Zoho Payroll's Product Updates | August 2024

Zoho Payroll's Product Updates | August 2024

At Zoho Payroll, our commitment goes beyond providing software—it’s about empowering you to focus on what truly drives your business: your people.

This August, we are delighted to introduce a set of updates for our users in India and the UAE, that not only refine payroll processes but also bring more clarity and ease to your daily tasks. From personalised earning calculations to secure handling of employee data, we are dedicated to supporting you every step of the way.

Join us as we dive deeper into these enhancements and discover how Zoho Payroll continues to evolve, keeping your needs at the forefront of our efforts.

Calculate Earnings Based on Percentage of CTC (India - Early Access)

At Zoho Payroll, we understand the complexities you face in managing diverse compensation packages of your employees. To simplify this, we’ve expanded the options we provide for you to calculate the fixed earnings of your employees. Now, you can calculate earnings based on a percentage of the CTC (Cost to Company).

Note: Earnings based on a percentage of CTC can only be calculated for fixed earnings, not variable earnings.
This feature is perfect for scenarios where employees have various allowances and incentives tied to their total compensation. 

To do this, go to Settings, select Salary Components, choose an Earning, and set the calculation based on CTC. When you preview an employee’s salary, the calculated values are displayed, offering complete clarity. This ensures fair, transparent, and easy-to-manage compensation.

Calculate Earnings Based on Percentage of Other Earnings (India, UAE - Early Access)

For our users in India and the UAE, we’ve provided the ability to calculate fixed earnings based on other earnings. 

Note: Earnings based on a percentage of other earnings can only be calculated for fixed earnings, not variable earnings.

Scenario: Think of Jalal, an employee in the UAE, whose earnings are based on various performance metrics. With the enhanced feature, you can now set his earnings to be a percentage of his bonuses or other performance-based earnings.

To set this up, go to Settings, select Salary Components, choose an Earning, and set the calculation based on earnings.Once these earnings are associated with an employee, you’ll be able to preview the calculation used to derive the earnings.  This ensures fair, transparent, and easy-to-manage compensation. 

Sample Formula:

Let's take the example of formula used to calculate the Travel Allownce earning below. 

Transportation Allowance=(Basic Amount+Travelling Allowance Amount) × 8%

Explanation: In this case, the other earning that was used to calulcate the Travel Allowance earning is the Basic. The Transportation Allowance is calculated as 8% of the sum of the employee's Basic Amount and Travelling Allowance Amount.


Custom Field Support for Loans Module

We’ve introduced custom field support for the Loans module, giving you the flexibility to capture additional loan details that are not available by default in Zoho Payroll. 

With this feature, you can now create and configure custom fields for loans, ensuring that every piece of critical information is recorded accurately. Whether you need to track specific notes, collateral details, or unique repayment conditions, custom fields allow you to personalize loan records like never before.

Setting up a custom field for loans is simple:
  • Navigate to Settings and select Preferences.
  • Go to Loans and choose Custom Field and configure it to fit your needs.
Loans - Custom Fields

Other Enhancements in UAE

Passport Number in Letter Templates
We have introduced the option to include passport numbers as placeholders in various letter templates, such as Salary Certificates, Salary Revision Certificates, Bonus Letters, and Salary Transfer Letters. By including passport numbers, you enhance the authenticity and compliance of your official documents.

To add the passport number to a salary certificate:
  • Navigate to Settings > Templates > Salary Certificate > Edit.
  • Click Manage Content, then select Insert Placeholders and choose Passport Number.

AL-Ansari Exchange House - SIF Format
We now support the AL-Ansari Exchange House SIF format, a standardised file format for salary information files used by AL-Ansari Exchange House in the UAE. This format simplifies payroll processing by ensuring that salary disbursement data is accurate and compliant with banking regulations. 

Enhancements in India

Allow Restricted Type EPF Contribution for Variable Earnings (Early Access)
We now allow variable earnings to be considered for EPF contributions, specifically when the PF Wage is less than ₹15,000. 
In many organizations, employees have variable components in their salary, such as bonuses, incentives, or overtime pay. Previously, these variable earnings were not considered for EPF contributions, which could limit the retirement benefits for employees earning less than ₹15,000 in PF wges. By allowing these earnings to be included, we ensure that employees' retirement savings are more comprehensive and reflective of their total income.

Include Conveyance Allowance in New Tax Regime
Conveyance allowances, which are typically provided to employees to cover travel expenses from home to the workplace, can now be included in the new tax regime calculations. This update ensures accurate tax deductions and helps employees benefit from tax exemptions on their travel allowances. 


That's all for now! We're always eager to hear your feedback and suggestions. If you have any feature requests, please share them in the comments below. For assistance, contact us at support@zohopayroll.com. 

Stay tuned for more updates from Zoho Payroll!

