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How do I approve and release a payroll?

operatordirectorLast verified Oct 5, 2026

On Approve & Pay, check the period, review who's Ready and who's Held, leave the pay date empty (or pick a later weekday), and click Approve and pay. This is the step that actually releases money.

Where:

Payroll → Approve & Pay.

Check the period

The banner at the top shows which period you're paying, for example "Paying September 2026." If the period has just ended and pay was entered in it, the page shows that period automatically, or offers a button to pay the previous period.

Review who's being paid

Everyone with pay this period shows as Ready or Held. Only people marked Ready are paid.

Held because What to do
Missing W-9, Missing signed W-4, Missing direct deposit, I-9 identity check not complete They haven't finished their link. Resend it from Employees & Contractors. See PR-06.
No rate set Set their rate on Hours & Pay.
Hours not matched to this worker Enter their hours on Hours & Pay. See PR-07.
State payroll not registered yet W-2 only: finish that state's tax setup on Organization.

The page shows gross pay only. W-2 employees receive net pay, after withholding.

Pick a pay date

Leave the pay date empty to use the earliest available date, about three business days out. Same-day and next-day pay aren't available. You can pick a later weekday instead. See PR-13.

Approve and pay

To review it first, use Download preview for a PDF, CSV, or QuickBooks journal of the payroll. Then click Approve and pay N staff, then confirm. You'll see "Payroll submitted for N people, $X." and the pay date, with "Each person has been texted that their pay is on its way."

After you approve

  • About two business days before the pay date, one total amount for the whole run comes out of your funding account. You'll see one debit on your statement, not one per person.
  • As soon as you approve, Teddy texts each person their amount and the day it will arrive. Pay arrives by direct deposit on the pay date. See PR-09.
  • For W-2 employees, taxes are withheld and filed for you.
  • Tourney Direct never holds your money.

Who can approve?

Once approvers are saved on the Organization page, only they can approve, and either one can. If you aren't one, you'll see "You can view this payroll but you are not an approver for this EIN, so approving is disabled." See PR-03.

Good to know

  • "This pay period has already been approved and paid. Refresh to see it." means that payroll already went out.
  • "This payroll couldn't be submitted, and nothing was charged." means nothing was paid or charged. Our team will follow up with you.
  • More messages and fixes are in PR-10.
Related:How do I set up my organization for payroll?How do I enter hours and pay for a payroll run?Payroll troubleshooting and frequently asked questionsHow do pay dates work, and when does the money move?