Implementation Note:
This feature is available at no additional cost but requires configuration by the Careswitch team for your workspace. To activate these new payroll features, please contact our support team with the following information:
- Your payroll frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.)
- The historical date from which you'd like your payroll records backfilled
Our team will configure your workspace and notify you once the features are ready for use.
Introducing Payroll Runs
Dedicated Payroll Page
We've launched a centralized payroll management system that transforms how you process your payroll. The new payroll page provides a clear overview of all your Payroll Runs, with each run showing its current status (Draft, Processing, or Paid). You'll find comprehensive summaries showing total hours and amounts for regular time, overtime, double time, and travel time.
Each Payroll Run displays an intuitive progress bar that helps you track:
- Green segments showing approved shifts ready for export
- Orange segments indicating shifts pending review
- Blue segments representing projected (upcoming) shifts
This visual system helps you quickly identify which Payroll Runs need attention and track your progress through the payroll process.
Status Changes and Pay Period Locking
Once you've completed processing a Payroll Run, you can mark it as "Paid" to prevent accidental modifications. This creates a reliable audit trail and ensures that processed payroll remains consistent with what was exported to your payroll provider.
- Complete approval of all items is required to change status from Draft to Processing or Paid
- Once a Payroll Run is marked as Processing or Paid, all payable items are locked against further changes
- Status changes are permanent unless manually unlocked by system administrators
- This ensures exported data remains consistent with your payroll provider's records
Export Behavior
To ensure accuracy in overtime calculations and maintain data consistency, the export process includes important safeguards:
- All payable line items in a Payroll Run will be exported, regardless of approval status
- A warning is displayed before export if unapproved items exist
- The warning notes that the export may become outdated if unapproved items are modified later
Timesheet Management
Accessible Timesheet Views
Employee timesheets are now available in two convenient locations:
- Within Payroll Runs: Access and manage timesheets in the context of specific pay periods
- On Professional Profiles: View an employee's complete timesheet history through a new dedicated payroll tab
This dual access ensures you can review timesheets in the context that makes most sense for your task - whether you're processing payroll or reviewing an individual employee's history.
Visual Timeline Interface
Each employee's timesheet now features a visual timeline that makes it easy to understand their work patterns and overtime. The timeline uses a color-coded system:
- Light gray blocks represents travel time
- Dark gray blocks represent regular working hours
- Yellow blocks indicate overtime hours
- Red blocks show double overtime periods
You can hover over any time block to see detailed shift information, making it simple to track hours and verify accuracy.
Multi-Period Shift Handling
The system now automatically handles shifts that cross pay period boundaries. When a shift spans multiple pay periods, it's automatically split and allocated to the appropriate periods while maintaining accurate overtime calculations. This ensures accurate payment without manual intervention.
Change Protection
The system includes safeguards to prevent unintended changes:
- Warning prompts when editing rates, durations, or amounts that would affect previously approved items (like overtime calculations)
- Alerts when modifications to one shift would impact other approved shifts
- Hard prevention of any changes to locked Payroll Runs (those marked as Processing or Paid)
Canceled Shift Management
We've introduced new flexibility in handling canceled shifts:
- Option to mark canceled shifts as payable while canceling
- Ability to adjust payable hours after cancellation
- Support for partial pay scenarios (such as show-up pay in California)
- Clear documentation of cancellation reasons and pay decisions
Dismissed Employee Processing
When an employee is terminated, the system automatically creates a special "dismissal payroll run" that consolidates all their outstanding pay from current and previous pay periods. This separation makes it easy to process final paychecks without affecting your regular payroll cycle.
Select a professional status within the "Inactive" stage to inactive to initiate a dismissal payroll.
