How do I add a new pay period schedule in Tilt?

Quick answer

You can add a new pay period schedule from Org Settings → Pay Periods. Tilt supports monthly, semi-monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly schedules. The setup questions change based on the frequency you choose.

Who this applies to / Prerequisites

You are an HR or Payroll user at a Tilt customer.
You need to add your company's pay period schedule to Tilt so leave pay calculations work correctly.

Steps

Log into Tilt as an HR or Payroll user.
Click Org Settings in the left-hand navigation.
Click the Pay Periods tab.
Click Add New Pay Period.
Give your pay period schedule a unique, descriptive name (for example, "Bi-weekly Salaried" or "Semi-monthly Hourly"). This helps your team identify it later.

Select the pay period frequency: Monthly, Semi-monthly, Bi-weekly, or Weekly. Follow-up questions will appear based on your choice.
Answer Which employees are paid on this schedule? by selecting Exempt or Non-Exempt.

For monthly schedules:

Confirm whether the schedule always runs from the 1st to the last day of every month.

Yes — you'll be asked for the first pay period's start date (step 3 below).
No — continue to question 2.

Confirm whether the schedule always starts on the same day each month.

Yes — you'll be asked for the first pay period's start date (step 3 below).
No — you'll be asked to add start and end dates for every pay period across the year. Use Add Pay Period to add more rows, then click Submit.

Select the start date of the first pay period. This should either be the first-ever date for the schedule OR be inclusive of all leaves currently associated with the schedule.
Optional: if the schedule has a specific end date, toggle on the end date option before entering the date. Then click Submit.

For semi-monthly schedules:

Confirm whether the schedule always runs 1st–15th and 16th–last day of the month.

Yes — continue to step 4.
No — continue to question 2.

Confirm whether the schedule always begins on the same days each month (for example, 8th–22nd).

Yes — you'll be asked to add dates for two consecutive pay periods so Tilt can calculate future dates. Then continue to step 4.
No — you'll be asked to add start and end dates for every pay period across the year. Use Add Pay Period to add more rows, then click Submit.

Add the dates for two consecutive pay periods.
Select the start date of the first pay period. This should either be the first-ever date for the schedule OR be inclusive of all leaves currently associated with the schedule.
Optional: if the schedule has a specific end date, toggle on the end date option before entering the date. Then click Submit.

For bi-weekly or weekly schedules:

Enter the start date of the first pay period. This should either be the first-ever date for the schedule OR be inclusive of all leaves currently associated with the schedule.
Optional: if the schedule has a specific end date, toggle on the end date option before entering the date. Then click Submit.

What if it doesn't work

If you can't find the Pay Periods tab, confirm you have HR or Payroll access. Regular users don't have access to Org Settings.
If you're unsure which frequency to choose, check with your Payroll team — the frequency must match how you actually pay employees.

Limits and exceptions

The pay period schedule you create in Tilt should reflect how your company actually pays employees. Tilt uses it to calculate pay during leave.
Pay calculations for a schedule with an end date will stop being calculated on the date you specify.
Once you're using a schedule with employees on leave, avoid changing its frequency. Instead, add a new schedule and phase out the old one.