TradeWeave · ServiceTitan System Guides

Payroll & Timekeeping

Not one system but three working together: Configurable Payroll decides how much someone earns beyond base hours, Timekeeping decides how time gets logged, and Payroll Sign-off is the approval chain that has to clear before any of it processes.

Configurable Payroll Flexible Timekeeping Payroll Sign-off Payroll Dashboard

A generic "payroll is wrong" complaint can trace to any of three different layers — commission rules, time-tracking setup, or a stuck approval — and the fix is completely different depending on which one actually broke. Diagnose the layer first before touching settings.

Setup

Three sub-systems

Configurable Payroll for commissions, Flexible Timekeeping for time logging, Payroll Sign-off for the approval chain.

1

Build a Configurable Payroll profile

Settings > People > Payroll
  • Create a profile: name, color, job filters (Job Type, Business Unit, Marketing Campaign) defining which jobs qualify.
  • Define the pay calculation: flat amount, percentage, or tiered formula with optional multipliers/caps.
  • Mark pricebook items "Pays Commission"; choose Invoice Subtotal vs. Commissionable Base deliberately — these produce materially different payouts on the same invoice.
Never skip the test Always run Test Profile against real historical job data before deploying — it's the only way to catch a formula that saves fine but calculates nonsense.
2

Set up Flexible Timekeeping

RolesLabor TypesEarnings Codes
  • Sequential setup: Roles → Business Units → Labor Types → Earnings Codes → Employee/technician configuration → Timesheet Tags.
  • Admins need "Create timesheet activities" and "Allow to view and edit user timesheet activity"; staff need "Employee can edit their own timesheet entries." A missing button is almost always the specific permission, not a general one.
Old data isn't gone Historical payroll data stays locked and unaffected when enabling Flexible Timekeeping — past timesheets just disappear from job-record view. Pull them from the Timesheet Detail Report or Master Pay File instead.
3

Configure the Payroll Sign-off chain

Payroll Dashboard
  • Employees need to be included in payroll, have detailed payroll settings configured, and have an assigned manager — without one, sign-off has nobody to route to.
  • Managers can only review their own assigned employees; Administrators can review everyone.
No email path Sign-off happens entirely inside ServiceTitan — there is no email-based approval. A greyed-out "Send to Employee" button is almost always a missing "View payroll approval dashboard" permission or zero assigned employees.

Ongoing use

The sign-off cycle, every pay period

  1. Manager/Admin reviews team payroll on the Payroll Dashboard.
  2. Release for employee approval — "Send to Employee."
  3. Employee/technician reviews and responds — approve or dispute, via Time Clock or the mobile apps.
  4. Manager resolves disputes before proceeding.
  5. Manager approval — "Approve by Manager."
  6. Final approval for processing — "Approve payroll for processing," the actual gate to export.

Reference

Pitfalls & performance

Common pitfalls

SymptomFix
New profile pays wrong amountsAlways Test Profile against real data first
Commission missing on a jobCheck invoice status and "Pays Commission" flag
"Send to Employee" greyed outGrant approval permission; confirm assigned employees
Employee can't approve own timesheetGrant "View employee time tracking and edit"
Old timesheets "disappeared"Pull via Timesheet Detail Report / Master Pay File

KPIs to watch

MetricWhere
Timesheet exception rateLate Clock Out / Overtime Alert reports
Commission payout per techMaster Pay File
Overtime % of total hoursMaster Pay File, PaidTimeType
Payroll processing timeClose-to-export gap

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