Add your first client and run your first payroll

This guide covers: creating a client record, sending the e-sign onboarding packet, adding the first employee, and running the first payroll. SMB users skip step 1 — their own company is the client and is created at signup.

Add the client

What it does: Creates the company record (EIN, legal name, address, pay frequency, contact, owners) that everything else hangs off.

Where: Dashboard → Clients (/clients) → click Add Client (top right).

Steps:

1. From /clients click Add Client.
2. On the Company step: type Legal Name and optional DBA, then EIN (XX-XXXXXXX) and pick an Entity Type (Sole Proprietorship · Partnership · LLC · S Corporation · C Corporation · Nonprofit).
3. Click Next.
4. On the Addresses step: type the physical street address (the Google autocomplete fills city/state/ZIP). Leave Same as physical address ticked unless mail goes elsewhere.
5. Click Next.
6. On the Pay & Contact step: pick Pay Frequency (Weekly · Bi-weekly · Semi-monthly · Monthly). Optionally enter one First pay period (Period Start · Period End · Check Date) — Payrollix derives the cadence from it. Add Company Phone, Company Email, and (optional) Contact Person for W-2 / Tax Forms.
7. Click Next.
8. On the Representatives step: click Add representative for each beneficial owner (>=25%) and control officer (CEO/CFO/COO/Director). Enter their DOB, SSN, residence address, and tick Beneficial owner with the ownership percentage and/or Control officer. Required for Moov KYB later — but you can click Skip for now and add them in Banking.
9. On the Review step: scan the summary and click Create Client.

The stepper shows each step as a labelled icon (no "Step N" prefix in the UI — the labels are Company, Addresses, Pay & Contact, Representatives, Review).

Who: Accountants. SMB owners don't see this — their single client was created at signup.

Notes: The EIN field is masked as you type. If a representative fails to save you'll see "Client created, but N representative(s) failed — add them in Banking." — the client itself still exists.

Send the onboarding packet

What it does: Emails the client an e-sign packet with Form 8655 (IRS reporting agent authorization), per-state Reporting Agent / TPA POAs, the Master Services Agreement, and Moov acknowledgements. The client signs once, and Payrollix is authorized to file and pay on their behalf.

Where: Two options.

• Per-client: Clients → [the client] → Overview (/clients/[clientId]) → click Invite to client portal (also sends the onboarding packet for clients that haven't started it).
• Bulk across all clients: Clients → Send onboarding packets (top of /clients).

Steps (bulk):

1. On /clients click Send onboarding packets (amber outline button next to Add Client).
2. The Bulk send onboarding packets modal opens scoped to your accountant account.
3. Pick Send (first time) or Remind (re-send to clients already nudged). The modal previews dry run by default — confirm the list, then untick dry-run and run for real.
4. Click Send to fire.

Who: Accountants only.

Notes: Until the client signs (status fully_signed) or you mark them with client.ra_on_file=True, create_payroll_run is blocked with HTTP 412 ONBOARDING_PACKET_NOT_SIGNED — the run-payroll page surfaces this as an Onboarding required modal that deep-links to client settings.

Add at least one employee

What it does: Creates the employee record (W-2 or 1099), captures W-4 data, address, pay rate, and tax setup so payroll can include them.

Where: Clients → [the client] → Employees (/clients/[clientId]/employees) → click Add Employee.

Steps:

1. Open the client and click Employees in the left rail.
2. Click Add Employee (top right).
3. Pick W2 or 1099 for Worker type.
4. Fill in First Name, Last Name, SSN (XXX-XX-XXXX), Date of Birth, Hire Date, optional Email and Phone, and (optional) Emergency Contact name/phone/relationship.
5. Type the employee's home address. Pick the Assigned work location if the client has multiple work locations set up.
6. Pick Pay Type (Hourly · Salary · Project) and enter the Pay Rate.
7. For W-2: pick Filing Status, enter dependents/other income/deductions/additional withholding on Federal W-4, and complete the state W-4 form that appears for the work state. For 1099: fill in Business Name, EIN, Contractor Type, and Payment Terms.
8. Click Create Employee.

Who: Accountants (for any client) and SMB owners (for their own company).

Notes: If the work state is Ohio, the Ohio school district field appears and auto-detects the 4-digit code from the address. For PA, OH, KY and similar local-tax states the Local Tax lookup populates the local jurisdiction. Tick I have reciprocity exemption if the employee has filed the right reciprocity form (e.g. PA-NJ).

Run the first payroll

What it does: Calculates gross pay, taxes, deductions, and net pay for the period, then queues direct deposits and tax payments after approval.

Where: Clients → [the client] → Payroll (/clients/[clientId]/payroll) → click New Payroll Run (or the top-of-dashboard Run Payroll quick action).

Steps:

1. Open the client and click Payroll → New.
2. Enter the Pay Period Start, Pay Period End, and Pay Date (defaults to client cadence).
3. The employee grid loads with one row per active employee. For each row tick Include and enter Hours Regular / Hours Overtime / Hours Holiday / Hours PTO / Hours Sick (hourly) or leave at the per-period salary default (salary). Add Bonus and Commission if applicable.
4. The Payment method column auto-picks Direct deposit if the employee has a Moov-linked bank, Paper check otherwise. Flip a row to paper check by clicking the chip.
5. Click Preview to calculate gross, taxes, deductions, and net side-by-side.
6. Click Save & Approve to lock the run. Direct deposits and tax payment vouchers fire automatically per your ACH timing (see the Direct Deposit Timing card on the page).

Who: Accountants (any client) and SMB owners (own company). Team members with the Viewer role see the page but the Save & Approve button is hidden.

Notes: If the client hasn't completed onboarding signing, the Onboarding required modal blocks the run with a deep-link to client settings. If an employee already has a row for this period, the grid flags has_existing_payroll so you don't double-pay.

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Related: Accept an invitation · Dashboard & client list · How ACH timing works · Your filing authorization.