Answer
Reimbursements in Lightning Payroll are expense amounts paid back to an employee. They are not part of gross pay, are not taxable, and do not attract super. Lightning Payroll adds them to the payment amount after all tax and super calculations, so they never affect PAYG withholding or STP earnings figures.
In the desktop app
Before adding reimbursements to a pay, set up at least one category under Company >> Reimbursements. Once categories exist, open the employeeÔÇÖs pay and click Reimbursements in the Edit Pay tab bar. Use the table to add, edit, or remove reimbursement lines. Each line records a description, category, and amount.
On the payslip, each reimbursement item appears as a separate line below the net pay row, labelled Reimbursement: <description> with its amount.
In the online (web/mobile) app
The Reimbursements tab in Edit Pay is available when the HR Suite add-on is active. There are two ways reimbursements reach a pay:
- Automatic (HR Suite approved claims): When an expense claim is approved with the payment method set to Add to next pay, it flows directly into the next pay run as a reimbursements line. No manual entry is needed.
- Manual: Open the pay, select the Reimbursements tab, and add or edit lines directly. Each line has a description, category, and amount.
In the pay summary panel, a Reimbursements row appears below Tax (and above Net) whenever at least one reimbursement line is present, showing the total reimbursements amount for that pay.
Setting up categories
In the desktop app: go to Company >> Reimbursements to add or deactivate categories.
In the online app (HR Suite): go to HR Suite >> Reimbursements and open Reimbursement Categories to manage categories. Use Add Missing Defaults to populate a standard set quickly.
For the full HR Suite expense claim workflow (submitting, approving, and paying claims), see How Do I Configure And Process Reimbursement Claims?. To add a note about a reimbursement handled outside Lightning Payroll (for example via direct bank transfer), use a payslip note as described in How Do I Add A Payslip Note?.
