Re-open payroll after submission
This article explains how you can reopen and edit payrolls after submitting them. It outlines when payrolls are eligible for reopening, how deadlines are calculated across time zones, and what to expect when working with single-center or multi-center payrolls.
Overview
You may need to correct or adjust payroll after submitting it. Zenoti provides a controlled reopen process that respects submission cutoffs and ensures clear status transitions. The reopen option appears only when a payroll is still pending. Once reopened, you must submit the payroll again before the applicable deadline to ensure timely processing.
Submission timeline rules
Payrolls remain editable until they meet any of the submission cutoff constraints:
Submitted before 11 AM ET on the deadline day: Eligible for reopen until 11 AM ET.
Submitted at or after 11 AM ET: Eligible for reopen up to 1 hour after submission, capped at 8 PM ET.
Hard cutoff: 8 PM ET. After this time, reopen is not available.
If you reopen a payroll but do not submit it again before the cutoff, it remains in Draft, and you must update the payday before sending it for processing.
Reopen a payroll
The Reopen payroll option appears only when at least one payroll in the pay period is in Pending status. If no payroll is in Pending status, the option remains hidden.
To check or use the option:
Go to ZIP dashboard > Payrolls.
Click on menu (three dots) for required payroll record.
Click Reopen payroll.
Confirm the action to move the payroll from Pending to Draft
If the reopen deadline has passed, an error message appears. If the deadline is still valid, the payroll successfully moves to Draft.
Delete a submitted payroll
If you submitted a payroll by mistake or need to start over, you can bring the payroll back to Draft and delete it.
To do this:
Reopen the payroll to move it from Pending to Draft.
Once the payroll is in Draft, discard it to remove the record.
This workflow is useful when a duplicate payroll was submitted or when you want to restart the payroll for the pay period.
Payroll status flow
Payrolls move through the following states:
Draft → Pending → Processing → Paid / Partially Paid
Pending → Draft (only by using Reopen payroll)
Draft → Discarded (when you delete a draft payroll)
After you reopen and resubmit a payroll, it follows the same status flow as any other payroll.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Q. I submitted a payroll but need to correct an hourly rate or commission amount. What should I do?
A. You must reopen the payroll to move it from Pending back to Draft. After it is in Draft, update the hourly pay, commissions, or any other payroll details and submit it again before the submission deadline.
Q. I submitted a duplicate payroll. How do I cancel it?
A. If you submitted a payroll twice by mistake:
Reopen the payroll to move it from Pending → Draft.
Discard the Draft payroll to remove it entirely.
This allows you to start fresh without processing duplicate payrolls.
Q. Why am I unable to reopen a payroll?
A. A payroll can be reopened only while it is in Pending status and only before the reopen deadline.
Reopen is allowed when:
The payroll was submitted before 11 AM ET on the deadline day → reopen available until 11 AM ET.
The payroll was submitted at or after 11 AM ET on the deadline day → reopen available for 1 hour after submission, but not later than 8 PM ET.
If the reopen deadline has passed or the payroll has already moved to Processing, the payroll is locked and cannot be reopened.
Key terms
Terms | Description |
|---|---|
Draft | Initial payroll state where you can edit and review data before submission. |
Pending | State after payroll submission. Reopen is available only in this state. |
Processing | Payroll has passed the deadline and is locked for processing. |
Paid / Partially Paid | Completed payroll states after payout. |
Submission deadline | Cutoff time after which payroll cannot be reopened or submitted for the selected pay period. |
Reopen | Action that moves payroll from Pending back to Draft so you can edit and resubmit it. |
Center timezone | The timezone in which a single-center payroll displays its submission deadline. |
PT cutoff | The final U.S. cutoff (Pacific Time) applied to multi-center payrolls with mixed timezones. |