Help & guides

Everything you need to get going.

Short, practical walkthroughs for the rota, payroll, leave, clock-in and running multiple businesses — using the exact buttons and labels you'll see in the app.

How to use the app

Six steps that cover the whole workflow, from your first login to running pay across every site.

1

Log in (admin or staff)

Everyone starts at /login. Admins land on the full dashboard with the rota, timesheets and settings; staff land on their own portal showing their shifts and leave.

  • Admins manage rotas, payroll, staff and settings
  • Staff see their shifts, request leave and clock in
  • Forgot a password? Use the reset link on the login page
2

Build & publish the weekly rota

Open a cell and choose WORK, OFF, HOLS or SICK. For a split shift, add a second or third period in the same day. The red coverage strip shows any gaps and amber warnings flag conflicts as you go.

  • Split shifts: add up to three work periods in one day (hours add up automatically)
  • Copy last week or apply a saved week template to start fast
  • Amber conflict warnings catch clashes; red strip shows coverage gaps
  • Hit Publish to notify staff — changed cells stay flagged until seen
3

Approve & track leave

Open the Leave page and use the Pending filter to see requests. Approve or Decline with a tap; staff raise requests from their own portal.

  • Staff request leave from their phone portal
  • Approve or Decline — the rota and timesheet update automatically
  • Holiday entitlement balances track what each person has left
4

Run a payroll period & send to accountant

Open the Timesheet page for the current 25th → 24th period. Columns show Rate, Contracted and period hours with a Total; tap Show pay to reveal gross £.

  • Adjust a total in the Adjust modal when you need to — changes are logged
  • Send to accountant attaches a PDF + Excel with a leave summary
  • Every send is recorded in Sent History
5

Manage staff

Add a person and choose HOURLY or SALARY, then set their pay details. Create a login so they can see their shifts and request leave.

  • Set hourly rate, a rate label and contracted hours
  • Create a staff login for the phone portal
  • Add an optional clock PIN for the tablet kiosk
6

Multiple businesses

Turn on the multi-business flag, then add each business with its own payroll calendar and accountant. Use the business switcher to move between sites, or the all-businesses view to plan everything together.

  • Each business has its own payroll calendar and accountant
  • Switch sites, or open the all-businesses tabs / dashboard
  • Set per-business rate overrides for staff who work across sites

Install it on your phone

Staff Rota & Payroll installs straight from the browser — no app store needed. Add it to your home screen and it opens full-screen like a normal app, and works offline.

iPhone & iPad

Safari

Tap ShareCopyAdd to Home ScreenAdd Bookmark
  1. Open staffrota.online in Safari.
  2. Tap the Share button — the square with an up arrow.
  3. Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen”.
  4. Tap Add — the icon lands on your home screen.

Android

Chrome

staffrota.onlineNew tabInstall appShare…
  1. Open staffrota.online in Chrome.
  2. Tap the ⋮ menu at the top-right.
  3. Tap “Install app” (or “Add to Home screen”).
  4. Tap Install — it appears with your other apps.

Every feature, by area

A full picture of what the system does across scheduling, payroll, leave, attendance, multi-site and the platform itself.

Rota & scheduling

  • Week, day and month views
  • Split shifts — up to three work periods in one day (e.g. a morning and an evening)
  • Per-business opening hours — closed days show as Closed, so they're never false gaps
  • Coverage gap detector with red shortfall strip
  • Compliance & conflict (clash) warnings
  • Smart cover suggestions for open shifts
  • Labour-cost estimates as you schedule
  • Admin-only shifts — pencil in a shift only you can see (staff see TBC)
  • Reusable week templates
  • Copy last week in one tap
  • Publish and notify staff

Payroll & timesheets

  • Weekly (Mon–Sun) or monthly pay periods — choose any start day per business
  • Totals calculated automatically from the rota
  • Gross pay with Show pay
  • Hourly, salaried and overtime handled
  • Timesheet adjustments with an audit trail
  • PDF and Excel export
  • Send to accountant with a leave summary · Sent History log

Payroll accuracy & payslips

  • Gross pay calculated accurately in-app
  • Clearly-labelled ESTIMATE of PAYE, NI, pension & student loan
  • Per-staff tax code, NI category, pension % and student-loan plan
  • Payslips (per person) and an Employer's Summary export
  • Minimum-wage band per staff with a below-minimum warning
  • Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) — 2026 rules, per business
  • Dated rate table + daily HMRC rate-watch with an operator alert
  • Does not file RTI to HMRC — confirm final figures with your accountant

Leave & holidays

  • Manual leave entry by an admin
  • Staff self-serve requests with approvals
  • Holiday entitlement & remaining balances
  • Multiple leave types (holiday, sick and more)
  • Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) estimate — choose SSP, full pay or unpaid per business

