--- title: "Payroll Setup" description: "Settings" canonical_url: "https://support.caremaster.com.au/articles/payroll-setup-jM0vRxRBFj" md_url: "https://support.caremaster.com.au/articles/payroll-setup-jM0vRxRBFj.md" --- # Payroll Setup **Settings** After you have synced the initial data from Xero as mentioned in the previous article you can now start to customise your settings and configuration. Start by going to **Admin → Integrations → Xero →Settings** from the main menu. ![](https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/aus-cdn.freshdesk.com/data/helpdesk/attachments/production/51119688271/original/_XTBKdLP5VDc-N5ZbjWpmBw1qyq8iWUepg.png?1693370181) There are quite a few settings here, there are explanations for everything here if you click on the ![](https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/aus-cdn.freshdesk.com/data/helpdesk/attachments/production/51119688267/original/jiD9op6g9s0K2JXrHjLfHv5ips8A2p2axQ.png?1693370180) icon either next to the item or in the section at the top. The first section is set to what we'd recommend, but you will need to configure the others yourself. Each section has a ![](https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/aus-cdn.freshdesk.com/data/helpdesk/attachments/production/51119688268/original/zyRA9GQhxYZE3VID81A18BB3ztpBeVc8iQ.png?1693370180) icon that explains how that section works and how to fill it in, have a read through this before making any changes. **Chart of Accounts -** The **Get from Xero** button will reset the Wage and Salary Expenses account to match what you have set in Xero for Wages and Salaries.     __Wage and Salary Expenses:__ The account used when CareMaster creates Earnings Rates     __Employee allowances (generic)__: the account used when CareMaster creates Allowances     __Employee travel allowance:__ this account is not currently used and can be left unset     __Default services income:__ the account selected by default when CareMaster creates Products/Services **Payroll Settings** - These should be automatically set when you connect to Xero for the first time, but will need to be refreshed if you make changes in Xero to your payroll Settings. Click 'Refresh from Xero' to resync the data from Xero.  **Rate Assignment Settings -**  This defines what Pay Items is used to calculate a particiular Award pay event, for example Saturday rates or Public Holidays. You can use your own rates if you wish, but its recommended that you use our automatically generated rates. We use multiplier rates to calculate shift loadings, which allows CareMaster to correctly calculate timesheet totals while complying with Award rules. Ours will match Award rules. **Allowance Assignment Rates** - This controls which Pay Item is used for a particular Award allowance, such as first aid allowance and sleepover allowance. The help icon here includes an explanation of the recommended information to use with each allowance type, or you can manually generate your own. Using CareMaster's automatically generated allowances will ensure you comply with the Award.  **Payroll Calendars** These need to be created from Xero and synched down to CareMaster, this is required in order for Timesheets to be sent over to Xero as they need a valid Payroll Calendar to go to. If you can see your Payroll Calendars in **Admin → Integrations → Xero → Payroll Calendars** then you don't need to do anything, otherwise you need to set these up in Xero and sync them to CareMaster. These can be synched from the Xero dashboard, or from the Payroll Calendars page.  **Changing payroll calendars ( Xero )** In order to change Xero Payroll calendars you would firstly need to set up the new payroll calendar in Xero. NOTE: Xero will not allow a Xero Calendar to be changed for an employee   if they have unprocessed leave in the system the below message is received  ![](https://support.caremaster.com.au/api/attachments.redirect?id=b2bc9523-5ff3-409b-ab75-773ff24c9ffd) Or if they have unprocessed timesheets in the system the below message is received    ![](https://support.caremaster.com.au/api/attachments.redirect?id=3c725971-1a7f-4d03-9c31-09e010ac9c81) The below example is showing a change from weekly to fortnightly payroll calendars. You would first need to create the fortnightly calendar in Xero. Then in CareMaster go to Admin > Integrations > Xero > Payroll Calendars and make the currently weekly calendar archived by selecting the active button. ![](https://support.caremaster.com.au/api/attachments.redirect?id=c7270d96-188e-4bf3-b1a2-e44229ac7598) ![](https://support.caremaster.com.au/api/attachments.redirect?id=4fcfd5aa-469a-41ac-a74f-953b4db525a0) Then select Get from Xero ( on the same page ) which will then show the new fortnightly calendar. ![](https://support.caremaster.com.au/api/attachments.redirect?id=04f8a875-df27-4781-8c63-443f5b727c14)Go to Admin > Integrations >Xero> Workers and there should show a Fix now button ( in red ) Select this and this will take to a page where you can select the new payroll calendar to apply for all workers and then select Apply all Changes: ![](https://support.caremaster.com.au/api/attachments.redirect?id=dbf61ec0-7d8c-4f48-a113-1834ce805d51) ![](https://support.caremaster.com.au/api/attachments.redirect?id=901708c9-4155-4c2e-ab33-7eaaf870429a)When performing the first fortnightly pay run in CareMaster in Payruns and allowances you can select the new fortnightly calendar which would appear in the drop down box. You can then process the pay run as you normally do.