycle
Sample data| Line | Days or amount | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| Days in the pay cycle | 30 | Base for the daily rate |
| Week-offs and configured holidays | 5 | Not working days, and not docked |
| Working days | 25 | 30 − 5 |
| Present days | 21 | Not docked |
| Half days | 2 | 2 × 0.5 = 1 day of loss of pay |
| Working day with no attendance record | 1 | Counted absent: 1 day of loss of pay |
| Pending review (closed automatically) | 1 | Withheld from pay until reviewed |
| Late marks in the cycle | 4 | 4 ÷ 2 × 0.5 = 1 day of loss of pay |
| Total loss of pay | 3 | 1 + 1 + 1 |
| Payable days | 26 | 30 − 3 − 1 |
| Daily rate | 1,000.00 | Monthly salary 30,000.00 ÷ 30 |
| Gross for the cycle, before deductions | 26,000.00 | 1,000.00 × 26 |
Sample figures: one employee, a 30-day cycle, the legacy engine (the default) and the default half-day and late-mark settings. Where the newer engine is configured, its pay model applies instead.
What Suntel360 HRMS does, and does not do
It does
- Pulls punches from biometric devices (ESSL) once a day, with an on-demand re-sync for one employee.
- Pairs day and night shifts, and reconciles device times with web check-ins.
- Turns late marks into a deduction: by default, half a day for every two.
- Rebuilds attendance into payable days before computing pay.
- Holds a payroll run with no holidays configured until HR acknowledges it.
- Generates and emails payslip PDFs for locked or paid payroll.
It does not
- Carry approved leave into payroll: approval updates the leave balance and writes no attendance record.
- Post payroll to the ERP general ledger.
- Use AI at any step from punch to payslip.
- Move money: marking a run paid records the confirmation, with no bank transfer or bank file.
- Change locked or paid payroll in place: only a locked run can be unlocked, and not once payslips exist.
Questions
How often does Suntel360 HRMS sync biometric attendance?
The scheduled sync runs once a day, at 03:00 UTC (08:30 IST), pulling punches from each business unit's biometric device (ESSL) and re-processing from two days before its last checkpoint so late punches are paired again. HR can also re-sync one employee on demand, up to three months back, limited to what the device still holds.
Is late a separate attendance status?
No. The sync gives each day one of three statuses from hours worked: present, half day or pending. Late is a separate flag, set by web check-ins and check-outs or hand edits when the check-in is after the shift start plus a grace period (15 minutes by default). Every two late marks deduct half a day by default.
Which payroll warning blocks a run?
Only one: no holidays configured for the pay period. Without them, public holidays would count as working days, and employees without attendance on those days would be docked loss of pay, so the run waits until HR re-submits and acknowledges the warning. Every other warning, such as a failed holiday check, is reported without stopping the run.
How do employees receive their payslips?
Once a payroll record is locked or paid, a payslip can be generated for it, one per employee per month. The payslip PDF is stored and emailed as an attachment to the address on the employee's profile. If delivery fails, or no address is on file, the failure is recorded and HR can resend the stored PDF.
Does marking a payroll run as paid transfer the salaries?
No. A run can be marked paid only once it is locked, and doing so records who confirmed the payment, the paid-on date and an optional payment reference. It does not start a bank transfer or produce a bank file. Once paid, that payroll cannot be re-run for the employee and cycle.