Breadcrumbs

Create a Cost Centre in PayGlobal

Overview

Cost Centres group financial costs from employee payments into categories. Your organisation’s Finance or Accounts team should confirm the Cost Centre code, description, General Ledger (GL) information and effective date before you create the record.

This article explains how to create a Cost Centre in PayGlobal. The fields and costing structure used by your organisation may differ, so use an existing, working Cost Centre as a model where appropriate.

Before you start

Confirm the following information with your Finance or Accounts team:

  • Cost Centre code

  • Cost Centre description

  • Applicable GL information or coding structure

  • Effective date, if applicable

  • Whether the Cost Centre must be available in ESS or Time and Attendance (T&A)

  • Whether an existing Cost Centre should be expired or remain active

We recommend creating and testing the Cost Centre in your Test database before adding it to Live.

Create a Cost Centre

  1. Open the Cost Centres table. This is usually available under Organisation > Costings > Cost Centres.

  2. Right-click in the Cost Centre list and select Add Record.

  3. Enter the approved Code.

  4. Enter the approved Description.

  5. Complete the remaining fields using your organisation’s Cost Centre structure. If you are unsure which fields apply, model the record on a similar Cost Centre that is already working.

  6. Enter the applicable GL code or other costing information supplied by your Finance or Accounts team.

  7. Complete any additional fields required by your organisation, such as budgeting, reporting or expiry information.

  8. Select Save + Close.

  9. Reopen or refresh the Cost Centre list and confirm that the new record is available.

Model an existing Cost Centre

If the new Cost Centre is similar to an existing one, you can model the existing record instead of starting from a blank record. Select a Cost Centre with a similar purpose and structure, copy or model that record using the options available in your PayGlobal version, then change the code, description and other fields to match the approved information for the new Cost Centre.

Do not assume that every field should be copied unchanged. Review the new record with your Finance or Accounts team before using it for payroll processing.

Make the Cost Centre available in ESS or T&A

Complete this section only if employees or managers need to select the Cost Centre in an ESS or T&A process.

  1. Open the T&A Costing table.

  2. Create the corresponding costing record.

  3. Map the T&A costing record to the correct PayGlobal Cost Centre.

  4. Select Save + Close.

  5. Confirm that the Cost Centre is available for the relevant ESS or T&A process.

The PayGlobal and T&A/ESS records must remain aligned when Cost Centres are created, changed or expired.

Test the new Cost Centre

Before using the new Cost Centre in your Live database, test it in your Test database:

  • Open, process and close a pay that uses the new Cost Centre.

  • Run the relevant Cost Centre and GL reports, and confirm the results are correct.

  • Check that the Cost Centre is applied to the expected employee or transaction records.

  • Test any integrations or exports that use Cost Centre information.

  • If the Cost Centre is used in ESS or T&A, confirm that it is available for selection and maps to the correct PayGlobal Cost Centre.

If the test results are not as expected, check the Cost Centre hierarchy, employee and transaction setup, GL coding and any proportional costing configuration before using the record in Live.

Important considerations

  • Cost Centre structures are specific to each organisation. PayGlobal Support cannot confirm which code, description or GL structure is correct for your organisation.

  • Creating a Cost Centre does not by itself assign it to employees or transactions. The applicable employee, allowance, deduction, transaction, hierarchy or T&A configuration may also need to be updated.

  • If the new Cost Centre must be referenced by custom reports, payroll rules, integrations or other customised processes, engage a PayGlobal consultant to review the required configuration.

  • If a Cost Centre is no longer required, follow your organisation’s process for adding an expiry date rather than deleting historical costing information.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create a Cost Centre directly in the Live database?

You can, but we recommend creating and testing it in the Test database first. This lets you verify payroll processing, reports and integrations before making the change in Live.

Should I copy an existing Cost Centre?

Modelling a similar, working Cost Centre is often helpful because organisations may use different fields and costing structures. You must still update the new record with the approved information and confirm the settings with Finance or Accounts.

Why is the Cost Centre not available in ESS or T&A?

Check that the corresponding T&A Costing record exists and is mapped to the correct PayGlobal Cost Centre. Also confirm that the Cost Centre is enabled or available for the relevant ESS or T&A process.

Does PayGlobal Support confirm whether my Cost Centre setup is correct?

Support can explain the available PayGlobal functionality, but the correct Cost Centre structure, GL coding and reporting requirements are specific to your organisation. Confirm these details with your Finance or Accounts team. A consultant may be required where custom configuration or reporting is involved.