Link Your Registry App Your registry is the primary tool — set it up first
The Registry App is the device your staff will use to sign in and sign out every day — via face scan or QR code. Before you do anything else in StaffPay, you need to link this device to your account.
How to Link Your Registry
Get Your Link Code
Open your Admin App (or the web dashboard). Go to Settings › Security. You'll see your Registry Link Code — copy it.
Open the Registry App
On the device you want to use as your registry (a tablet at the door, a spare phone, etc.), open the StaffPay Registry App. You'll land on the login screen.
Paste the Link Code
Enter the link code you copied from Settings. The app will verify it against your account and link the device to your organisation.
Choose & Confirm a PIN
You'll be asked to create a 4–6 digit PIN. This PIN is used to unlock the registry each day — it keeps your kiosk secure when not in use.
Done! Your Registry is Live
Congratulations — your registry device is now linked. Staff can start scanning in once you've enrolled them (we'll get to that in a moment).
How It All Fits Together Two building blocks: Pay Groups + Zones
StaffPay is built around two simple concepts. Once you understand these, everything else falls into place.
Pay Groups
Determine how much someone earns. Hourly rate, overtime rate, Sunday rate, public holiday rate — all in one place. Any number of staff can belong to the same pay group.
Zones
Determine where someone works. A zone is a team, department, or location. Think of it as a work group. Rosters are created per zone.
Why separate them?
Because not everyone in the same zone earns the same wage. A restaurant might have:
| Zone | Staff | Pay Group |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Head Chef | Senior Rate — R65/hr |
| Kitchen | Line Cook | Standard Rate — R45/hr |
| Floor | Waiter | Service Rate — R35/hr |
| Floor | Manager | Senior Rate — R65/hr |
| Bar | Bartender | Standard Rate — R45/hr |
The Head Chef and the Floor Manager both use the Senior Rate pay group — but they're in completely different zones. This is what makes StaffPay simple and modular.
Set Up Pay Groups Do this first — before zones, before staff
A pay group defines a wage structure. You might only need one (if everyone earns the same) or you might need five. There's no limit.
Creating a Pay Group
Navigate to Pay Groups
Settings › Pay Groups on mobile, or Pay Groups in the web dashboard sidebar.
Tap "Create Pay Group"
Give it a clear name (e.g. "Standard Rate", "Senior Rate", "Weekend Staff").
Set the Rates
Configure the following for this group:
| Rate | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly Rate | Normal weekday pay per hour | R45.00 |
| Overtime Rate | Rate for hours beyond normal shift | R67.50 (1.5x) |
| Sunday Rate | Rate for hours worked on Sundays | R90.00 (2x) |
| Public Holiday Rate | Rate for SA public holidays | R90.00 (2x) |
Set Up Zones Group your staff by where they work
Once your pay groups are ready, create your zones. Every staff member belongs to exactly one zone.
Creating a Zone
Navigate to Zones
Settings › Zones on mobile, or Zones in the web dashboard sidebar.
Tap "Create Zone"
Name it after the work area — "Kitchen", "Warehouse", "Site B", "Orchards" — whatever makes sense for your business.
Optional: Set a Colour & GPS
Assign a colour so the zone is easy to spot on dashboards and rosters. You can also set GPS coordinates if the zone has a fixed physical location.
Enrol Your Staff Add people, assign them a zone and pay group
Now that you have pay groups and zones, you can start adding staff. Each person gets linked to one zone and one pay group.
Adding a Staff Member
Go to Staff Management
Management › Staff List on mobile, or Staff in the web sidebar. Tap "Add Staff".
Enter Their Details
Name, phone number, employee code. You can add email, bank details, and tax info now or later.
Assign a Zone
Choose which zone this person works in. They'll appear in that zone's roster and dashboard stats.
Assign a Pay Group
Choose the pay group that matches their wage structure. This determines their hourly, overtime, Sunday, and holiday rates.
Enrol Their Face (for Sign-In)
Take a photo of their face. The system uses this for face-scan sign-in at the registry. You can also set up QR code sign-in as a fallback.
Set Deductions (Optional)
Configure tax, UIF, union fees, pension, or any recurring deductions. These are automatically applied every payroll run.
Staff Sign In & Sign Out Face scan, QR code — tracked to the second
Once staff are enrolled, they sign in and out at the registry device. This is how their hours are recorded.
How It Works
- Face Scan is the primary method. The registry camera matches the live face against the enrolled photo using on-device AI.
- QR Code is available as a fallback. Each staff member has a unique QR code they can present to the camera.
- Timelock prevents double-scans. After a successful scan, the device locks for a set period (30 min, 1 hour, etc.) before the next scan is allowed.
- Sign Out works the same way — toggle the mode on the registry from "Sign In" to "Sign Out".
Rosters Schedule your staff — manually or with templates
Rosters determine who works when. They're created per zone and cover a week at a time.
Creating a Roster
Go to Rosters
Tap the Rosters tab on mobile, or navigate to Rosters on the web dashboard.
Select a Zone
Choose which zone you're rostering for. Each zone has its own independent roster.
Pick a Method
You have two options:
- From Template — Load a saved roster layout (best for recurring schedules)
- Manual — Assign staff to days and shifts one by one
Mark Any Leave
The built-in Leave Manager appears during roster creation. Mark staff who are on leave for that week so they're excluded from shifts.
