--- title: How to Get Started with Awards description: The Awards feature is Timecloud's pay interpretation engine. It automatically calculates overtime, penalties, allowances, and minimum engagement rules based on your configured award or enterprise agreement. --- [Skip to content](https://help.jointimecloud.com/how-to-get-started-with-awards#main-content) [Contact us](https://help.jointimecloud.com/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) [![Timecloud-Logo-600-2](https://help.jointimecloud.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Timecloud-Logo-600-2.png?width=200&height=40&name=Timecloud-Logo-600-2.png)](https://help.jointimecloud.com/?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact us](https://help.jointimecloud.com/kb-tickets/new) - [Go to app.jointimecloud.com](https://app.jointimecloud.com/) [Go to app.jointimecloud.com](https://app.jointimecloud.com/) Got questions? Ask away - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Service Portal](https://help.jointimecloud.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [Award Interpretation](https://help.jointimecloud.com/award-interpretation?hsLang=en) # How to Get Started with Awards ## The Awards feature is Timecloud's pay interpretation engine. It automatically calculates overtime, penalties, allowances, and minimum engagement rules based on your configured award or enterprise agreement. What Does the Awards Engine Do? - Interprets employee timesheets against your pay rules - Calculates **overtime** (daily, roster/period, public holiday) - Applies **penalty rates** (weekends, nights, public holidays) - Enforces **minimum engagement** guarantees - Manages **allowances** (cumulative, non-cumulative, unit-based) - Computes **meal break** entitlements - Exports results to your payroll provider --- How to Access Awards Awards are managed from the **Payroll Rules** settings page: 1. Click **Settings** (cog icon) in the left sidebar. 2. Select **Payroll Rules** from the settings menu. 3. Scroll down past the time and pay period settings to the **Pay Rules and Calculations** section. From here you can view all your configured awards, create new ones, and manage existing versions. --- What You Will See The **Pay Rules and Calculations** section displays: - **Status filter** — filter awards by status (Draft, Live, or All) - **Search bar** — find awards by name - **Create New** button — start building a new award - **Award cards** — each card shows the award name, status, version number, last updated date, and description - **View** button on each card — opens the version history for that award --- Award Configuration Workflow Setting up an award follows a **seven-step wizard**: 1. **Select Award** — choose a base template and name your award 2. **Employment Types** — define which employee classifications apply 3. **Payroll Configuration** — set payroll periods, overtime thresholds, and rounding 4. **Rules** — configure minimum engagement, overtime, penalties, and meal break rules 5. **Pay Rates** — set hourly rates for each classification level 6. **Allowances** — define cumulative, non-cumulative, and unit allowances 7. **Publish** — save as draft or publish live with an effective date As you work through the wizard, Timecloud validates your entries in real time. Red error icons highlight any employment types, rule categories, or individual rules that need attention. Hover over disabled buttons for a tooltip showing exactly where to fix issues. --- Key Concepts - **Employment Types** — categories like Full Time, Part Time, or Casual that determine which rules apply to each employee - **Draft vs Live** — awards start as drafts for editing; publish as Live to activate them for payroll - **Versions** — each award can have multiple versions, allowing you to track changes over time - **Test Pay Rules** — a built-in tool for testing your rules against sample timesheets before going live --- Next Steps - **How to Create an Award** — start building your first award from a template - **How to Configure Employment Types** — set up employee classifications - **How to Publish Award Versions** — go live with your configuration - **How to Use Test Pay Rules** — validate your rules before publishing - [Account & Security](https://help.jointimecloud.com/account-security?hsLang=en) - [Attendance & Timesheets](https://help.jointimecloud.com/attendance-timesheets?hsLang=en) - [Award Interpretation](https://help.jointimecloud.com/award-interpretation?hsLang=en) - [Biometric Scanners](https://help.jointimecloud.com/biometric-scanners?hsLang=en) - [Employees](https://help.jointimecloud.com/employees?hsLang=en) - [Forms & Checklists](https://help.jointimecloud.com/forms-checklists?hsLang=en) - [Geofencing](https://help.jointimecloud.com/geofencing?hsLang=en) - [Human Resources](https://help.jointimecloud.com/human-resources?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Organisation View](https://help.jointimecloud.com/human-resources?hsLang=en#organisation-view) - [Integrations](https://help.jointimecloud.com/integrations?hsLang=en) - [Job Tracking](https://help.jointimecloud.com/job-tracking?hsLang=en) - [Leave Management](https://help.jointimecloud.com/leave-management?hsLang=en) - [Mobile App](https://help.jointimecloud.com/mobile-app?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Kiosk](https://help.jointimecloud.com/mobile-app?hsLang=en#kiosk) - [Mobile App](https://help.jointimecloud.com/mobile-app?hsLang=en#mobile-app) - [Payroll](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Xero](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#xero) - [iPayroll](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#ipayroll) - [MYOB](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#myob) - [Smartly](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#smartly) - [Reporting](https://help.jointimecloud.com/reporting?hsLang=en) - [Roster](https://help.jointimecloud.com/roster?hsLang=en) - [Settings](https://help.jointimecloud.com/settings?hsLang=en) - [Shifts](https://help.jointimecloud.com/shifts?hsLang=en) - [Time Clock](https://help.jointimecloud.com/time-clock?hsLang=en) - [Dashboard](https://help.jointimecloud.com/dashboard?hsLang=en) Service Desk Copyright © 2025, Timecloud Ltd