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

    • Drop Down Value

      Hi, May I know why Zoho Flow treat this drop down as number and not as string. If so, how can I fetch the right value for filtering. This field is from Creator, in Creator upon checking by default it is a string since it's not a lookup field.

    • Zoho CRM's mobile apps: A 2025 Recap

      2025 marked a year of steady progress for Zoho CRM's mobile apps. We rolled out several updates and features to improve usability and make everyday CRM work a lot easier to manage. Here’s a look back at some of the key releases from 2025. Android releases

    • Dependent / Dynamic DropDown in ZohoSheets

      Has anyone figured out a way to create a Dropdown, the values of which is dependent on Values entered in the other cell ?

    • Facebook follower count doesn't match FB Analytics

      Hi all, I am wondering if anyone else has issues with follower counts for Facebook not matching FB's native analytics tool. On the Zoho dashboard, it's showing 1,007, but FB shows 1,060. All the other channels match up. Any insights are much appreciated!

    • Meta and Facebook data report discrepancy

      I have been currently gathering manually facebook follower data thru meta. In zoho marketing plus the social media reporting only allows for page likes, and so there is a discrepancy with the data. please the difference in files attached. Is there way

    • Develop and publish a Zoho Recruit extension on the marketplace

      Hi, I'd like to develop a new extension for Zoho Recruit. I've started to use Zoho Developers creating a Zoho CRM extension. But when I try to create a new extension here https://sigma.zoho.com/workspace/testtesttestest/apps/new I d'ont see the option of Zoho Recruit (only CRM, Desk, Projects...). I do see extensions for Zoho Recruit in the marketplace. How would I go about to create one if the option is not available in sigma ? Cheers, Rémi.

    • Unlocking New Levels: Zoho Payroll's Journey in 2025

      Every year brings its own set of challenges and opportunities to rethink how payroll works across regulations and teams. In 2025, Zoho Payroll continued to evolve with one clear focus: giving businesses more flexibility, clarity, and control as they grow.

    • Can I export all attachments from Zoho CRM?

      Can I export all attachments from Zoho CRM?

    • Please can the open tasks be shown in each customer account at the top.

      Hi there This has happened before, where the open tasks are no longer visible at the top of the page for each customer in the CRM. They have gone missing previously and were reinstated when I asked so I think it's just after an update that this feature

    • What's new in Zoho Sheet: Simplify data entry and collaboration

      Hello, Zoho Sheet community! Last year, our team was focused on research and development so we could deliver updates that enhance your spreadsheet experience. This year, we’re excited to deliver those enhancements—but we'll be rolling them out incrementally

    • Community Digest — Noviembre y Diciembre 2025

      ¡Hola, Comunidad de Zoho en Español! Cerramos el año de la mejor forma con nuestro último Community Digest de 2025, donde podrás encontrar las últimas novedades de nuestros productos. ¿Todo listo para empezar 2026 con el mejor pie? ¡Vamos a ello! Zoho

    • Zoho Projects Plus’ 2025- the year we launched

      We’ve been building project management tools for the past 19 years, and a question we often hear is: Different teams in our organization prefer different project management methods; while the development team prefers agile, the marketing and sales teams

    • Why can't we change the Account type from an Expense to an Asset?

      Like the question. Why in QuickBooks for example if I mistakenly created an account as an expenses and I already captured information in those accounts, I can just change the account type from expense to asset

    • Move email between inboxes?

      Is it possible to move emails from one team inbox to another? We would like to be able to have a single "catch-all" inbox for incoming requests, and then move the email to the appropriate department inbox. I was hoping we would be able to accomplish this

    • Zoho Books emails suddenly going to Spam since 11 Nov 2025 (Gmail + now Outlook) — anyone else?

      Hi everyone, We migrated to Zoho Books in July 2025 and everything worked fine until 11 Nov 2025. Since then, Zoho Books system emails are landing in customers’ Spam (first Gmail, and now we’re seeing Outlook/Office 365 also starting to spam them). Impacted

    • How do you print a refund check to customer?

      Maybe this is a dumb question, but how does anyone print a refund check to a customer? We cant find anywhere to either just print a check and pick a customer, or where to do so from a credit note.

    • Data Import | Zoho Analytics Custom Query Window Size

      Please increase the window size for the Custom Query Data Import. It's impossible to work with such a small query window.

    • Company Multiple Branch/ Location Accounting

      Hi All, anyone know whether company can maintain their multiple Branch Accounting in Zoho  Books. It will be chart of Accounts & Master Data will be same but different report available as per per Branch. Thanks & regards, Vivek +91 9766906737

    • Zoho Books Invoices Templates

      It would be really helpful to have more advanced features to customise the invoice templates in Zoho Books. Especially I´m thinking of the spacing of the different parts of the invoice (Address line etc.). If you have a sender and receiver address in

    • Support for Developing Zoho Recruit Extensions via Zoho Sigma

      Hi, I’m interested in building an extension for Zoho Recruit using Zoho Sigma. However, when I navigate to Sigma and attempt to create a new extension (via the "New Extension" option), Zoho Recruit does not appear as a listed service—only options like

