SmoothPay uses a consistent interface across most areas of the system. Once you understand the main navigation and the common controls, it becomes much easier to move around the software and understand what each area is for.

This guide explains how to navigate SmoothPay and how to recognise the common interface patterns used throughout the system.

The blue navigation bar at the top of SmoothPay is how you switch between different areas and access some additional options.

Interacting with it is straight forward, simply click on the one of the buttons to switch to that screen, or to access that set of options.

The starting point for general payroll activity. This area is typically used for reminders, summaries, and quick visibility of important payroll tasks. This is what you will see every time you login to the software.

This is where employee records are stored and maintained.

This is the working area where the payrun loaded with employees, pay inputs are drafted, audited and finalised.

This is where you run reports based on completed pay processes, or pay history from.

This area stores previously produced reports and reports that have been produced automatically as a by-product of another process. Use it to reproduce original copies of reports produced at an earlier point in time and to obtain reports that have been produced automatically, that aren't available for production directly.

This area stores generated files for later retrieval. Use it to download output files such as banking files, leave liability files, and other generated artifacts kept by the system.

This is where company-level defaults and configuration of company wide settings are controlled from.

This option is used to manage the period end and payday of your current pay process.

This is where the code structures used by payroll are maintained. Typically, it where the useable pay components of the payroll exist.

This is a company-level reference area for storing and accessing useful payroll or employment documents and reference material.

This area provides utility functions and support tools.

This area provides access to support and documentation resources.

Many areas of SmoothPay use a split layout:

For example, in the Staff screen:

You will see a data column on the left (which is the employee column)

Tabs which categorise different fields and options for employee records

With details based on the current selection to the right of the data column in the detail panel.

A data column is the selectable set of records usually shown on the left-hand side of the screen. Other data columns can be nested within particular tabs.

Examples include:

When you select a row, SmoothPay loads the details of that item into the main part of the screen in the detail panel, but the type of data shown, depends on the selected tab.

Some data columns will also include all or some of the following options:

a Search field above the data column

a filter above the data column

an Interaction bar

Entries within a data column, will either be active or inactive, which are displayed as:

Inactive records will be shown as strike-through text with black font and a red background.

Active records will be shown with a white neutral coloured background, with black font.

When you select an Inactive record the font turns white, but the background remains the same.

When you select an Active record, the font turns white, but the background turns a shade of dark blue.

Many screens have a row of buttons directly underneath the data column. This is an Interaction bar.

The interaction bar usually contains some combination of:

The exact buttons vary by area, but the pattern is consistent.

The + button usually creates a new record.

Clicking it normally opens a modal where you can enter the new details.

The - button usually removes the selected item.

Some areas may ask you to confirm before deleting. In some places, deletion may be restricted even when the button is visible.

The Print button will usually open a panel of options.

Once you've clicked the button, the panel of options should appear close to the button

The Edit button usually opens the selected record so you can change it.

In some areas, double-clicking a row does the same thing. This use-case of an edit button is always situated on an interaction bar.

When you add or edit something, SmoothPay often opens a pop-up window over the current screen. This is a modal.

Changes to options and fields within the software are done through the use of modals; you cannot usually type directly into fields or click options without first activating a modal using the edit or + button.

Most modals follow the same pattern:

The contents of the modal differ depending on what you are editing, but the general behaviour is very consistent.

The right-hand area is the detail panel. This panel shows the current record or the selected item from the data column, depending also on the selected tab.

Depending on the area, the detail panel may:

The edit button for a detail panel is always situated at the top left of the detail panel.

Some screens divide information using tabs.

For example, an employee record may have separate tabs for different categories of information. Some tabs may also contain nested tabs inside them.

Clicking on a tab, changes the current selection.

Tabs are used to organise related information without leaving the screen.

Because some tabs and field labels vary by country, the exact tab names may differ between deployments, but most are consistent.

When a report is opened inside SmoothPay, it may appear in the internal PDF viewer.

This viewer usually includes controls for:

This same viewer is used consistently, so once you understand how it works in one place, the same pattern applies elsewhere.

Some areas include a spanner button or similar options control.

Clicking the spanner button usually opens extra options related to the field or section beside it.

Use these controls when you need advanced settings, additional actions, or bulk options for the current area.

SmoothPay supports multiple country deployments, so some parts of the interface can vary depending on the payroll jurisdiction.

These differences can include:

The general interface patterns are mostly consistent, but the content inside those patterns may vary by country.

Once you are comfortable moving around SmoothPay, the next guide to read is How payroll flows through SmoothPay