Overview of Cintra iQ help guides

Modified on Thu, 20 Nov at 9:25 AM

Setting up and using a payroll can be a daunting experience and it's difficult to know where to start. To help with this, we've created a series of guides. Each guide contains a series of links that explains how to set up and use that particular area of Cintra iQ.

If you're new to Cintra iQ, you might find the tour of the Cintra iQ layout useful.

GUIDES TABLE OF CONTENTS

Setting up Cintra iQ
Managing employees and other people
- Jobs, posts, and spine tasks
Payroll tasks
Reporting and compliance
Accounting tasks
Education-related guides
Self-Service related tasks

LIST OF GUIDES

Setting up Cintra iQ

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Implementation form	The implementation form is a detailed document used mainly during onboarding to collect all the key information needed to set up your payroll.	Guide: Implementation form
Lookup tables	Used for creating and maintaining dropdown lists in Cintra iQ (like job or post categories), and can be secured to restrict editing.	Guide: Lookup tables
Filters	Help you sort, display, or restrict records based on set criteria. These filters are essential for targeted reporting and access control.	Guide: Record filters
Letters	Lets you create, manage, and generate standard documents (such as contracts or welcome letters) using system data, automatically filing them in personnel records.	Guide: Letters
Importing data	Lets you bulk upload new starter or other data via CSV, making onboarding and updates faster and more accurate.	Guide: Importing data into Cintra iQ
Conditional numeric functions	Describes how to automate pay or deduction adjustments using numeric conditions.	Guide: Conditional numeric functions
Security	Security is of paramount importance in payroll applications. This guide explains how to control who can access what in Cintra iQ.	Guide: Security in Cintra iQ

Managing employees and other people

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
New starters	Walks through adding new employees and completing onboarding records.	Guide: New starters
Leavers	Explains steps to process employees who are leaving and end their records correctly.	Guide: Managing leavers
Payroll and employee tasks	Lets you create and manage checklists for payroll periods or individual employees to ensure all required tasks are completed.	Guide: Payroll and employee tasks
Absence	Covers recording absences and managing entitlement balances for holidays or sickness.	Guide: Absence and absence entitlements
Documents	Describes uploading, storing, and managing employee-related documents.	Guide: Managing documents
Policy documents	Explains how to create, set up, and administer policy documents that require employee acknowledgment.	Guide: Managing policy documents
Emails	Allows you to configure and send automated emails triggered by data changes or events.	Guide: Email notifications
Inputting payroll data	Provides steps for entering, adjusting, and reviewing payroll inputs for each pay period.	Guide: Inputting payroll period data
Payslips	Details how to calculate, review, and publish payslips, including customisation options.	Guide: Payslips
Working patterns	Covers the setup and assignment of work schedules that define standard working days.	Guide: Working patterns
Non-working and excluded days	Explains how to record and attach non-working days like bank holidays to employee calendars.	Guide: Non-working days / excluded days
Voluntary deductions	Outlines how to set up and manage non-statutory deductions such as loans or charity donations.	Guide: Voluntary deductions
Corrections	Guides you through making adjustments or corrections to payroll input data for prior periods.	Guide: Corrections

Jobs, posts, and spine tasks

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Jobs	Details the setup and management of job roles within your organisation.	Guide: Jobs
Org charts and posts	Explains how to recreate the structure of your organisation and assign posts to it.	Guide: Organisation charts and posts
Posts and post history	Describes assigning posts to employees and maintaining a history of changes.	Guide: Posts and post history
Pay spines, points, and grades	Covers setting up salary structures using pay spines and grade links.	Guide: Pay spines, points, and grades
Posts and paying employees	Shows how to use post assignments for payroll calculations and salary allocation.	Guide: Using posts to pay employees

Payroll tasks

Adding payroll information

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Inputting payroll	Guides you through entering regular and variable payroll data for employees.	Guide: Inputting payroll information
Batch payroll input	Explains how to upload or enter payroll data in bulk using templates or CSV files.	Guide: Batch input of payroll data

Payroll cycle

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Payroll cycle	Outlines the end-to-end payroll process, from opening periods to finalising payments.	Guide: Payroll cycle
Payroll workflow	Describes automating and tracking payroll activities in a defined sequence.	Guide: Payroll workflow
Pensions	Covers pension scheme setup, assessments, and deductions.	Guide: Pensions
Pensions: Auto enrolment	Explains automatic enrolment processes for workplace pensions and compliance	Guide: Auto enrolment
Third parties	Generating payments for third parties such as pension providers or courts.	Guide: Paying third parties
Payroll membership	Clarifies assigning employees to a payroll and managing their payroll status.	Guide: Payroll membership
Paying employees	Details the process of generating and approving employee payments.	Guide: Paying employees
Payslips	Details how to calculate, review, and publish payslips, including customisation options.	Guide: Payslips
HMRC	Guides you through creating and submitting payments to HMRC for PAYE, NI, and other liabilities.	Guide: Paying HMRC
Apprenticeship levy	Explains the calculation and submission of the apprenticeship levy.	Guide: Apprenticeship levy (AL)
Month end tasks	Lists required checks and reconciliations to close each payroll month.	Guide: Month end tasks
Period end tasks	Covers final steps and reporting to close out a payroll period.	Guide: Period end tasks
Year end tasks	Explains the final payroll checks and submissions needed before starting a new tax year.	Guide: Preparing for year end

Benefits, holiday, and sick pay

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Mileage schemes	Explains creating and managing mileage payment schemes for employees using private vehicles.	Guide: Mileage schemes
Holiday pay	Details how holiday pay is calculated and processed for different schemes.	Guide: Holiday pay
Holiday entitlements	Outlines how to set up and manage annual leave allowances.	Guide: Holiday entitlement
Maternity claims	Describes how to record and process statutory and occupational maternity pay.	Guide: Maternity claims
Occupational parental pay	Covers setting up and administering enhanced parental pay schedules.	Guide: Occupational parental pay
Sick pay	Guides the setup and administration of occupational and statutory sick pay.	Guide: Managing sick pay
Benefits in kind	Explains the final payroll checks and submissions needed before starting a new tax year.	Guide: Benefits in kind
Sickness analysis	Provides tools and reports to review and analyse employee sickness and absence data.	Guide: Analysing sickness absence

Reporting and compliance

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
User-defined reports	Lets you create custom reports using data fields across the system.	Guide: User-defined reports
Gender pay gap	Explains how to generate reports analysing pay differences between genders.	Guide: Gender pay gap

Accounting tasks

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Accounting process	Describes mapping payroll costs and outputs to your organisation’s accounting structure.	Guide: Accounting process
Journal input	Covers entering and reconciling payroll journals for financial reporting.	Guide: Journal input tasks

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Monthly Contribution Reconciliation (MCR)	Explains running monthly contribution reports for teachers’ pensions.	Guide: Monthly Contribution Reconciliation (MCR)
Further Education Workforce Data (FEWD)	Guides the submission and import of workforce data for FE colleges.	Guide: Further Education Workforce Data (FEWD)

Area of Cintra iQ	Explanation	Link to Guide
Self-Service forms	Details how to create and manage forms for employee Self-Service portal actions.	Guide: Self-Service forms
Timesheets	Describes managing and approving timesheets within the Self-Service portal.	Guide: Cintra iQ and Self-Service timesheets