Overview
The Default Pay page shows the payslip template for an individual employee. This template defines the standard line items that appear each time you create a payslip for this person — base pay, tax deductions, superannuation or pension contributions, and any other recurring items.
When you create a new payslip, Beeswax pre-fills it from this template so you don't start from scratch each pay run.
What's on the Page
The Default Pay template mirrors the structure of a real payslip:
- Header — the employee's name, role, and employment summary.
- Employment summary cards — at-a-glance display of Employment Type, Payment Basis, Pay Frequency, and Annual Gross Salary, plus the calculated Net Amount for one pay period.
- Transaction groups — categorised sections (e.g. Wages, Tax, Pension/Super) each containing line items.
Each line item shows:
- Description
- Account allocation
- Amount
- Whether it's a debit (payment to employee) or credit (deduction)
System vs Manual Line Items
Line items fall into two categories:
| Type | Editable? | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| System lines | Read-only — calculated from statutory formulas every time the template is saved | <!-- region:AU -->PAYG Withholding, Superannuation Guarantee, HELP/HECS<!-- /region --><!-- region:GB -->PAYE Income Tax, Employee NI, Employer NI, Employee Pension, Employer Pension, Student Loan<!-- /region --> |
| Manual lines | Fully editable — description, account, and amount can all be changed | Base Pay, overtime, allowances, bonuses, salary sacrifice, custom deductions |
System lines display with a subtle background and a lock indicator, and the Add Line Item button is hidden inside the Tax Withheld and Employer Contributions groups. This prevents you from accidentally adding lines that would corrupt the statutory calculation. Add allowances, overtime, or one-off bonuses to Wages & Salaries instead, and any voluntary deductions to Deductions.
Standard Template Items (Australia)
A typical Australian payslip template includes:
| Group | Line Item | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wages | Base Pay | Debit | Calculated from employment details — annual salary ÷ pay frequency, or hourly rate × hours per period. |
| Tax | PAYG Withholding | Credit | Income tax deducted based on the employee's ATO tax scale. |
| Superannuation | Super Guarantee | Debit | Employer super contribution (currently 11.5% of ordinary time earnings). |
| Deductions | HELP Repayment | Credit | Only if the employee has a HELP/HECS liability. Amount based on ATO repayment rates. |
The base pay amount is derived from the employee's Employment Details (gross salary and pay frequency). If you update their salary, the template updates accordingly.
<!-- /region -->
Standard Template Items (United Kingdom)
A UK payslip template is split into four transaction groups. Lines within Tax Withheld and Employer Contributions are calculated by statutory formula and cannot be edited manually.
Wages & Salaries
| Line Item | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Base Pay | Manual | Calculated from employment details — annual salary ÷ pay frequency, or hourly rate × hours per period. Editable to add overtime, holiday top-ups, or back-pay. |
You can add any number of additional lines to this group: overtime, allowances, commission, bonuses, statutory payments (SMP, SPP, SSP), or salary sacrifice top-ups.
Tax Withheld (system — read-only)
| Line Item | Description |
|---|---|
| PAYE Income Tax | Calculated from the employee's HMRC tax code on a cumulative basis (Week 1 / Month 1 markers respected). |
| Employee National Insurance | Calculated from the employee's NI category and earnings within the Primary Threshold / Upper Earnings Limit bands. |
| Student Loan | Only if the employee has a student loan plan configured. Calculated at 9% (Plans 1, 2, 4, 5) or 6% (Postgraduate) of earnings above the plan's threshold. Multiple plans (e.g. Plan 2 + Postgraduate) are deducted in parallel. |
Employer Contributions (system — read-only)
| Line Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Employer National Insurance | Calculated from the employee's NI category. Categories M (under 21) and H (apprentice under 25) attract zero-rate NI up to the Upper Secondary Threshold. |
| Employer Pension | Calculated using the Employer Pension Rate on the employee's qualifying earnings. Defaults to 3% if not set. Hidden when the employee is opted out. |
Deductions
| Line Item | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Pension | System | Calculated using the Employee Pension Rate (default 5%). The way it interacts with PAYE depends on the Pension Tax Relief Method — Net Pay reduces taxable pay, Relief at Source does not, Salary Sacrifice reduces both taxable pay and NI-able pay. |
| Court Orders / Attachment of Earnings | Manual | Add manually if HMRC or the courts have served an attachment order. |
| Voluntary deductions | Manual | Trade union dues, charitable giving (Payroll Giving), season-ticket loan repayments, etc. |
The base pay amount is derived from the employee's Employment Details (gross salary and pay frequency). If you update their salary, tax code, NI category, pension method, or pension rates, the template's system lines are recalculated automatically.
Reference: HMRC — Rates and thresholds for employers
<!-- /region -->
Editing the Template
Click Edit Employee Details to update the employment information that drives the template calculations (salary, tax details, pay frequency). Changes are reflected in the template immediately.
You can also edit individual line items within the transaction groups directly — adjust amounts, add custom line items, or remove items that don't apply.
Creating a Payslip
Click Create Payslip to generate a new payslip based on this template. The payslip is pre-filled with the template values and can be reviewed, adjusted, and finalised before being issued to the employee.
Note: You need the appropriate permissions to create payslips. Only Owners and Super Admins (or users with explicit payroll access) can create and issue payslips.
Prerequisites
The Default Pay tab is only accessible when the employee has complete employment details. If their details are incomplete, the tab shows a tooltip prompting you to finish setting up their employment information first.
Required fields vary by region but typically include: employment type, payment basis, pay frequency, gross salary, tax details, and start date.
Permissions
| Action | Owner | Super Admin | Manager | Accountant | Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View default pay | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edit template items | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Create payslip | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Tips
- Review the template after changing employment details. If you update an employee's salary, tax code, or NI category, check the Default Pay template to ensure the calculated values look correct.
- Add recurring allowances or deductions. If an employee receives a regular allowance (e.g. car allowance, phone allowance) or has a recurring deduction, add it to the template so it's included automatically in every payslip.
- Use the template as a sanity check. Before running payroll, review each employee's Default Pay to confirm the net amount is reasonable.