Managing employee attendance and calculating payroll manually can be time-consuming and error-prone. If you're running a small business or office, the Excel Employee Payroll Manager offers a practical and powerful way to handle payroll processing, track working hours, and generate structured reports—all within a familiar Excel interface.
Designed specifically for teams of up to 50 employees, this Excel-based payroll tool reduces administrative workload and keeps your payroll workflow consistent, automated, and auditable.
What Is the Excel Employee Payroll Manager?
The Employee Payroll Manager is a macro-enabled Excel file (.xlsm) that uses built-in formulas, VBA macros, and hidden data sheets to manage everything from attendance tracking to salary breakdowns. It’s ideal for small teams that want payroll automation without subscribing to expensive HR software.
The tool includes:
A payroll dashboard for calculations and processing:
Centralized control panel where all payroll operations take place, including pay period review and payment tracking.
Attendance logging for daily in/out entries:
Enter clock-in and clock-out times with precise timestamps, feeding directly into automated payroll calculations.
Employee management and pay-type customization:
Add employees with role-based classifications and assign different compensation methods (hourly, salaried, freelance, etc.).
Tax, PTO, and bonus handling:
Automatically calculate tax deductions, paid time off, and additional earnings for each employee.
A “Save & Next” feature for finalizing employees one-by-one:
Review payroll for each staff member and finalize payments in sequence—visually confirming each step as you go.
No technical skills required. Just open the .xlsm file, enable macros when prompted, and start processing payroll with confidence.
Key Features
Add and Manage Employees with Ease
Adding new staff is intuitive and structured, ensuring no detail is missed.
Name, contact info, and photo:
Build a complete employee profile with all necessary identification fields.
Role type (Office Staff, Technician, Manager, etc.):
Classify employees by function to support future reporting and pay category analysis.
Pay type (Hourly, Salary, Freelance, or Piece Work):
Select how each employee is compensated, ensuring accurate calculations across different payment structures.
Regular and overtime rates:
Enter standard rates and additional hourly OT pay to accommodate work beyond normal hours.
Address, city, ZIP, and employment status:
Maintain up-to-date records for compliance, documentation, and reference.
You can edit employee details at any time. All data is stored in a hidden master sheet for security and centralized management.
Input Daily Attendance
Record work hours in the Attendance Data sheet with precise formatting:
Clock-in and clock-out fields:
Log exact entry and exit times, which feed directly into hours-worked calculations.
Employee name and ID:
Ensure each entry is accurately linked to the corresponding employee profile.
Date and entry ID for tracking:
Assign unique identifiers to each entry for auditing, sorting, and error-checking.
This system drives all time-based payroll calculations, including overtime and PTO accrual.
Automate Payroll Calculations
All payroll processing happens in the Payroll sheet using formula-driven automation.
Start a new payroll cycle using the “Add New Payroll” button:
Initiate a new pay period with one click, loading employee data into a fresh cycle.
Review and adjust employee-specific values like tax, PTO, or bonuses:
Make case-by-case adjustments to account for real-world variations.
View detailed breakdowns by clicking on each employee’s name:
Open a mini-dashboard with timesheet summaries, pay history, deductions, and additions.
When satisfied, click “Save Payroll” to lock the data. The employee is marked as “Paid” with a checkmark (✔), and the system moves to the next unpaid employee automatically.
Pay Period Management
Each payroll cycle loads only the employees relevant to that pay period. You can view:
Timesheet summary:
Total worked hours and attendance history for that period.
Pay breakdown:
Line-by-line detail showing base pay, bonuses, PTO, and final gross.
Tax and deduction calculations:
Automatically compute and display tax liabilities and any custom deductions.
PTO or additional earnings:
Include leave pay or extra compensation when applicable.
This modular workflow ensures that every employee’s payroll is independently reviewed and confirmed.
Finalize Payroll with “Save & Next”
Speed up your payroll cycle with this user-friendly action:
Click “Save & Next” to lock their status:
Marks the current employee’s payroll as complete and logged.
Their row changes to “Paid” and is marked with a tick (✔):
A visual confirmation that the employee’s pay has been processed.
The system moves to the next unpaid employee:
Helps prevent oversight and reduces manual navigation during payroll review.
This function improves efficiency for batch processing while maintaining clarity on who’s paid and who isn’t.
See Excel Payroll Manager in Action
Swipe or click through screenshots of the Excel Employee Payroll tool.
Why Use an Excel-Based Payroll Manager?
This tool is designed for teams that:
Want to stay within Excel for payroll tasks:
Avoid complex third-party tools and maintain control within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Need control over attendance and payment records:
Keep everything in one place with centralized data and full audit trails.
Prefer to avoid complicated cloud systems or costly HR software:
Pay once, own the tool, and eliminate the need for internet access or SaaS platforms.
With hidden configuration sheets, visible working areas, and Excel automation behind the scenes, the system offers a balance of power and usability.
Benefits
No Subscription Fees:
Fully Excel-based—own the file forever, with no hidden costs.
Easy to Use:
Clean layout, form-driven inputs, and button-based actions make it approachable for non-technical users.
Accurate Calculations:
From base pay to overtime, PTO, and taxes—everything is driven by robust Excel formulas.
Admin Controls:
Hidden admin sheets let you configure tax rules, salary heads, pay types, and more.
Who It’s For
This payroll solution is ideal for:
Offices with up to 50 employees
Small businesses managing hourly, salaried, or freelance staff
HR teams looking for an affordable, Excel-driven tool
Entrepreneurs who prefer self-managed systems over cloud platforms
If your payroll needs are straightforward but time-consuming, this tool cuts through the complexity and gives you back your time.
How to Get Started
Getting started is simple and takes less than 5 minutes:
Open the file Employee_Payroll_Manager.xlsm in Excel
Enable macros when prompted to unlock full functionality
Add employees, enter attendance, and begin processing payroll
You’ll have a fully functional, locally managed payroll engine—tailored for small teams but packed with powerful features.
Within minutes, you’ll have a fully functional payroll engine running inside Excel.
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