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Processing Employee Terminations

How to calculate and pay final entitlements when an employee leaves.

Updated over 3 months ago

SmoothPay includes a termination function that calculates outstanding leave and prepares the employee’s final pay. The employee is then marked to terminate on completion of the current pay process.


Prior to Termination

Before using the termination function, you should always prepare any normal pay entries first.

This is important because:

  • Normal payments such as ordinary time, allowances or other earnings can affect termination calculations, as some rules rely on these amounts as part of the calculation

  • Processing a termination before entering normal pay may result in incorrect values being applied

Always enter any regular pay items first, then use the Terminate button once all non-termination items are complete.


Using the Termination Function

  1. Go to the Payrun screen

  2. Select the employee

  3. Click the Terminate button

  4. Review the termination calculation

  5. Make any required adjustments

  6. Complete the pay process to finalise the termination

Once processed:

  • The employee no longer appears in the current staff list

  • All historical data remains available

  • Reports can still be run on the employee


What the Termination Calculation Includes

The exact calculation varies by jurisdiction and may require manual intervention where rules are ambiguous. Generally, the termination calculation includes all entitlements that are legally required to be paid out.

SmoothPay automatically applies the correct rules based on your jurisdiction and the leave code classifications.


Leave Payments on Termination

The treatment of each leave type depends on local legislation, company policy and the employee’s employment agreement.

Common outcomes include:

Annual leave

  • Usually paid out in full

  • Valued according to the jurisdiction’s rules

Sick leave

  • Usually forfeited

  • Can be manually applied prior to calculation

Long service leave

  • Paid out depending on jurisdiction and qualifying service rules

  • SmoothPay supports regions where LSL rules apply

TOIL/RDO

  • Normally paid out

  • Valued at the employee’s current rate unless configured otherwise

Always check jurisdictional requirements if you are unsure.


Final Pay Components

Final pay may consist of:

  • Pay for hours worked up to the termination date

  • Payment in lieu of notice (if applicable)

  • Annual leave payout

  • Long service leave payout (if applicable)

  • TOIL/RDO payout

  • Any additional contractual or statutory termination payments

SmoothPay will display each component separately so you can review before approving.


Post-Termination

After the termination pay is processed:

  • The employee is marked as terminated

  • They cannot be selected for future pay runs

  • All historical data remains accessible

  • Their records continue to appear in reports where relevant

  • Leave history and payslips remain intact for auditing and compliance

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