> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paypunch.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Payroll Summary

> Review and approve the payroll summary your bookkeeper sends back after you submit a period — the final sign-off before payroll runs.

After you [submit a period](/client/submitting-payroll), your bookkeeper reviews the hours
and sends back a **payroll summary**. The **Payroll Summaries** screen is where you review
those summaries and give the final approval that lets payroll proceed. The header reads
**Payroll Summaries** — *"Review and approve payroll summaries for your company."*

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/paypunchio/_OTBJVy9gfwbmkZA/images/client/payroll-summary.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=_OTBJVy9gfwbmkZA&q=85&s=f8a6d0a92ec233da59378a90f2ebd06d" alt="Payroll summaries list" width="1440" height="900" data-path="images/client/payroll-summary.png" />
</Frame>

## The round trip

A period travels back and forth between you and your bookkeeper:

<Steps>
  <Step title="You submit">
    You submit the period — its status becomes **Pending Approval** on the bookkeeper's side.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your bookkeeper reviews">
    They check the numbers and send the summary back to you (status **Awaiting Review**).
  </Step>

  <Step title="You approve">
    You review the summary and click **Approve Payroll** — status becomes **Approved** and
    your bookkeeper finishes processing.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The summaries list

Three cards summarize your queue: **Pending Approval** (*"Require your review"*), **This
Month**, and **Recent Submissions**. You can search with *"Search by period or amount…"* and
filter by status (**All Statuses**, **Customer Submitted**, **Customer Approved**, **Summary
Sent**, **Completed**).

| Column        | What it shows                                      |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Period**    | The pay-period date range                          |
| **Status**    | Where the summary is in the round trip (see below) |
| **Generated** | When it was submitted                              |
| **Actions**   | **View**, plus **Review** when it's waiting on you |

### Status badges

| Badge                | Meaning                                                            |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Pending Approval** | You submitted it; your bookkeeper hasn't sent the summary back yet |
| **Awaiting Review**  | The summary is back and waiting for **your** approval              |
| **Approved**         | You've approved it                                                 |
| **Completed**        | Payroll processing is finished                                     |

## Reviewing and approving a summary

Click **View** (or **Review**) to open a summary. The detail page shows the period, its
status, when it was submitted, the pay-period type, and payroll details such as the
submission ID and the generated **IIF file** name.

When a summary is **Awaiting Review**, an **Approval Required** banner appears —
*"This payroll summary requires your review and approval before processing"* — along with an
approval section:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add notes (optional)">
    Use the **Notes (Optional)** box to add any comments for your bookkeeper.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Check **"I approve this payroll summary for processing."** By approving, you confirm the
    details are accurate and authorize payment processing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approve">
    Click **Approve Payroll**. While it processes you'll see **"Approving…"**, then you're
    returned to the summaries list with the status updated to **Approved** and a
    confirmation that the summary was approved.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **You can approve only once the summary is back from your bookkeeper** (status **Awaiting
  Review**). A summary that's still **Pending Approval** can't be approved yet — your
  bookkeeper has to send it back first. Approving requires the **Owner** or **Manager**
  role.
</Note>

<Tip>
  No separate "request changes" button exists — if a summary looks wrong, add a note
  explaining the issue and contact your bookkeeper rather than approving it.
</Tip>