Payroll Settings

Admin Settings > Payroll Settings

Payroll Settings is where you configure how instructors are paid for classes and services. You can set studio-wide defaults, override those defaults for specific classes or instructors, create reusable add-ons, and adjust pay on individual scheduled classes. The system applies a priority hierarchy so that the most specific setting always takes precedence.

Access requires the Payroll Settings permission. Editing pay on individual scheduled classes and services requires the separate Payroll Class & Service permission.

When a class is scheduled, the system determines the instructor's pay rate by checking for settings in this order — from most specific to least:

For Classes:

For Services:

The most specific setting found wins. This means you can define sensible studio-wide defaults and then only configure exceptions where needed.

All class-based pay rates use one of two calculation methods:

Attendance Based The instructor is paid according to how many students actually attended the class.

Booking Based The instructor is paid according to how many students were booked, regardless of whether they showed up.

Per Minute Pay is calculated based on the class duration in minutes. For example, a rate of $1.00/min for a 60-minute class = $60.

Per Hour Pay is calculated based on the class duration in hours.

Flat Rate A fixed amount is paid regardless of class duration or student count.

All three rate types support tiered pay — different amounts depending on how many students attend or are booked. Each tier specifies a student count threshold and a corresponding pay amount.

For example:

The system applies the highest tier the class qualifies for. You can add up to 20 tiers per rate configuration. Tiers must have unique student counts.

Sets the studio-wide default pay rate that applies to all classes unless a more specific setting exists. There are separate configurations for Drop-in Classes and Course/Term Classes.

For each, set the Pay Calculation type, Rate Type, and your tiered pay rates.

When you save global defaults, the system asks whether you'd like to apply the new rates to upcoming scheduled classes. A dialog shows a list of affected classes — you can select which ones to update and which to leave unchanged.

Override the global default for a specific class type. Useful when one particular class pays differently from the rest of your schedule.

Fields:

You can create multiple configurations for the same class with different rate types. The list view shows each class default with its tiers displayed as badges (e.g., "1+: $40, 5+: $55").

When saved, the system offers to apply the new class default to upcoming scheduled instances of that class.

Configure pay rates per instructor. This tab has two sub-sections:

Default Rates Set a general default pay rate for a specific instructor across all drop-in or course/term classes. Select the instructor, choose the class type, then configure Pay Calculation, Rate Type, and tiers.

These defaults are applied to every class the instructor teaches unless overridden by a class-specific rate below.

Class-Specific Overrides Set a pay rate for a specific instructor on a specific class. This is the highest priority setting and overrides everything else. Select both the instructor and the class, then configure the rate.

Both sub-sections show the same list display with instructor name, class type or class name, rate tiers, pay calculation, and rate type.

When saved, both sub-sections offer the same selective update dialog — showing affected upcoming classes so you can choose exactly which scheduled instances to update.

Set pay rates for services rather than classes. Services support two pay types:

Flat Amount A fixed amount paid per service, regardless of the service price.

Percentage of Service Price The instructor receives a percentage of what the student paid. For example, if the service costs $100 and the rate is 50%, the instructor receives $50.

Select a service, choose the pay type, and enter the amount. You can configure multiple defaults for the same service using different pay types.

Override service pay rates per instructor. Same structure as Instructor Class Rates:

Default Rates A general service pay rate for the instructor that applies across all services unless a service-specific override exists.

Service-Specific Overrides A pay rate for a specific instructor on a specific service — the highest priority setting for service pay.

Both support Flat Amount and Percentage pay types.

Add-ons are reusable supplementary pay items — such as a travel fee, holiday loading, or a bonus — that can be attached to an instructor's pay when scheduling a class. They are created here and then selected when configuring pay on individual schedules.

Fields:

Add-ons are calculated on top of the base tiered rate. Flat add-ons add their fixed value; percentage add-ons calculate against the base rate and add the result. If multiple add-ons are applied, all are added to the base amount.

When creating or editing a scheduled class, a Per-Instructor Pay Settings section appears for each assigned instructor (requires the Payroll Class & Service permission).

Each instructor has their own collapsible card showing:

Pay Calculation — Attendance Based or Booking Based.

Rate Type — Per Minute, Per Hour, or Flat Rate.

Tiered Pay Rates — A table where each row is a student count threshold and a corresponding pay amount. The table also shows a calculated total column that includes any applied add-ons. Tiers can be added or removed.

Add-ons — A multi-select dropdown listing all active add-ons from your add-ons library. Each add-on shows its type and value (e.g., "Travel Fee ($50)"). Selected add-ons are factored into the total pay column.

Available Payroll Defaults — If any payroll defaults exist for this instructor, they appear as quick-apply buttons. Click one to instantly populate the pay settings from that default. The currently active default is highlighted. This makes it easy to apply standard rates without manually re-entering them each time.

If multiple instructors are assigned to the same class, each receives their own independent pay configuration. There is no automatic pay splitting — each instructor's rate is configured and paid separately.

When scheduling or editing a service, the same per-instructor pay settings are available, using the service pay types (Flat Amount or Percentage) rather than the class-based rate types.

When you save or update any default (global, class, or instructor), a dialog appears listing all upcoming scheduled classes that would be affected. The table shows the class name, date, time, instructor, and current rate for each.

You can select individual classes to update or use Select All to update everything at once. Click Update Selected to apply the new default, or No, keep existing rates to save the default without changing anything already on the schedule.

This gives you precise control — you can update a default going forward without retroactively changing rates on classes that were already configured.

Pay data across your studio can be reviewed in Analytics > Generate Report > Payroll Report. Filter by date range, specific instructor, and location. The report shows total payroll, total classes taught, staff count, and average pay per class, with a per-instructor breakdown. See the Analytics article for full details.