Automated Review & Approval System
AI-Powered Shift Review
Building on our successful billing review system, we've expanded our AI capabilities to include payroll processing. This enhancement brings the same level of automation and accuracy to your payroll workflow that you've experienced with billing. How it works:
Rule Configuration
- In your workspace settings, each AI rule now has checkboxes for "Apply to Billing" and "Apply to Payroll"
- Rules can be set as blocking or non-blocking independently for each function
- Example: A late clock-in rule could be blocking for billing but non-blocking for payroll
- Rules can be configured to check both billing and payroll simultaneously, streamlining the review process
Shift Processing
- When a shift is completed, the AI automatically reviews both billable and payable items
- Payable items are always added to timesheets to ensure complete overtime calculations
- Billable items must pass all rules before being automatically added to invoices
- Items can be approved independently - a shift might be approved for payroll but held for billing review, or vice versa
Exception Handling
The new shift detail page now shows exceptions exactly where they matter:
- Billing exceptions appear directly on the billable item card
- Payroll exceptions appear on the payable item card
- Each exception is clearly labeled as blocking, non-blocking, or resolved
- Users can click exceptions to see the AI's detailed analysis
- All historical exception resolutions are maintained for audit purposes
Resolution Process
When addressing exceptions:
- Edit the relevant item (billable or payable)
- Click "AI Review" to trigger a new evaluation
- The system checks both billing and payroll criteria
- Successfully resolved exceptions are marked as "Resolved"
- Items are automatically added to timesheets once approved
Manual Review Controls
You can approve individual payroll items or completed shifts in 3 different places:
- Shift detail page
- Professional profile > Payroll tab
- Payroll Run > Timesheet
The system maintains the integrity of your approvals by warning you when changes might affect other approved items. For example, if you modify a pay rate that would affect an approved overtime calculation, you'll receive a detailed warning explaining the impact before proceeding.
Enhanced AI Shift Review System
New Data Points for Review
The AI system now evaluates an expanded set of data points when reviewing shifts, enabling more sophisticated and accurate automated reviews.
Payroll Data
- Regular Time (rates, hours, and pay)
- Overtime (rates, hours, and pay)
- Double Overtime (rates, hours, and pay)
Professional Profiles
- Caregiver Tags (e.g., "MVP" "Training")
- Caregiver Stage (e.g., "Active" "Onboarding")
- Caregiver Status (e.g., "Excelling", "Performance Concern")
Client Profiles & Service Information
- Client Tags (e.g., "Rural Area", "High Risk", "Priority")
- Service Stage (e.g., "Active", "Transition")
- Service Status (e.g., "Needs Attention", "Ending Soon")
Communication
- Caregiver Comments (from shift activity feed)
- Office Staff Comments (from shift activity feed)
Example Rules
Our AI system becomes more powerful when configured with rules that match your agency's workflows. Here are example rules showing how to combine data points for common home care scenarios.
Care Documentation Review Rules
New Client Shift Review
- IF service stage is "Active"
- AND client status is "New"
- Require care documentation review
Care Summary Keywords
- IF caregiver comments include "fall" or "pain" or "medication change"
- Require care documentation review
Hospital Discharge Notes
- IF client tag is "Post Hospital"
- AND service stage is "Active"
- Require care documentation review
Billing Review Rules
Priority Client Verification
- IF client tag is "Priority"
- OR service status is "Needs Attention"
- Block billing approval
Late Visit Rule
- IF clock in is more than 15 minutes late
- AND client tag is "Priority"
- Block billing approval
Payroll Review Rules
Rural Travel Verification
- IF client tag is "Rural Area"
- AND shift includes travel time
- Block payroll approval until mileage documented
Training Period Pay
- IF caregiver tag is "Training"
- AND recorded time is not exactly the scheduled time
- Block payroll approval
Overtime Review
- IF regular hours exceed 40 in work week
- AND caregiver status is "Performance Concern"
- Block payroll approval
Building Your Rules
Consider creating rules that check for:
- Important keywords in care documentation (falls, medications, pain, etc.)
- Proper travel time and mileage documentation
- Correct pay rates for training periods
- Late or missed visits for priority clients
- Complete care documentation for new clients or after hospital discharge
Share Your Success
We're building a community of innovative home care agencies who are using AI rules to improve their operations. Have you created rules that are making a real difference in your agency? We'd love to hear about them! Your insights could help agencies like yours save time, improve compliance, and deliver better care.
Contact our support team to schedule a consultation for building effective rules, or to share rules that are working well for your agency.