Overview
The "Process payroll" button on a settlement may be disabled for several important reasons to ensure accurate and complete payroll processing. The system prevents processing when there are pending reviews, missing information, or data quality issues that need to be resolved first.
Understanding "Process Payroll" Requirements
Before you can process a settlement for payroll, the system checks multiple conditions to ensure the settlement is complete, accurate, and ready for payment. If any of these checks fail, the "Process payroll" button will be disabled to prevent incomplete or incorrect payroll from being processed.
Why the System Blocks Processing
The "Process payroll" button is intentionally disabled to protect you from:
Processing incomplete settlements that need additional review
Paying drivers before all reimbursements are approved
Making payments when earnings data is missing
Processing settlements with negative balances without proper review
Processing settlements assigned to other team members
Paying before external data (like fuel surcharges) is available
This protection helps prevent costly errors and ensures drivers receive accurate payments.
Common Reasons "Process Payroll" Is Disabled
Reason 1: Settlement Already Processed or Paid
What you see: The button shows "Processed" or "Paid" instead of "Process payroll" and is disabled
Why this happens: Once a settlement has been processed or paid, it's locked to prevent duplicate payments or unauthorized changes
What to do:
If the settlement is already processed, it's ready for the payment batch
If it's already paid, no further action is needed
If you need to make corrections, contact your supervisor about issuing an adjustment in a future settlement
Reason 2: Driver Incentive Review Is Pending
What you see: Tooltip message says "Driver incentive review is pending"
Why this happens: The settlement includes driver incentives (bonuses, performance pay) that haven't been reviewed and approved yet
What to do:
Review the incentive pay items in the settlement
Verify the incentive amounts and criteria are correct
Approve or adjust the incentive pay items
Once all incentives are approved, the button will become enabled
💡 Tip: Check with your operations or safety team if you're unsure whether an incentive should be approved.
Reason 3: Reimbursement Review Is Pending
What you see: Tooltip message says "Reimbursement review is pending"
Why this happens: The settlement includes reimbursement requests (fuel receipts, tolls, repairs) that are still waiting for approval
What to do:
Go to the Reimbursements section of the settlement
Review each pending reimbursement request
Check that receipts or documentation are attached
Approve, deny, or adjust each reimbursement
Once all reimbursements are reviewed, you can process payroll
If you need help: See the article "How to Review and Approve Reimbursements" for detailed steps
Reason 4: Gross Pay for an Order Is Missing
What you see: Tooltip message says "Gross pay for an order is missing"
Why this happens: One or more orders in the settlement don't have earnings calculated yet, which means the driver's pay is incomplete, for pay per load drivers
What to do:
Review the Gross Pay section of the settlement
Look for orders showing $0.00 or missing amounts
Contact your system administrator if orders aren't calculating correctly
Common causes:
Pay per load driver's pay
Reason 5: Settlement Has a Negative Balance
What you see: Tooltip message says "Settlement has a negative balance"
Why this happens: The net pay amount is negative, meaning deductions exceed earnings and reimbursements combined
What to do:
Review the settlement totals carefully
Check if deductions are correct and authorized
Verify gross pay is complete and accurate
Determine if the negative balance is legitimate:
If an error: Correct the earnings, reimbursements, or deductions causing the issue
⚠️ Important: Negative balance settlements require special attention. In many jurisdictions, there are legal limits on how much can be deducted from a driver's pay. Always verify authorization and compliance before processing.
Example:
A driver has gross pay of $1,200.00, but deductions total $1,350.00 (including a large damage deduction), resulting in a net pay of -$150.00. This negative balance blocks processing until it's reviewed and approved by management.
Reason 6: Payroll Manager Is Not Assigned
What you see: Tooltip message says "Payroll manager is not assigned"
Why this happens: The settlement doesn't have a designated payroll manager assigned to review and process it
What to do:
Assign yourself or the appropriate payroll manager to the settlement
Look for an "Assign to" or "Manager" field at the top of the settlement
Select the appropriate manager from the dropdown
Save the assignment
The "Process payroll" button should now be enabled (if no other issues exist)
If you can see this button, contact your manager
💡 Tip: Some companies require settlements to be assigned to specific managers for accountability and workflow management.
Reason 7: Settlement Is Assigned to Another User
What you see: Tooltip message says "Settlement is assigned to other user"
Why this happens: The settlement is assigned to a different payroll manager, and you cannot process settlements assigned to others
What to do:
If you should be processing this settlement: Contact the assigned manager to have it reassigned to you
If the other manager should process it: Leave it for them to handle
If the assigned manager is unavailable: Contact your supervisor to reassign the settlement
Why this restriction exists: This prevents multiple people from working on the same settlement simultaneously and ensures clear responsibility for each settlement.
Reason 8: Waiting for Fuel Price Data
What you see: Tooltip message says "Waiting for fuel price from eia.gov for this week"
Why this happens: The settlement includes fuel surcharge pay that's calculated based on weekly fuel prices from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and this week's data isn't available yet
What to do:
Wait for the EIA to publish the current week's fuel price data
Fuel prices typically update weekly, usually by Wednesday
The system will automatically calculate the fuel surcharge once data is available
Check back later in the week to process the settlement
⚠️ Important: You cannot manually override this block. The fuel surcharge must be calculated with official fuel price data for accuracy and compliance.
Reason 9: Waiting for Fuel Surcharge from Breakthrough System
What you see: Tooltip message says "Waiting for fuel surcharge from Breakthrough system. Surcharge updates daily at 3AM and 3PM system time."
Why this happens: The settlement is waiting for fuel surcharge data to be synchronized from the Breakthrough integration system
What to do:
Wait until after 3:00 AM or 3:00 PM system time for the data sync
Refresh the settlement page after the sync time
The fuel surcharge should automatically populate
If the surcharge still doesn't appear after the sync time, contact technical support
Typical timeline: If you're reviewing a settlement at 1:00 PM, wait until after 3:00 PM and refresh to see updated fuel surcharge data.
How to Check Why Processing Is Disabled
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Step 1: Locate the "Process Payroll" Button
Open the settlement you want to process
Look in the top-right corner of the settlement screen
Find the "Process payroll" button (it will be grayed out if disabled)
Step 2: Read the Tooltip
Hover your mouse over the disabled "Process payroll" button
A tooltip will appear with a heading: "Processing payroll is disabled because:"
Below the heading, you'll see a bulleted list of all reasons preventing processing
Step 3: Address Each Issue
Work through each listed reason one by one
Refer to the solutions in the sections above
Some issues can be resolved quickly (assigning a manager)
Others require review and approval (reimbursements, incentives)
Step 4: Verify Button Becomes Enabled
After resolving each issue, refresh the settlement
Check if the button is now enabled
If still disabled, hover again to see remaining issues