Payroll Statuses Explained
Every payroll run in Omnivoo moves through a series of statuses from creation to completion. This guide explains each status, what actions you can take, and what happens next.
To see a run's current status, open Payments > Payouts (the Payroll dashboard) and click any run, or open Payroll History. Each run shows a color-coded status badge.
Status Flow Overview
A typical payroll run follows this path:
Draft
↓
Pending Approval
↓
Approved
↓
Awaiting Payment
↓
Payment Received
↓
Transferring
↓
Preparing Disbursement
↓
Disbursing
↓
Completed
A payroll run can also end up in one of two terminal states at various points:
Failed -- Something went wrong during processing
Cancelled -- Manually cancelled by an admin
Status Details
Draft
What it means: The payroll run has been created but is not yet finalized. You can still edit it, add or remove adjustments, and rename it.
Available actions:
- Edit the run (reopens the run flow)
- Add adjustments
- Approve and pay
- Cancel the run
What happens next: When you are satisfied with the payroll details, approve and pay it. If your settings require approval, the run can first move to Pending Approval.
Use Draft status to prepare payroll ahead of time. You can create a payroll run early and finalize it closer to the pay date.
Pending Approval
What it means: The payroll run is waiting for an authorized approver to review and approve it. This status only appears when Require approval before processing is enabled in Payroll Settings.
Available actions:
- Approve (moves to Approved)
- Edit the run
- Cancel the run
What happens next: An approver reviews the payroll details and approves it. The status then moves to Approved.
If your payroll settings have approval disabled, this status is skipped entirely. You can approve and pay a draft run directly.
Approved
What it means: The payroll run has been reviewed and approved. It is ready for payment.
Available actions:
- Approve & Pay (US) or Approve & Generate Invoice (other countries)
- Cancel the run
What happens next: When you approve and pay, the status moves to Awaiting Payment.
Awaiting Payment
What it means: Omnivoo is waiting to receive your payment. For US companies, an ACH bank debit has been initiated and is clearing (typically 1-3 business days), and the run shows the banner "Payment is being processed via ACH. This typically takes 1-3 business days." For companies in other countries, an invoice has been generated and is waiting for your bank transfer.
Available actions:
- US companies: nothing to do; the bank debit is clearing.
- Other countries: view the bank transfer details on the run, transfer the amount, and click Mark Payment as Initiated. You can also pay from the Billing page.
- Cancel (only before funds are received)
What happens next: Once your payment is received and confirmed, the status moves to Payment Received.
If you are paying by bank transfer, send the exact amount shown on the run. Mismatched amounts will delay processing.
Payment Received
What it means: Omnivoo has received and confirmed your payment. The banner reads "Payment received. Funds will be transferred to India shortly."
Available actions:
- None. No manual action is required at this stage. The Cancel button is still shown here and stays available through the later transfer and disbursement stages, but once your funds have been received you should coordinate any cancellation with support.
What happens next: Omnivoo begins the transfer. The status moves to Transferring.
Transferring
What it means: Funds are being processed and will be disbursed to employees shortly. On the run this stage is labelled Transferring to India, and the banner reads "Funds are being processed and will be disbursed to employees shortly."
Available actions:
- None. No manual action is required at this stage.
What happens next: Once the funds reach Omnivoo India, the status moves to Preparing Disbursement.
Preparing Disbursement
What it means: Omnivoo has received your funds and our team is preparing to pay your employees. On the run this stage is labelled Preparing disbursement, and the banner reads "We've received your funds and our team is preparing to pay your employees."
Available actions:
- None. No manual action is required at this stage.
What happens next: Salaries are sent to employees and the status moves to Disbursing.
Disbursing
What it means: Individual salary payments are being sent to each employee's bank account. On the run this stage is labelled Disbursing to Employees, and the banner reads "Employee payouts are in progress."
Available actions:
- None. No manual action is required at this stage. You can watch progress on the run detail page.
What happens next: Once all individual payments are confirmed, the status moves to Completed.
Completed
What it means: All salaries have been successfully credited to employee bank accounts. Payslips are generated and available to employees.
Available actions:
- View the payroll summary and per-employee items (including UTR numbers once paid).
What happens next: Nothing. This is a terminal state. The payroll run is finished.
Failed
What it means: Something went wrong during payment processing. This could be a payment failure or an individual payout rejection.
Available actions:
- View the failure reason shown on the run.
- Contact support.
What happens next: Review the failure reason and contact Omnivoo support for assistance.
If a run fails, check the individual employee rows in the Payroll Items table. Often only one or two payments fail (for example, due to incorrect bank details) while the rest succeed.
Cancelled
What it means: The payroll run was manually cancelled by an admin before completion.
Available actions:
- Create a new payroll run.
What happens next: Nothing. This is a terminal state. Create a new payroll run if needed.
Status Color Coding
Omnivoo uses color-coded badges to help you quickly identify payroll status:
| Color | Statuses |
|---|---|
| Gray | Draft |
| Yellow | Pending Approval, Awaiting Payment |
| Indigo | Approved |
| Green | Completed |
| Blue | Payment Received, Transferring, Preparing Disbursement, Disbursing, Processing |
| Red | Failed |
| Gray (muted) | Cancelled |
Quick Reference Table
The Cancel button stays visible at every stage except Completed, Cancelled, and the brief Processing state. It remains available right through the payment and disbursement stages, but once Omnivoo has received your funds you should coordinate a cancellation with support -- money may already be in motion.
| Status | Can Edit? | Can Cancel? | Manual Action Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Yes | Yes | Approve and pay |
| Pending Approval | Yes | Yes | Approve |
| Approved | No | Yes | Approve and pay |
| Awaiting Payment | No | Yes | Send payment (if paying by bank transfer) |
| Payment Received | No | Yes* | None |
| Transferring | No | Yes* | None |
| Preparing Disbursement | No | Yes* | None |
| Disbursing | No | Yes* | None |
| Completed | No | No | None |
| Failed | No | Yes | Contact support |
| Cancelled | No | No | Create new run |
* The Cancel button is still shown, but coordinate with support before cancelling once your funds have been received.
You may occasionally see a Processing status. This is a short transitional state while a payment is being confirmed or while disbursements are starting. No action is needed, and the Cancel button is hidden during this state.