Time & attendance

  • Phone GPS clock-in for staff
  • Tablet PIN kiosk for shared devices
  • Scheduled-vs-actual hours comparison
  • Attendance variance review before payroll

Multi-business

  • Business switcher between sites
  • Per-business payroll calendars & accountants
  • Per-business rate overrides
  • All-businesses dashboard
  • Cross-business double-booking warnings

Platform

  • Admin and staff roles
  • Staff phone portal logins
  • Show or hide the weekly hours/budget figure from staff
  • Dark mode
  • Installable PWA
  • Email and mobile push notifications

Your account & billing

  • Create your own account with a 14-day free trial — no card needed
  • Email verification, plus forgot & reset password
  • Guided first-run setup, skippable anytime
  • Change your sign-in email and password in Settings
  • Plans & billing — Starter or Pro, upgrade or downgrade anytime
  • Update your card or cancel via the secure billing portal
  • Export all your data, or delete your account

Clock-in / out and multi-business are optional modules that can be switched on for your account when you need them.

Frequently asked

Do staff need their own logins?

Each staff member can have their own login for the phone portal, where they see their shifts, view leave balances and send leave requests. Admins manage everything from the full dashboard.

How does pay get calculated?

Hours flow straight from the published rota into the current pay period. The timesheet shows each person's rate, contracted and period hours with a total, and Show pay reveals gross pay plus a breakdown. You can adjust a total when needed.

Are the tax, NI and pension figures official?

No — gross pay is calculated accurately, but PAYE, National Insurance, pension and student-loan deductions are shown as a clearly-labelled ESTIMATE for guidance only. They help you sanity-check take-home before payday. Final, official figures must come from HMRC-recognised payroll software or your accountant — the app does not file RTI to HMRC.

Can I change our pay period dates?

Yes. Each business sets its own pay frequency — weekly (Mon–Sun) or monthly — and for monthly you can choose any start day (e.g. the 1st for calendar months, or the 25th→24th). Set it on the business's own Settings page; the timesheet, exports and pay day all follow it.

What is the minimum-wage warning?

Each staff member has a minimum-wage band (21+, 18–20, under-18 or apprentice). If the hourly rate you enter is below the legal minimum for that band and tax year, the app shows an inline warning — it never blocks saving or changes the rate, it just flags it so you can check. The legal rates come from a dated rate table.

How do you keep tax and wage rates up to date?

Figures live in a dated rate table, and a daily 'rate-watch' checks the official gov.uk employer-rates page. If something looks like it changed, the operator console shows an alert with a one-click way to review and apply it — figures are never silently auto-changed.

Can I schedule a shift without staff seeing it yet?

Yes. When editing a shift, tick 'Only visible to me' to make it admin-only. You see the real shift (badged with an eye-off icon); staff see it as TBC everywhere — rota, phone, emails and clock-in — until you confirm it. When you export the rota you can choose your full admin copy or a staff copy (admin-only shifts shown as TBC).

How do I get the figures to my accountant?

From the Timesheet page, use Send to accountant. It attaches a PDF and an Excel file along with a leave summary, and records the send in Sent History so you have a log.

Can I run more than one site?

Yes. Enable multi-business, then add each business with its own payroll calendar and accountant. Switch between sites or use the all-businesses dashboard, and set per-business rate overrides for shared staff.

How do staff clock in?

Staff can clock in and out from their phone, or from a shared tablet kiosk using a PIN. The app compares scheduled hours with actual hours and flags any variance for review.

Can someone work two different times in the same day?

Yes. Open that day's cell, set it to WORK, then add a second (or third) period — for example a morning and an evening. Each period shows on its own line on the rota and the hours are added together for pay.

Can I set our opening hours?

Yes. In Settings you can set opening and closing times per day, or mark a day as Closed — or leave it as 'Open 24 hours'. The rota then only flags missing cover while you're open, so closed days never appear as false gaps.

How is sick pay worked out?

Each business chooses in Settings how sick days are paid: Statutory Sick Pay (the UK 2026 rules — paid from day 1, no Lower Earnings Limit, the lower of £123.25/week or 80% of weekly earnings, divided across normal working days), full normal pay, or unpaid. The chosen amount appears on the rota cost estimate and the timesheet 'Show pay'. These are estimates for planning — confirm exact pay with your payroll software or accountant.

How do I manage my plan or payment?

Go to Settings → Manage plan & billing. Every account starts with a free 14-day trial (no card needed); when you're ready, choose Starter or Pro, switch plans anytime, and use Manage billing to update your card or cancel. Card details are entered on Stripe's secure pages, never stored by us.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes — it works in any phone browser and can be installed as a PWA. There is dark mode, plus email and mobile push notifications to keep everyone up to date.

Ready when you are

Log in and pick up where the guide left off.

Open the app to build a rota, run a pay period or set up your first business.

Open the app