How to backdate pay rates?

Backdating a Pay Rate

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Backdate a pay rate change for an employee
• Set the correct effective date for the change
• Save or revert your changes

Before you start

You can only backdate a pay rate within an open payroll week. If your payroll week is closed, you will not be able to make this change. To open your payroll week, contact our Customer Success team at hello@alkimii.com

💡 Good to know: You'll only be able to backdate a pay rate if you have the correct permission. If you're unsure, speak to your system administrator.

Step 1 – Navigate to Pay Rates

1. Use the menu search bar to navigate to the Pay Rates screen.
2. You will see a list of all employees at your site.
3. Scroll or use the filters to find the employee whose pay rate you wish to backdate.

Step 2 – Open the Employee's Pay Rate

1. Click the edit pencil on the employee's row.
2. The edit panel will open on the Current tab.

Step 3 – Set the Effective Date

1. Click on the Effective Date field.
2. Use the date picker to select a date in the past — this is the date the change should have come into effect.

⚠️ Important: The date you select must fall within an open payroll week. If the payroll week is closed, the change cannot be saved.

Step 4 – Update the Rate

Update the relevant rate fields to reflect the correct amount. You can update any of the following:

Hourly rate of pay Supervisor rate of pay Holiday rate of pay Sunday rate of pay

Step 5 – Review Your Unsaved Changes

Once you have set the effective date and updated the rate, a pop-up will appear at the bottom of your screen showing your unsaved changes.

• If you have backdated pay rates for multiple employees, the number of changes will be reflected in the pop-up at the bottom of your screen. 

• Take a moment to review all changes before saving.

💡 Tip: If you need to backdate pay rates for multiple employees, repeat Steps 2–4 for each member of staff before saving, so all your changes appear together in the pop-up for review.

Step 6 – Save Your Changes

Once you are happy that all dates and rates are correct, click Save All in the pop-up.

⚠️ Double check the effective date before saving — backdated changes can affect payroll calculations for the relevant period.

Additional Options

Each employee row has a three dots menu (···) which gives you a number of additional options:

💡 Tip: Use View History before making a backdated change to check what rates have previously been applied to that employee.