Accrued payroll refers to the amount of money that an employer has earned but has not yet been paid. This can include wages, salaries, and other forms of compensation that employees have earned but have not yet been paid out. It is typically accounted for as a liability on the employer’s balance sheet until the payroll is paid out.

Generally, any organization that has employees and pays them on a regular basis would need to track and manage accrued payroll. This includes businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and other types of entities.

Accrued payroll is particularly important for companies that operate on a bi-weekly or monthly payroll cycle, as it ensures that the organization accurately records its expenses and liabilities in each accounting period. Additionally, accruing payroll helps to ensure that the organization meets its financial obligations to employees, including payment of wages and associated taxes and benefits.

What are the benefits of accrued payroll?

Accrued payroll can have several advantages, including:

Accurate financial reporting: Accrued payroll ensures that payroll expenses are recorded in the correct accounting period, which helps to improve the accuracy of financial statements.

Compliance with accounting standards: Accruing payroll expenses in accordance with accounting standards such as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) helps organizations to meet regulatory requirements and maintain credibility with stakeholders.

Better budgeting and forecasting: Accrued payroll allows organizations to estimate future payroll expenses more accurately, which can help with budgeting and forecasting.

Improved decision making: Accrued payroll provides organizations with more accurate and timely information about payroll expenses, which can help managers make better decisions about staffing, compensation, and other related issues.

Better cash flow management: Accrued payroll allows organizations to better predict when payroll expenses will be due, which can help with cash flow management.

How to calculate accrued payroll?

To calculate accrued payroll, you will need to follow these steps:

Determine the period for which you want to calculate the accrued payroll. This could be a specific month, quarter, or year.

Identify the employees who are eligible for payroll during the period you have chosen.

Determine the total amount of payroll expenses for the period, including items such as salaries, wages, bonuses, and benefits.

Calculate the proportion of the payroll expenses that relates to the period for which you are calculating the accrued payroll. For example, if you are calculating accrued payroll for the month of June, you will need to calculate the proportion of payroll expenses that relates to that month.

Multiply the total payroll expenses by the proportion calculated in step 4 to obtain the amount of accrued payroll for the period.

Record the amount of accrued payroll as a liability in your financial statements and adjust the payroll expense account accordingly.

For example, if the total payroll expenses for the month of June are $100,000 and the period covers only 15 days of the month, then the accrued payroll would be $100,000 * 15/30 = $50,000

It’s always a good idea to consult with an accountant or financial advisor to ensure that your calculation is accurate and in compliance with accounting standards.

What are the different types of accrued payroll?

Salaries and wages: This includes the regular pay that employees earn for the hours they work, as well as any overtime pay or other types of compensation they may be entitled to.

Bonuses: This includes any additional compensation that is paid to employees on top of their regular salaries or wages, such as performance bonuses, signing bonuses, or referral bonuses.

Vacation pay: This includes any paid time off that employees have earned but have not yet taken, such as vacation days or personal days.

Sick pay: This includes any paid time off that employees are entitled to when they are sick or injured and unable to work.

Commissions: This includes any sales commissions or other types of performance-based pay that employees may be entitled to.

Benefits: This includes any employer-paid benefits that employees are entitled to, such as health insurance, retirement benefits, or other types of employee benefits.

Why is accrued payroll important?

Accurate financial reporting: Accruing payroll helps ensure that a company’s financial statements accurately reflect the company’s liabilities and expenses. Accrued payroll reflects the wages, salaries, and other compensation that employees have earned but not yet been paid, and failure to account for this could lead to incorrect financial statements.

Compliance with accounting standards: Accounting standards require that businesses accrue expenses when they are incurred, rather than when they are paid. By accruing payroll, a business is complying with these standards.

Cash flow management: Accruing payroll allows businesses to better manage their cash flow. By estimating the amount of payroll expenses that will be due in the future, a business can plan and budget accordingly.

Employee satisfaction: Accruing payroll helps ensure that employees are paid accurately and on time, which can help improve employee satisfaction and morale.

Overall, payroll accrual is an important accounting practice that helps businesses manage their finances and comply with accounting standards while ensuring that employees are paid accurately and on time.

Accrued Payroll example

Suppose a company has a bi-weekly pay period that ends on a Friday, and the employees are paid on the following Friday. At the end of the accounting period, the company has two days of accrued payroll, since employees have worked for those two days but have not yet been paid.

If the company has 10 employees who each earn $1,000 in gross wages every two weeks, the total accrued payroll would be $2,000.

To record the accrued payroll, the company would make the following journal entry:

Debit: Salary and Wage Expense – $2,000

Credit: Accrued Salaries and Wages – $2,000

This entry reflects the increase in the company’s payroll expenses (debit) and the increase in the company’s accrued payroll liability (credit).

Once the employees are paid on the following Friday, the company would reverse the accrued payroll entry by debiting the accrued payroll liability account and crediting cash.

By accruing payroll, the company can ensure that its financial statements accurately reflect its liabilities and expenses, and that employees are paid accurately and on time.

Final takeaway

In conclusion, accrued payroll is an essential accounting practice that allows businesses to accurately reflect their liabilities and expenses in their financial statements. Accrued payroll includes wages, salaries, bonuses, vacation pay, sick pay, commissions, and benefits that employees have earned but have not yet been paid. 

Accruing payroll also helps businesses manage their cash flow, comply with accounting standards, and improve employee satisfaction. Properly accounting for accrued payroll can help businesses maintain accurate financial records, avoid errors or discrepancies in payroll, and ensure that employees are paid accurately and on time.