With a shared purpose,
The Zoho Payroll Team


    • Sticky Posts

    • Zoho Payroll | Quarterly Product Updates For 2024

      As we navigate through the ever-changing payroll landscape, we bring you the latest updates that span the first quarter of 2024, tailored to meet the diverse needs of employers and employees in India, the UAE, and the US. From useful integrations to refined

    • Introducing Academy 🎉: your go-to hub for all things payroll

      Hello! We're thrilled to launch our newest payroll resource hub - Academy by Zoho Payroll [for India] - the information repository where you can go to learn everything about payroll. Introducing Academy by Zoho Payroll Why did we build Academy? Payroll

    • Recent Topics

    • Emails Not Sending

      This has happened before. I contacted Zoho and it seemed to work, but now my emails are not sending or taking a long time to send and half the time attachments don't attach. It just keeps saying Sending... and I have to keep clicking it to make it send.

    • [Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - AI-Enhanced Logistics Management in Zoho Creator

      Hello Everyone! We’re excited to invite you to another edition of Learning Table Series, where we showcase how Zoho Creator empowers industries with innovative and automated solutions. About Learning Table Series Learning Table Series is a free, 45-60

    • WhatsApp pricing changes: Pay per message starting July 1, 2025

      Starting July 1, 2025, WhatsApp is shifting from conversation-based pricing to per-message billing. That means every business-initiated message you send will count. Not just the first one in a 24-hour window. Pricing updates on the WhatsApp Business Platform

    • Create a button that converts Sales Order into a Custom Module

      I am looking for a way of creating a button on Sales Orders that would automatically create a record in a custom module I have created called Contracts. The custom destination module "Contracts"  has the following fields that I would need to populate [Contracts Name] populate with SalesOrderID [Account Name] populate with related Account Name [Contract Start Date] populate with the date that the record was created Could someone help or point me in the right direction? Thanks

    • Remove all of the junk data that comes with the trial

      How would I go about removing all of the junk data that comes with the trial of zoho crm?

    • Video Interview Feature

      Please add a text option as well while sending invitations to candidates for video interviews, candidates are missing out on the email. They are more convenient in text and it really helps Hope you would understand, thanks

    • Singapore DBS Bank

      Is there any schedule corresponding to DBS of Singapore? 

    • Including Contact and Account Information in Zoho Projects.

      In Zoho Projects I have created a custom layout which already includes a 'Client Information' section. The 'Client Information' section already includes integrated fields (integrated with CRM) for various account and contact details. Here's what I want

    • Unable to Download CRM Contact Data: WorkDrive Integration Issues

      ## Problem Description We need to let users download contact information from CRM as CSV files to their local computers. Since we couldn't implement a direct download option, we're trying to use WorkDrive as a workaround - but we're encountering issues

    • App Spotlight : PagerDuty for Zoho Cliq

      App Spotlight brings you hand-picked apps to enhance the power of your Zoho apps and tools. Visit the Zoho Marketplace to explore all of our apps, integrations, and extensions. In today's fast-paced world, seizing every moment is essential for operational

    • Campaigns going to spam folder, how to build so that it goes to inbox

      Hello, New to campaigns, now have it functioning correctly. In my test group of 10 email addresses 100% of the emails went to spam/junk folder and/or were blocked/captured by spam filters. What is the process to building a message or format that does

    • Integrate QuickBooks with Bigin and streamline your sales and accounting!

      If your business relies on Bigin for customer management and QuickBooks for accounting and invoicing, this new integration is here to make your operations more efficient. By connecting these two platforms, you can now manage your CRM and financial processes

    • When a ticket is merged, the merged ticket's link should redirect to the remaining ticket.

      Zoho Desk deletes merged tickets. Which is not ideal. The issue is if you have a link bookmarked, or even in your inbox from a ticket that was merged, when you visit you receive an error because merging tickets actually deletes the ticket that was merged.

    • Pass data from a Zoho Desk ticket to a Zoho Form as pre-fill data?

      Hello, I'm trying to pre-fill a Zoho form with client data based on the Zoho Desk ticket data that would be associated. Work flow i'm trying to create: 1. Ticket created for a sales order 2. order requires a site survey 3. link inside ticket links to

    • Goods total weight in Sales Orders

      Hello everyone, We want to automatically calculate the total weight in Sales Orders based on the weight data specified in the Items. Could you please suggest the simplest way to achieve this in Zoho Inventory? I would greatly appreciate any advice and

    • Problem with pagination in Zoho Inventory API

      Hello, I'm having an issue with the  Zoho Inventory API when I try to use the pagination. When I send a request to https://inventory.zoho.com/api/v1/items?authtoken=XXXXXXXXXX&organization_id=YYYYYY&page=1&per_page=50, I get back 200 items. And when I send the same request for the second page, https://inventory.zoho.com/api/v1/items?authtoken=XXXXXXXXXX&organization_id=YYYYYY&page=2&per_page=50 I'm getting back the same 200 items I get with the first request.  So I think neither the page parameter

    • Can a user be assigned to an Account based on email domain?

