# Payroll approvals

> Academium SMS Help › Human Resource
> For: School Owner, School Admin, Accountant
> Web page: https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-payroll-approvals
> Last updated: 2026-10-06

Payroll is approved in **levels** before anyone is paid. The levels are set up under [Approval Levels](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-approval-levels.md).

## Approving payroll

Open **Payroll → Payroll Approvals**. Submissions arrive **grouped**, as the month's payroll.

1. Open a submission to see the **breakdown** of each person's net pay.
2. **Approve** or **reject** it, with a reason if you reject. You can decide on several at once.

When every level has approved, the payroll is ready to pay.

The **Decided** tab keeps a record of each decision, with the approver and reason.

## Reminders

**Catch Up** tells each approver when payroll is waiting for them.

## Good to know

Payroll approval is separate from [approval rules](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-approval-rules.md), which cover fee write-offs.

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