Introduction

Variable pay forms an integral part of modern compensation structures, allowing organizations to reward employees based on their performance, goals achieved, or company profitability.

In uKnowva HRMS, the process of assigning variable pay is streamlined and flexible, allowing HR managers to configure it for individual employees, entire salary structures, or default templates based on company policy.

Whether your payout frequency is monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly, uKnowva makes it easy to set and manage variable components in payroll.

This guide walks you through the detailed steps for assigning variable pay through different methods—by editing a salary structure, updating a specific user’s payroll, or modifying the default payroll structure.

Step 1: Enable Variable Pay in a Salary Structure

To begin, head over to the left-hand side navigation panel and click on the HR Manager menu. From there, select the Payroll sub-menu and from the list of options select the Salary Structure sub-menu.

This page will display a list of all existing salary structures in your system.

To assign variable pay, identify the salary structure you want to edit and click on the pen icon under the Action column corresponding to that structure.

This action opens up a new page where you can view and modify various components of the selected structure.

Locate the column labeled "Is Variable?", which by default is unchecked.

To make a particular earning component variable, check this box and then select the appropriate payout frequency from the dropdown list—Monthly, Quarterly, Half-yearly, or Yearly—based on your organization's requirements.

Once your selections are complete, click the Save button to apply the changes, or use the Cancel button if you do not wish to save the modifications.

Step 2: Assign Variable Pay to an Individual User

If the requirement is to assign variable pay only to a specific user rather than updating an entire salary structure, you can do so by navigating to the HR Manager menu again and choosing the Payroll sub-menu from the left-hand side panel.

This section displays a list of employees with their corresponding payroll data.

Find the user for whom you want to assign variable pay and click on the pen icon under the Action column next to their name.

This will take you to that user’s detailed salary structure page. Just like before, locate the "Is Variable?" column for the specific earning component you want to mark as variable.

Enable the checkbox and select the suitable frequency—Monthly, Quarterly, Half-yearly, or Yearly—from the dropdown.

After reviewing your changes, click Save to confirm or Cancel to discard them.

Step 3: Apply Variable Pay in the Default Structure

In cases where your organization follows a standard payroll structure for all employees, you can assign variable pay within the default salary structure.

To do this, go to the HR Manager menu and click on the Payroll sub-menu, and it will open a list of sub-menus from which you select the Payroll sub-menu.

At the top-right corner of this page, you’ll see a More button.

Click on it, and a drop-down menu will appear. From this list, select the Edit Default Structure option.

This will open the default salary structure used across your organization.

In this template, locate the "Is Variable?" checkbox and enable it for the components you want to configure as variables.

Once enabled, use the drop-down menu to choose the desired frequency of payout—Monthly, Quarterly, Half-yearly, or Yearly.

To save your changes, click the Save button, or click Cancel if you wish to exit without saving.

Conclusion

That’s it!

You’ve now successfully assigned variable pay in uKnowva HRMS.

By following this process, you ensure that compensation structures in your organization are flexible, performance-driven, and aligned with business goals.

Whether you choose to configure it at a structural level, for individual users, or through a default template, uKnowva HRMS offers you the tools to easily manage variable payouts across different frequencies.

This functionality not only streamlines payroll administration but also supports employee motivation by tying rewards to performance outcomes.

If you have any questions or need additional support, feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..