Introduction
The Pay and Bill Search app gives your payroll users fast access to the information workers and clients ask about most so queries can be answered in a single call without needing to escalate or follow up. The app works in two modes: one for worker queries and one for client queries, with an easy switch between the two.
Handling Worker Queries
Search for a worker by name or reference (including archived workers if needed). Their profile opens in a summary card showing their status (Active or Archived), employment type, and contact details that can be copied with a single click.
Timesheets and payslips
Check a worker's timesheets with a full daily hours breakdown, or open their payslips. The payslip view includes company and worker information, each deduction itemised, and year-to-date figures — so there's no need to navigate multiple screens to answer a pay query.
You can download a single payslip as a PDF, select and download multiple payslips in one go, or email a payslip directly to the worker's registered email address.
📌 Note: The email option is only available once a payslip document exists and the worker has an email address on file.
You can also check a worker's holiday balances, view the status of any holiday request, and see their current and past assignments with direct links through to the related timesheets and payslips.
Adding a deduction
You can add or update a worker's deductions directly from the Search app without needing to go elsewhere. Pick the deduction type, enter the amount, and set an effective date so the query can be resolved on the call.
A few rules are applied automatically to prevent mistakes:
Student Loan and Pension deductions cannot be added for Contractor workers.
Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) deductions can only be added for PAYE workers.
Child Maintenance (CMEC) deductions require the worker to have a National Insurance number on file.
Cheque Charge and Period Related deductions cannot be entered with a negative amount.
Period Related deductions must have an effective date within a valid tax period.
The same deduction cannot be added twice for the same worker; updates can only be made to deductions the worker already holds.
If a deduction is not valid for the worker, the system will notify you at the point of saving, so no incorrect deduction can be applied.
Requesting holiday on behalf of a worker
Submit a holiday request on a worker's behalf from the same screen used to check their balance. Select a start date and the system checks that the request doesn't exceed what the worker has available before it is submitted.
The system automatically applies the employer's holiday rules, including:
Some employers only allow holiday to be booked in the current or a previous period - requests too far in the future will be blocked. Others permit future bookings.
Some employers allow a worker to request more than their available balance (shown as a warning you can confirm); for others this is a hard stop.
Employers can set a maximum number of holiday days per year, which can also be overridden per worker - requests that exceed this limit will be rejected.
If the employer tracks holiday in hours rather than days, the amount entered is automatically converted to the correct unit.
Handling Client Queries
Look up a client by name or reference to see their contact and account details in the same clear summary card format used for workers.
From the client view you can review and manage timesheets tied to the client's engagements, and access invoices - searching and filtering the list, downloading individually or all at once as a zip, or emailing an invoice or credit note directly to the client with the option to password-protect attachments.
Client assignments and the workers engaged on each one are visible at a glance. The invoices and assignments lists load and filter independently, so there's no waiting for the whole client record to refresh when narrowing a search.
Settings and Switching
The settings panel lets you quickly get into the right context before a call. Pick the correct instance from a dropdown, search for the right employer using a type-ahead picker, and switch between Worker and Client mode — all from one place. Switching mode automatically returns you to the home search screen to avoid any confusion between searches.
Recent searches
Recent searches are stored separately for each employer and separately for worker and client mode, so switching between employers or call types no longer mixes up the list with irrelevant results. The five most recent searches are kept per employer, across the three employers most recently worked in.