Guide: Effective Dating in Wagepoint

Effective dating helps you plan payroll changes in advance and ensure your team is paid accurately and on time—even when changes happen mid-cycle. 

This article walks you through how and when to use effective dating in Wagepoint, with examples to guide you through the process.
 

What is effective dating?

Effective dating lets you specify the exact date a change, like a salary increase, tax update, or CRA payroll account number modification, should take effect.

Instead of waiting for the next pay cycle or rushing last minute, you can:

• Schedule changes in advance
• Ensure compliance with tax rules
• Maintain accuracy in every pay run

How effective dating makes payroll easier for you

Payroll changes don’t always line up neatly with your pay periods. Someone gets a raise mid-month. A tax rate shifts halfway through the quarter. Instead of scrambling to make last-minute updates (or worse, forgetting them), effective dating lets you handle it all ahead of time.

It means fewer surprises, more accuracy, and peace of mind knowing everything will kick in exactly when it should.

With effective dating, you can:

• Give raises right when they’re earned — no waiting for the next pay cycle

• Plan for tax changes — set them now and know they’ll apply when needed

• Avoid manual adjustments — Wagepoint does the math for you

• Stay compliant — meet tax and employment requirements without the stress

 

What does effective dating look like in action?

Example 1: Updating an employer tax rate

Let’s say you operate in British Columbia and there’s a change to the BC EHT (British Columbia Employer Health Tax) rate starting next month. Here’s how to schedule it:

1. Go to Settings > Tax settings > Employer taxes.
2. Click Edit next to your province (e.g., British Columbia).
3. Select the new EHT rate.
4. Use the calendar tool to choose the effective date.
5. Click Update, then Save.

You’ll see a banner confirming the scheduled change and date. When the effective date rolls around, the new rate will now be active in your Wagepoint account.

 

Example 2: Scheduling a mid-cycle pay raise

If one of your employees earns a raise starting mid-pay period, you can apply it in advance:

1. Go to the People tab, locate the relevant employee, and click View.
2. On the Job details tab, click their Annual salary.
3. In the update panel:
   • Enter the new salary amount.
   • Use the calendar tool to set the effective date.
4. Enter the breakdown of worked hours:
   • Number of days and hours under the old rate
   • Number of days and hours under the new rate
5. Click Save to confirm.

Wagepoint will automatically calculate earnings based on the two rates for that period, and you'll see two entries for the individual on the relevant pay stub: one for the previous rate, and one for their new rate.