      Hi ZohoDesk, If I have a customer Account already configured is there any way I can use a domain matching rule to assign a new user to the correct account when logging a ticket by email? Many thanks Rich

    • Can't track conversions using GTM

      We had to move the installation of the SalesIQ widget from GTM to directly do it in our wordpress site. The SalesIQ widget was being blocked by Adblockers which caused a lot of our visitors to not be able to see it. This issue was fixed from deleting

    • WhatsApp Message Pricing Changes (Effective July 1, 2025)

      Starting July 1, 2025, Meta will introduce a per-message pricing model on the WhatsApp Business Platform, replacing the current conversation-based billing. This update affects all WhatsApp messages sent through Zoho Marketing Automation. We’ve broken

    • Parent-Child Tickets using API or Deluge

      Hi Everyone, We are looking at the parent-child ticketing features in Zoho Desk. We want to be able to create a parent ticket at customer level and nest child tickets underneath. The issue we are facing is to be able to automate this. I'm checking the

    • Blueprint transitions on locked records

      We use the ability to automatically lock records (quotes, sales orders, etc.) based on criteria, such as stage. For instance, if a quote has been sent to a client, the quote is then locked for further edits. Our ideal quote stage process is: Draft>Sent>Won.

    • CC from mail client to Zoho CRM

      Hi,  Is it possible to have emails sent outside of CRM use a CC that sends them into the CRM and attaches to the record?  Thanks

    • Department e-mail signatures

      Hello everyone, We're just in the process of evaluating various help desk software alternatives and Zoho is looking pretty good to us at the moment. Our set up is a bit strange and I was wondering if this is possible. We have one tech who looks after

    • How can I hide "My Requests" and "Marketplace" icon from the side menu

      Hello everybody, We recently started using the new Zoho CRM for Everyone. How can I hide "My Requests" and "Marketplace" from the side menu? We don't use these features at the moment, and I couldn't find a way to disable or remove them. Best regards,

    • WhatsApp Calling Integration via Zoho Desk

      Dear Zoho Desk Team, I would like to request a feature that allows users to call WhatsApp numbers directly via Zoho Desk. This integration would enable sending and receiving calls to and from WhatsApp numbers over the internet, without the need for traditional

    • Sites Speed and Performance Grades

      I noticed that there are no recent inquiries or complaints about load speed or performance issues with Zoho Sites websites. However, I wanted to understand what Zoho has done to ensure that speed remains optimized, images are compressed and lazy loaded,

    • Include Audio in Zoho Assist Session Recordings

      Hello Zoho Assist Team, We hope you're doing well. We’d like to formally submit a feature request regarding session recordings in Zoho Assist. 🎯 Current Limitation When conducting a Zoho Assist session that includes voice and/or video chatting, the recording

    • Unable to update Created Date/Time even via upsert

      hi all --- running a demo version and "recreating" some data from hubspot. I had tried the method to automatically move data over but it missed A TON of fields and some stuff wouldn't even map correctly so i am simply creating new Deal records to test

    • Blockchain Feature?

      Since I'm not an expert in this technology, is there any reason why you would not want to add this option to your Zoho SIgn documents? Is there a downside?

    • Kaizen #196 - Zoho CRM Queries - Best Practices

      Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone. Got

    • Best way to account for shipping charges to customer

      I have been allocating all our shipping expenses to the "postage" account, but I realise that is probably incorrect, as for the most part, we pass on shipping charges to our customers. So I should probably add the shipping charges into the "shipping charges"

    • Zoho Flow s’enrichit avec les subflows et les actions Webhook

      Nous sommes ravis d’annoncer deux ajouts importantsà Zoho Flow : les subflows et les webhooks sortants. Ces nouvelles fonctionnalités ont été conçues pour vous aider à créer des workflows plus facilement et à automatiser davantage de tâches répétitives.

    • How to assign canvas view for portal user

      Hi , as a portal user, I can switch to another canvas view, however, I cannot find any field to configure a default canvas view for portal user. May I ask how to set it up in CRM? And if I can view list by sheet view as a portal user?

    • Restrict Leave Application Based on Attendance Cycle (24th to 23rd)

      Hi Zoho Team, Our organization follows a custom attendance cycle from 24th of the current month to 23rd of the next month. I would like to configure the system so that: Employees should not be able to apply backdated leave for any date after the attendance

    • How do I assign a parent to an existing campaign?

      I created a campaign but now I'd like to make that existing campaign a child of another.  How can I do this?

    • Categorize Tickets Through The App

      I used to be able to categorize and assign tickets through the app without any issues. However, for the past year, whenever I try to edit a ticket, select a category, and click save, it doesn’t actually save the changes. As a result, I haven’t been able

    • Can't add picture to email template. Says I'm over the character limit.

      I tried creating an email template with a picture and it says I'm over the character limit. The picture is pretty small. What can I do?

    • Allow breakdown of per diem for meals provided

      Would it be possible to break the per diem down into what you get for each meal. The reason for this is we want to offer per diem but if a meal is provided by a customer or sales we need to remove this from the per diem bucket for that day. We break down

    • Automatically moving Leads into their corresponding buckets

      Hi, I have developed a lead pipeline and created different cadences for various lead segments. After enrolling leads into their respective cadences, each lead goes through a series of follow-ups (in my case, three emails). If a lead does not respond after

    • Tracking Email Template usage

      I'd like to be able to track how many times agents/users send an email from Templates. This is so we can track their activity in relation to Campaigns in CRM. Thanks

    • Next Page