This guide covers: Turn on auto-run, How auto-run picks pay dates, Skip or override a scheduled run.
Turn on auto-run
What it does: Enables the daily auto-run scheduler for this client. Each step (create draft, approve, process payments) is independently toggleable.
Where: Client sidebar → Payroll → Auto-Run (/clients/{clientId}/payroll/auto-run).
Steps:
- From the client sidebar, click Payroll → Auto-Run (or use the Auto-Run button in the Payroll page header).
- On the master toggle card, click Enable (the card flips from gray to green and the icon changes from pause to play).
- In Automation Steps, toggle on the steps you want automated:
- Auto-Create Draft — generate a payroll draft on schedule.
- Auto-Approve — flip the draft to approved without manual review.
- Auto-Process (Direct Deposits) — fire the Moov debit + initiate ACH credits.
- In Tax Automation, toggle the tax workflow steps you want:
- Auto Tax Payments (EFTPS) — submit federal/state tax payment ACH transfers after each run.
- Auto-Create Tax Filing Drafts — generate a Form 941 draft after each quarter closes.
- Auto-Submit Ready Filings — submit "Ready to file" 94x to IRS MeF when within 7 days of due.
- Auto-Generate State Filings — generate state quarterly returns (IL-941, PA-501, etc.).
Who: Accountant or SMB admin.
Notes: All sub-toggles disable when the master Auto-Run toggle is off. Tax automation toggles are independent of payroll automation — you can auto-create drafts without auto-processing, or auto-pay taxes without auto-submitting the 941. Filings always land in Draft status until you (or auto-submit) explicitly flip them to Ready to file.
How auto-run picks pay dates
What it does: Reads the client's pay frequency, the last completed run, and the configured "days before pay date" thresholds — and runs each step on the calendar accordingly.
Where: Same page — Timing card.
Steps:
- Create draft —
Ndays before pay date (default 5; range 1-14). - Auto-approve —
Ndays before pay date (default 3; range 1-7). - Process payments —
Ndays before pay date (default 2; range 1-5). - Same-day ACH — if checked, the process step uses Same-Day ACH (2:15 PM ET cutoff, may have fees) instead of standard 2-day ACH (4:15 PM ET cutoff).
Who: Accountant or SMB admin.
Notes: The scheduler runs daily at 6 AM UTC. For each client with auto-run on, it computes the next pay date (based on client.pay_frequency), then for each enabled step checks whether today is within the configured N-day window. The Employees card controls who's included: All Employees, Salaried Only, or Hourly with Timesheets. The Default hours for hourly input (range 0-168) sets the fallback hours when no timesheet exists for an hourly employee.
Skip or override a scheduled run
What it does: One-time skip the next run or pause auto-run until a future date.
Where: Skip Options card.
Steps:
- To skip just the upcoming run, toggle Skip next run on (the indicator turns yellow). The skip auto-resets once the run's pay date passes.
- To pause for a longer period (e.g. company holiday shutdown), enter a date in Pause until date. Auto-run is suppressed until that date.
- Click Clear next to the paused-until date to resume sooner.
- To trigger auto-run manually right now (testing or catch-up), click Run Now in the Manual Trigger & Logs card. A blue button labeled Show Logs in the same card flips open a log table of every auto-run action with date, action (create/approve/process/skip/error), status, pay date, employees, amount, and message.
Who: Accountant or SMB admin.
Notes: Skip + pause are independent — clearing one does not clear the other. The log preserves the message (success or error) for each invocation so you can audit what auto-run actually did. Notifications (the bell-icon card) controls which events email you: on create, on approve, on process, on error. Errors always notify regardless of the other toggles being on — recommended for any client with auto-process enabled.
Related: Run a regular payroll · Payroll history & edits · How ACH timing works · How Payrollix files your taxes.