How to Create an Award

Before You Begin

You need Awards permission to access this feature.
Have your award or enterprise agreement details handy for reference.

Steps to Create an Award

1. Open the Awards Section

Go to Settings > Payroll Rules.
Scroll down to the Pay Rules and Calculations section.

2. Start a New Award

Click the Create New button (top-right of the awards section).
The award configuration wizard opens on the Select Award step.

3. Select a Template

Use the Select Award Template dropdown to choose a base award template.
Templates come pre-loaded with common rules for Australian awards, enterprise agreements, or other configurations.
Each template displays as Name [code] in the dropdown.

4. Name Your Award

Enter a Name for your award in the text field.
Optionally, add an Award Description to help your team identify what this award covers.

5. Continue Setup

Click Next to move to the Employment Types step.
Your award is automatically saved when you advance.

What Happens Next

After creating the award, you will work through the remaining wizard steps:

Employment Types — choose which employee classifications apply
Payroll Configuration — set payroll periods and rounding
Rules — configure overtime, penalties, and other pay rules
Pay Rates — define hourly rates per classification
Allowances — set up allowance types
Publish — save as draft or go live

You can save your progress at any time using Save as Draft and return later to continue editing.

Understanding Validation Errors

Timecloud highlights errors throughout the award wizard so you can fix issues before saving or publishing.

How Errors Appear

Employment type buttons — a red error icon appears next to any employment type that has invalid fields or rules.
Rule category headers — within the Rules step, each category (e.g., Daily Overtime, Penalties, Meal Break) shows a red error icon if any of its rules are incomplete.
Individual rule types — specific rule type headings also display a red error icon when that rule has missing or invalid values.

Disabled Buttons

When the form has errors, the Next, Save as Draft, and Publish buttons are disabled. Hover over them to see a tooltip that lists exactly where the problems are — for example, "Fix errors in: Full Time > Daily Overtime; Part Time > Penalties".

Navigating to Errors

You can click on any wizard step that contains errors to jump directly to it and make corrections. Steps without errors are blocked until the current issues are resolved.

Fixing Errors

Check the tooltip on the disabled button to see which steps and sections have issues.
Navigate to the flagged step.
Look for the red error icons on employment types, rule categories, or rule types.
Open the highlighted section and fill in or correct the required fields.
Once all errors are resolved, the buttons re-enable automatically.

Tips

Choose the right template — starting from a template that closely matches your award saves time. You can adjust rules in later steps.
Save as Draft — use this to save your progress without publishing. You can come back and edit draft versions at any time.
Naming convention — use a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Hospitality Award 2024 - Full Time") so your team can easily identify it.
Watch for red icons — error indicators guide you to exactly what needs fixing, saving you time.