How pay is calculated
Session pay, base salary and sales commission — the three things that make up a payslip, and where each number comes from.
A payslip is built from three kinds of line. Knowing which is which makes every payroll question answerable in one place.
1. Session pay — instructors
Hourly rate × session duration, for each session taught in the period.
The rate comes from the session, not from the instructor record — it is copied across when the session is created. That is what keeps history stable: raising a rate changes future sessions, and a period you already approved does not silently change value. You can edit the rate on an individual session if you need to.
Each line reads Vinyasa · 12 March 19:00 · 60 minutes, with the rate and the amount.
2. Base salary — instructors and admins
A monthly figure on the staff record, prorated by the employment dates. A line reads Base salary · 18 of 31 days for someone who started mid-month.
- An instructor can have both a salary and an hourly rate. The salary is paid on top of session pay.
- Leave the salary empty for an instructor paid per session only.
- An empty employment end means still employed. Fill it in when someone leaves and their final month prorates itself.
3. Sales commission — admins
A percentage of what that admin sold in the period, from the salesperson recorded on each purchase. The line shows the working: Sales commission · 5% of 48,000 (12 purchases).
This is the direct reason to always set the salesperson when selling a package.
What payroll does not do
Next
Closing a month: pay periods →