Is there a way to change the fixed regular hours in an open pay run, without using absence hour codes and without switching the employee to hourly pay?
No. If an employee has a fixed number of regular hours entered, that number will always flow into the pay run as-is — it cannot be overridden there. That's the nature of "fixed" hours: they represent a set number of hours per month, as opposed to "variable" hours that change from period to period.
If the actual hours worked differ from the fixed amount, you'll need to correct it using additional wage codes:
- For extra hours worked, use the wage code "Extra hours 100%".
- For hours not worked, use a deduction code such as "Deduction absence" or "Deduction of unpaid leave".
Alternatively, as you mentioned, you can remove the fixed hours setting entirely and switch the employee to an hourly wage. In that case, you'll enter the actual hours worked each period, which may be more or less than the usual amount.
Important: if you make this switch, check the pension premium setting. If it's configured as a percentage, you'll need to change it to a fixed amount and enter the specific values manually — otherwise, a percentage applied to a base salary of zero will result in a pension premium of zero.