Send a period's payouts to the payroll cycle.

When a period of an active incentive plan has ended and has no issues, send it to the payroll cycle so each person's calculated amount becomes their variable compensation in this month's payroll. Customers also call this paying out bonuses or pushing commissions to payroll. Sending a period can't be undone.

Before you start

• You need the Manage incentive plans permission.
• The plan must be Active.
• The period must have ended. A period can be sent from the day after its last day, for example Q1 2026 from 1 April 2026.
• The period must have no issues:
  • goal weights add up to 100%,
  • the plan has at least one goal and one person, and
  • nobody has Missing compensation or Duplicate compensation.
• This month's payroll cycle must be open in Compensation > Cycles.

Steps

Send a period (admin)

1. Go to Compensation > Incentive plans and open the active plan.
2. In the date navigator at the top right, select the period to send, for example Q1 2026.
3. Check the People tab: Overall achievement, Amount to pay and Alerts.
4. Click Send to payroll cycle.
5. In the dialog "Send Q1 2026 payouts to payroll cycle", read the message "Payout amounts for each person will be sent to the April 2026 payroll cycle. This action is irreversible."
6. Click Send.

The message "The payouts are being calculated and will be sent to the current payroll cycle shortly" confirms it. When the calculation finishes, the Payout status of each person becomes Sent or Not sent, and a Payouts sent banner appears with a View payroll cycle button.

Check the payouts in payroll (admin)

1. Click View payroll cycle on the Payouts sent banner, or go to Compensation > Cycles.
2. Find the person's variable compensation line. The amount is filled in automatically.
3. Hover the amount to see the plan name, the overall payout percentage and each goal with its weight. Click View plan to open the incentive plan.

As a manager

When a period is sent, each direct manager of a paid person receives an email and an in-app notification: "Variable compensation for [plan name] was added for your direct reports in the current compensation cycle." The Review in Factorial button opens Compensation.

What the dialog tells you

Rules and behavior

• If you send a period, then the payouts go to the payroll cycle of the current month, whatever period you send.
• If you send a period, then each person's amount is calculated from the goals' results at that moment and saved. Later goal changes don't change it.
• If a person's variable compensation isn't due in this month's payroll cycle, then that person is skipped and shows Not sent.
• If a person's variable compensation amount in this month's payroll cycle was already filled in by hand or by another plan, then that person is skipped and shows Not sent. The existing amount isn't overwritten.
• If this month's payroll cycle isn't open, or nobody can be added to it, then the send fails, and you can send the period again after fixing the cause.
• If a send is being calculated, then Send to payroll cycle shows a loading state and no other send can start for the plan.
• If a period was sent successfully, then it can't be sent again, and its goals, weights and payout rules become read-only.
• Periods can be sent in any order, but the plan always opens on the first period that hasn't been sent.
• If you're signed in as another person with restricted access, then you can't send payouts.

Limitations

• You can't undo a send from the incentive plan. To change an amount after sending, edit it in the payroll cycle.
• You can't send part of a period, or only some people of a period.
• You can't send a period before it ends.
• You can't send payouts of an archived plan.
• One can't send payouts to payroll.
• Employees aren't notified by the incentive plan when their payout is sent.

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: "Send to payroll cycle is disabled." → Cause: The selected period has already been sent, a send is in progress, or you don't have permission. → Fix: Select another period in the date navigator, wait for the current send to finish, or ask for Manage incentive plans.
• Symptom: "The dialog says Fix people issues." → Cause: Someone has Missing compensation or Duplicate compensation, or the plan has nobody. → Fix: Open the People tab, filter by Alerts and fix or remove each person.
• Symptom: "Some people show Not sent after sending." → Cause: Their variable compensation isn't due in this month's payroll cycle (check Next payment), or its amount in the cycle was already filled in. → Fix: Add the amount by hand in the payroll cycle using the Payout breakdown figure, or adjust the compensation's First payment before the next period.
• Symptom: "The send failed and nobody was paid." → Cause: No payroll cycle is open for the current month, or no person could be added. → Fix: Open this month's payroll cycle in Compensation > Cycles, then click Send to payroll cycle again.
• Symptom: "The employee variables for this incentive plan are already being calculated…" → Cause: A send for this plan is still running. → Fix: Wait a few minutes and refresh.

FAQ

1. Which payroll cycle do the bonuses go to?

The current month's payroll cycle. The send dialog names it, for example "April 2026 payroll cycle".

2. Can I undo a send?

No. Once sent, the period can't be sent again or cancelled. You can still edit amounts in the payroll cycle.

3. I sent Q1 late, in July. Where did it go?

To the July payroll cycle, because payouts always go to the current month's cycle.

4. Do employees get an email?

No. Only the direct managers of the paid people are notified.

5. Can I send Q2 before Q1?

Yes. The plan doesn't block it, but the plan page keeps opening on Q1 until Q1 is sent.