    • Email Administrators! Join our tips & troubleshooting series

      Greetings to all the admins out there! This announcement is exclusively for you. As we step into the New Year, we’re excited to start a dedicated series of admin-specific tips curated to support you. These posts will help you overcome everyday challenges

    • Notes badge as a quick action in the list view

      Hello all, We are introducing the Notes badge in the list view of all modules as a quick action you can perform for each record, in addition to the existing Activity badge. With this enhancement, users will have quick visibility into the notes associated

    • Deprecation of the Zoho OAuth connector

      Hello everyone, At Zoho, we continuously evaluate our integrations to ensure they meet the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of these ongoing efforts, we've made the decision to deprecate the Zoho OAuth default connector

    • Personalize your booking pages with Custom CSS

      Greetings from the Zoho Bookings team! We’re introducing Custom CSS for Zoho Bookings, designed to give you complete control over the look and feel of your booking pages. With this new feature, you can upload your own CSS file to customize colors, fonts,

    • Free Webinar : Unlock AI driven business insights with Zoho Inventory + Zoho Analytics

      Are you tired of switching between apps and exporting data to build customized reports? Say hello to smarter & streamlined insights! Join us for this exclusive webinar where we explore the power of the Zoho Inventory–Zoho Analytics integration. Learn

    • No OR Filter for Views with a Related Modules Criteria

      We would like to create a Deal View where the User can see all their deals. For that, we would need an OR to connect the criteria. One of the Fields is a "multiselect User", these (Related Modules Criteria) can only be Filter with an AND. Even between

    • Import Function: ONLY update empty fields

      When setting up an import from a spreadsheet to CRM, there is a checkbox "Don't update empty values for existing contacts" (see screenshot below). While I see some limited benefit from this functionality, I think there should also be an "ONLY update empty

    • Sales IQ Chat Widget is Only Displaying Last Name

      Can anyone suggest why the widget is only displaying "last name"?! We have the latest version of the wordpress plugin installed. Thanks Thanks!

    • Free Webinar: Zoho Sign for Zoho Projects: Automate tasks and approvals with e-signatures

      Hi there! Handling multiple projects at once? Zoho Projects is your solution for automated and streamlined project management, and with the Zoho Sign extension, you can sign, send, and manage digital paperwork directly from your project workspace. Join

    • Begin the year with best practices in the Zoho Desk mobile app : Part 2

      In focus: Optimizing collaboration and supervision Let's begin 2026 with Part 2 of our tips series on driving your ticketing operations at your fingertips. In Part 1, we explored streamlining operations within tickets. This helped individuals at Omniserve

    • Can we disable add to cart in Zoho Commerce?

      Hello, Our sales happen on the phone. During the call the customer is directed to our website to inspect the products together with the sales rep. So we need a way to present our inventory. I figured Zoho Commerce is a good fit for this use case. However we would have to disable the possibility to purchase products in the shop. Is that possible? Sunny regards, Artjom

    • How to update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records

      Hello Zoho CRM, How do I update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records at once? To give you a background, these leads were uploaded or Imported at once but the lead status record was incorrectly chosen. So since there was a way to quickly add records in the system no matter how many they are, we are also wondering if there is a quicker way to update these records to the correct "Lead Status". I hope our concern makes sense and that there will be a fix for it. All the best, Jonathan

    • Zoho DataPrep and File Pattern configuration

      I'm using Zoho data prep to ingest data from One Drive into Zoho Analytics... The pipeline is super simple but I can't any way to get all the files that I need. Basically I need to bring all the files with a certain pattern and for that I'm using a regex

    • JWT Token authentication problem that sometimes generates infinite redirect loops

      Description : Nous proposons un bouton sur notre plateforme permettant de rediriger l'utilisateur vers le portail ZohoDesk via un jeton JWT pour une authentification transparente. Cependant, il arrive que certains utilisateurs soient pris dans une boucle

    • Zoho desk desktop application

      does zoho desk has a destop applicaion?

    • How do I bulk archive my projects in ZOHO projects

      Hi, I want to archive 50 Projects in one go. Can you please help me out , How can I do this? Thanks kapil

    • ZOHO Work Drive Back Up

      I am looking for a ZOHO Work Drive backup solution. Something that is cloud based. There's lots of these kinds of options for Google Drive and other providers, but I have not seen anything for WorkDrive. Any suggestions?

    • ZOHO Reports - Filter Logic?

      Hi, I need a way to apply filter logics such as ((1 AND 2) OR 3). All I can see as of now is a way to enter different AND filters in the respective filter column. But how can I add an OR filter? Any advice would be highly appreciated. Mark

    • Scanned Doc - selecting Item overwrites Rate

      I have a Vendor Invoice which was uploaded to Documents. I select Add To > New Bill. The OCR is actually quite good, but it is reading an Item Description instead of an Item Number. I remove the description and select the correct Item Number... and it

    • Recruit API search

      Hi all, Attempting to call the search api endpoint from Postman using the word element as mentioned in api docs Search Records - APIs | Online Help - Zoho Recruit When making the call to /v2/Candidates/search?word=Saudi receive response of { "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND",

    • Next Page