What Is a Payroll Run? Payroll Run vs. Payroll Processing

Table of contents

You'll usually encounter "run payroll" when it's time to prepare employee pay for an upcoming payday.

With SurePayroll® By Paychex, you review and approve your payroll runs before your team is paid.

Payroll run vs. payroll processing: what's the difference?

A payroll run covers one pay date, while payroll processing is the recurring cycle of paying employees and meeting payroll tax obligations, run after run.

Payroll run compared with payroll processing
Topic	Payroll run	Payroll processing
Scope	One pay date, for the employees paid on it	The recurring cycle across every pay date
How often	Once per pay date, on the pay frequency you set	Ongoing, for as long as you have employees
What it covers	The pay, withholding, deductions and net pay for that pay date	Every payroll run, plus tax deposits and returns on their own schedules

How often you run payroll comes from the pay frequency you set for your business.

What a payroll run settles for one pay date

In each payroll run, you confirm:

Who's being paid
Hours worked or salary for the pay period
Gross pay
Withholding and deductions
Net pay
The pay date

After you approve the payroll run, employees receive their pay by paycheck or direct deposit on the pay date, and you have pay stubs and a payroll record for that pay. For the calculation behind those numbers, how to do payroll in 7 steps walks through the process.

Payroll taxes from each run follow their own deposit schedule

For each payroll run, calculate the taxes withheld from employees' pay and the employer taxes owed on those wages. You're responsible for depositing those taxes, and when federal employment tax deposits are due generally depends on your IRS deposit schedule and when wages are paid. The day you run payroll doesn't set the due date. IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide, explains how your deposit schedule is set.

Quarterly and annual payroll tax returns then report the wages and taxes from many payroll runs together. Your pay frequency doesn't set your federal employment tax deposit schedule.

Approve each payroll run ahead of the pay date

Review and approve each payroll run with enough time for employees to receive their pay on the scheduled pay date. If you use direct deposit, allow for the lead time your payroll provider requires.

A payment that can't wait for your next pay date goes in its own run, often called an off-cycle payroll. SurePayroll plans include unlimited payroll runs and off-cycle runs.

Run payroll on your pay schedule with SurePayroll

Set your pay schedule, then review and approve your payroll runs in SurePayroll as each pay date comes up.

‍See plans and pricing.

Related terms

Payroll processing: the recurring cycle that payroll runs belong to
Pay period: the span of work one regular paycheck covers
Pay frequency: how often you run payroll and pay employees
Off-cycle payroll: a payroll run outside your regular pay schedule

This content is for educational purposes only, is not intended to provide specific legal advice, and should not be used as a substitute for the legal advice of a qualified attorney or other professional. The information may not reflect the most current legal developments, may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct, or up to date

Related Terms

Self-Employment Tax

Off-Cycle Payroll

Form 1099-MISC

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is a payroll run the same as payday?

A payroll run is the work you review and approve before the pay date. Payday, the pay date, is when employees receive their pay, and the pay period is the span of work that pay covers.

How often do you run payroll?

You run payroll once for each pay date on the pay frequency you set. Pay frequency explains common pay schedules.

Is an off-cycle payroll a payroll run?

An off-cycle payroll is a payroll run outside your regular pay schedule. The pay is still subject to applicable withholding and payroll tax obligations. Off-cycle payroll covers when to run one.

Does each payroll run send tax payments to the IRS?

A payroll run calculates the federal employment taxes on that pay. You're responsible for depositing those taxes, and when the deposits are due generally depends on your IRS deposit schedule and when wages are paid, not the day you run payroll.

What do you need before you start a payroll run?

Have hours worked for hourly employees, plus any pay changes, new hires or departures since your last run. How to do payroll in 7 steps covers full process.

Does SurePayroll charge per payroll run?

SurePayroll plans include unlimited payroll runs, including off-cycle runs, so there's no charge per payroll run.

Payroll Run

Payroll run vs. payroll processing: what's the difference?

What a payroll run settles for one pay date

Payroll taxes from each run follow their own deposit schedule

Approve each payroll run ahead of the pay date

Run payroll on your pay schedule with SurePayroll

Related terms

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a payroll run the same as payday?

How often do you run payroll?

Is an off-cycle payroll a payroll run?

Does each payroll run send tax payments to the IRS?

What do you need before you start a payroll run?

Does SurePayroll charge per payroll run?

Get payroll that’s affordable, easy, and hassle-free.

Related terms