This article explains how the off-cycle US Payroll process works and how US Payroll clients can run an off-cycle payroll from their Global payroll home page.

The same payroll report items that can be submitted during a normal cycle can also be submitted via an off-cycle.

In this article

• Off-cycle processing timeline
• How to create an off-cycle report for employees
• Important details on off-cycle processing

Off-cycle US Payroll process

1. Create Off-Cycle Payroll: Select the entities and employees to be included in the off-cycle payroll.
2. Submit Payroll Report: Add payroll items and submit the payroll report for processing.
3. Payroll Processing: Deel will complete processing within 1 business day and notify the client once this is done.
4. Approve Off-Cycle Payroll: The client will have 1 business day to approve the off-cycle payroll.
5. Fund Payroll: Fund the off-cycle payroll.
6. Employees Get Paid: If employees are paid via Deel (Payment by Deel method), it will take between 1 – 3 business days for the payment to arrive after funding. If employees are paid directly by the client, a list of payments to be made will be provided, similar to a regular cycle.

How to create an off-cycle

Prerequisites

• You must have permissions to access and manage payroll functions in Deel.
• Your organization must be enabled for Global payroll off-cycles. If the Create off-cycle button is missing or disabled, contact your Deel administrator.

✅ Step 1 – Enter off-cycle details

Follow the steps below to initiate a new off-cycle payroll and reach the legal-entity selection page.

1. Navigate to the Payroll section
   From the Deel home page, click the Payroll tab in the top header.
   

2. Open Global payroll
   Inside Payroll, click the Global payroll tab.
   

3. Create an off-cycle
   Click Create off-cycle in the upper-right corner.
   

4. Review instructions
   In the modal titled How to run an off-cycle, review the key steps and click Start.
   

5. Verify the legal-entity selection page
   You should now see the New off-cycle screen with fields for Country, Legal entity, and Payroll group.
   

Troubleshooting * Missing Payroll / Global payroll tabs: Confirm your permissions with your Deel admin.
Create off-cycle button not visible: Your organization may not support off-cycles, or you lack access rights.
Modal does not open: Refresh the page, clear cache, or try a different browser.

✅ Step 2 – Select employees

Select the employees to include in the off-cycle report. You can also mass-select all employees in the chosen entity. Click Continue.

✅ Step 3 – Set the payment date

Select a date from the calendar for the off-cycle payment.

• You cannot choose a pay date that overlaps the processing window of another payroll.
• Certain dates (e.g., federal holidays) are blocked to prevent payment-processing errors.
• The Deel app blocks pay dates that fall within four business days before a regular cycle.

Blocked dates appear greyed-out on the calendar.

✅ Step 4 – Add payroll items, review, and submit

Add the required payroll items for this off-cycle. The same item types available in a regular cycle are available here. You can bulk-edit variable data (amounts, time-off, etc.) in the template. When you’re ready, click Submit report.

✅ Step 5 – Approve the off-cycle payroll

Once Deel finishes processing (typically within 1 business day), you will receive a notification to review. Approvers have 1 business day to approve the off-cycle payroll. After approval, no further changes are possible.

✅ Step 6 – Fund the payroll

1. From the home dashboard, locate the Awaiting funds tile in the Payments tracker and click View now.
   
2. On the Payments > Awaiting funds tab, find the off-cycle payment row.
   
3. Select the payment(s) using the checkbox. A Pay funding button should appear; click it to proceed with funding instructions.

Known issue – Pay funding button missing
In some UI versions, the Pay funding button may not appear after selecting a payment. If you experience this:
Confirm you have selected at least one payment.
Check the action (three-dots) menu; funding options may have moved.
If the button is still absent, contact Deel Support with screenshots.
As a workaround, you can fund via bank transfer using the reference on the invoice until the UI is restored.

Important details on off-cycle processing

• You cannot select a pay date that falls within the processing window of another payroll.
• Certain days may be blocked out in order to prevent payment processing errors due to federal holidays, bank schedules, and end-of-cycle calculations.
• Pay dates within 4 business days before a regular pay cycle are blocked.
• Past dates cannot be selected for future payrolls.
• You can make an off-cycle payment on the regular pay-cycle date itself.