Publish
Once you're happy, publish the roster. It's now live — the dashboard and registry will use it to track who's expected on shift.
Templates — Save Time Every Week
If your roster is the same every week (or rotates between 2–3 patterns), save it as a template.
Zone Template
A saved roster for one specific zone. "Kitchen — Weekday Standard" or "Floor — Weekend Rush". Load it next week with one tap.
Global Template
A saved roster for all zones combined. One template that contains each zone's layout. Perfect for applying your entire week's schedule in one action.
Running Payroll Hours in, money out — fully automated
This is where everything comes together. StaffPay takes the sign-in data, applies the pay group rates, factors in overtime, Sundays, public holidays, deductions — and gives you a complete payroll.
How to Run a Payroll
Go to Payroll
Tap the Payroll tab on mobile, or navigate to Payroll on the web dashboard.
Create a New Run
Select the period — by month, or a custom date range.
Choose Scope
Run payroll for a specific zone, a specific pay group, or the entire organisation. This is what makes StaffPay modular — different staff can be on different pay cycles.
Preview
StaffPay generates a full preview showing each staff member's breakdown: regular hours, overtime hours, Sunday hours, public holiday hours, gross pay, deductions, and net pay.
Make Adjustments (if needed)
Use Manual Allocate to override specific hours or Overrides & Edits to adjust calculations before finalising.
Finalise & Mark as Paid
Lock in the payroll. Individual payslips are generated for each staff member. Once you've transferred the money, mark the run as paid.
Leave Management Track, allocate, and approve leave
StaffPay tracks leave balances for every staff member. You can allocate leave, and staff can also request it themselves.
Leave Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Paid Leave | Annual leave — deducted from balance, paid at normal rate |
| Unpaid Leave | Time off without pay |
| Sick Leave | Illness — separate balance per BCEA regulations |
| Compassionate | Family/personal circumstances |
| Custom | Anything else your business needs |
How It Works
- Admin allocates: Go to Settings › Leave Management. Select staff by zone, choose the type and dates, and apply. Balances update automatically.
- Staff requests: Staff can submit leave requests through the Staff Portal app. You'll see them under Leave Requests — approve or deny with one tap.
- Payroll integration: Leave days are automatically reflected in payroll calculations. Paid leave pays at the normal rate; unpaid leave deducts those days.
Your AI Assistant Need help? Just ask.
StaffPay has a built-in AI assistant that understands your business. You can access it from the floating chat button on mobile, or from the AI section on the web dashboard.
What can it do?
- Generate rosters — "Create next week's roster for Kitchen"
- Answer pay questions — "How much overtime did John work this month?"
- Help with tax & compliance — "What are the BCEA rules for sick leave?"
- Run tasks — "Show me who was absent yesterday"
- Voice input — Tap the microphone and speak your question
Reports The right data, to the right people, automatically
Reports is a scheduled email subscription service. Add any email address, choose what data they receive, and set how often it gets sent. Each recipient can have a completely different report on a completely different schedule.
Add a Recipient
Go to Reports on the web dashboard. Click Add Email and enter any email address.
Choose a Frequency
Daily (every day), Weekly (every Sunday), or Monthly (1st of each month). All reports send at 1:30 AM.
Pick What Data to Include
Toggle on the sections you want. Mix and match per recipient — one person can get attendance only, another can get the full breakdown.
Available Report Data
Attendance
Absentees, late arrivals, early departures. Compares roster vs actual sign-ins with a 5-minute grace period.
Sign In / Out Activity
Full daily activity log. Optionally grouped by zone.
Hours
Regular and overtime hours with daily breakdowns. Lists individual overtime staff with zone info.
Staff Cost
Total wage cost for the period. Split regular vs overtime. Daily breakdowns and individual staff figures.
Stale Shifts
Staff who clocked in but never clocked out (shifts older than 12 hours with no sign-out).
Get Support We're here to help
If you need human help beyond what the AI assistant can provide, you can submit a support ticket directly from the app.
Go to Support
Management › Support Tickets on mobile.
Create a Ticket
Choose a type (billing, technical, upgrade, etc.), set priority, and describe your issue.
Track & Message
Track your ticket status (open, in progress, resolved) and exchange messages with the support team directly in the app.
Your Apps Which app does what
| App | Purpose | Who Uses It |
|---|---|---|
| StaffPay AI Admin | Full management: staff, rosters, payroll, settings, AI chat. Also includes a built-in registry. | Business owner / manager |
| StaffPay AI Registry | Standalone sign-in kiosk. Face scan + QR. Runs on a dedicated device at the workplace. | Placed at entrance (staff scan in/out) |
| StaffPay AI Staff | Staff portal. View shifts, request leave, check payslips, personal QR code for sign-in. | Individual employees |
| Web Dashboard | Full management from any browser. Same features as the Admin app, plus Reports. | Business owner / manager |
Quick Reference The complete setup flow at a glance
Key Locations
- Registry Link Code: Settings › Security
- Pay Groups: Settings › Pay Groups
- Zones: Settings › Zones
- Staff: Management › Staff List
- Rosters: Rosters tab
- Payroll: Payroll tab
- Leave: Settings › Leave Management
- AI Assistant: Floating chat button (mobile) or AI section (web)
- Reports: Reports section (web dashboard)
- Support: Management › Support Tickets
Remember: your AI assistant is always there to help. Just ask!