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How to Pay Shop Staff: Attendance, Salary, Advances and Bonuses

By Quantum Solutions · 2 min read

Short answer: keep a record per person, mark attendance every day, pay salary from a recorded payroll entry (not out of the till), and track advances as a balance that is recovered from later pay. When the process is the same every month, disputes mostly disappear.

This article covers record keeping, not legal advice. Pay and leave rules differ by country.

Key takeaways

  • One staff record per person, with job title, start date and agreed salary.
  • Attendance marked daily, not reconstructed at month end.
  • Salary, advances and bonuses recorded separately.
  • Payroll kept out of the cash drawer and out of sight of other staff.

Step 1: A record for every person

Keep the basics in one place: name, role, contact, start date, monthly salary and whether they are active. When someone leaves, mark them inactive rather than deleting them, so past pay stays on record.

Step 2: Mark attendance daily

Use a few clear statuses: present, absent, leave and half day. Mark them every day. A manager can mark the whole team in a minute, and staff can check themselves in when they arrive. Corrections should be possible but limited to a recent window so old months are not rewritten.

Step 3: Pay salary from a payroll entry

On payday, record a salary payment for the month for each person. One salary entry per person per month prevents double payment. Record the method (cash, bank or mobile), because it matters for reconciling your cash.

Step 4: Handle advances properly

An advance is money you have lent. Record it with the amount and date. When you pay the next salary, recover part of it and record how much was recovered. The advance balance then falls to zero over a few months, and both you and the staff member can see it.

Step 5: Bonuses and one-offs

Record bonuses and other one-off payments as their own entries with a note, so they are not confused with regular salary when you review payroll costs.

Step 6: Keep pay private

Salaries are sensitive. Give payroll access only to the owner and admins. Cashiers should be able to sell and see their own attendance, not other people's pay or the shop's profit.

How DukaanAI helps

DukaanAI has a staff record per person, daily attendance marked by managers or by staff checking themselves in, and payroll for salary, advances (with recovery) and bonuses. Payroll is counted in your profit and loss separately from other expenses, and roles keep pay private from cashiers. See staff and payroll.

Frequently asked questions

How should I record a salary advance?

Record it as an advance on the staff member's account with the date and amount, then recover it in instalments from later salaries so the balance reaches zero.

Should staff be able to see each other's pay?

No. Only owners, admins and the people who run payroll should see salaries. Cashiers and general staff should see their own attendance and sales only.

Do local labour laws affect how I pay staff?

Yes. Minimum pay, overtime, leave and payslip rules differ by country. This article is about record keeping, so check local rules for what you must pay and provide.

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