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PayBuddy

Fortnight pay planner

Upcoming estimated net pay
$0.00
Current fortnight
PT30 · 6.00h leave day
Next entry: select a pay period
Fortnight calendar 0/14 days entered · next blank day pending
Tap day → Period · colour = type · tick = saved · number = multiple
Current fortnight

Dashboard highlights

Quick read-only summary. Full lists are still in Trackers.

Pay period

Your fortnight entry hub. Pick a day, then add a shift, RDO or leave.

Colour codes: green = shift, grey = RDO, purple = annual leave, amber = sick/SLU, blue = paid public holiday. A corner number means multiple entries. Leave/shift codes now show in the selected day details to keep the calendar clean. Double-tap a saved day to open its details.

RDO marks the day as complete with no pay. SLU marks sick leave unpaid with no pay and no sick-leave balance deduction. Public holiday paid is base pay only; use Public holiday worked only when you actually work the PH. Historical periods still protect leave balances before the payslip balance date.

Add / edit day

Add a shift, leave item, LFW/manual adjustment, or manual shift for the selected day.

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Select a pay period, then enter the shift for this day.
Use Full for normal shifts. Use 1st/2nd half only when entering one half of a spread shift.

Start with Shift or Leave. Use Work class only when the entry is rail/voluntary overtime or a replacement rostered piece. Pre-6am/twilight allowances are automatic unless you override them below.

Auto is correct for most normal shifts. Use T/Half for RR/rail/voluntary extra work. Use ordinary/replacement when Transdev changed the rostered shift but it still counts toward normal 7.6/38-hour checks.
Normal bus shift → AutoRR/rail/voluntary → T/HalfRoster changed but ordinary → Replacement
Use this when the payslip depends on whether the shift was part of the ordinary roster or extra/RDO overtime.
Saturday clue: enter the ordinary rostered portion only if a payslip proves the SAT PEN/SAT OT split. Leave blank to keep PayBuddy's current rule.
Use for payslip-only corrections: T/Half rail/bridge time, sick unpaid/NLE, LFW, or late meal corrections.
Enter roster-style time. 6.45 means 6h 45m.
Advanced times, allowances and notes

Most entries do not need this section. Open it for modified start/finish times, spread gaps, meal credits, or manual allowance checks.

For attached extra work, enter either an earlier modified start or later modified finish. PayBuddy sends the extension to T/Half @150%.
Saved.

Fortnight entries

Compact list of saved entries for the selected pay period.

Breakdown

Pay totals first, then weekly checks and payslip reconciliation.

Detailed totals

Weekly overtime and PAYG tax are estimates. This stays visible so the logic can be tuned against future payslips.

Payslip Match Mode

Reconciliation tool for checking PayBuddy against the real payslip after payday. Save lines for comparison. Use period-only buttons when the real payslip should override the estimate for this historical fortnight. Gross means gross before salary sacrifice; taxable is gross minus salary sacrifice.

Calibration Lab

Back-test PayBuddy's predicted payroll lines against saved Transdev payslip lines.

Current period score

Uses the current fortnight, saved entries and Payslip Match Mode lines. This is diagnostic only and does not override pay.

Predicted vs payslip

Line-by-line difference between the engine and the actual saved payslip. Green is close enough; amber or red needs a rule explanation.

Rule variant tests

Tests likely Transdev rule assumptions without changing the live engine.

Saved payslip training set

Runs every saved payslip match through the current engine so future rule changes can be judged against all known examples.

Simulation Lab

Controlled payroll test cases. These do not change your saved entries or override any payslip.

Rule confidence

High-confidence rules have matched payslips. Medium-confidence rules are still being tested against future payslips.

Controlled scenarios

PayBuddy creates temporary test fortnights in memory only. The result shows which payslip buckets the current engine would create.

Replay Lab

Back-tests every saved payslip against the current PayBuddy engine. Use Snapshot for one quick photo instead of several screenshots.

Replay snapshot

One compact table with the full saved-payslip training set. This is the screen to screenshot.

Detailed replay results

Each card shows the engine-vs-payslip bucket differences for one saved period.

Allowance Audit

Diagnostic payroll tool for checking which shifts are creating, or missing, SHIFT ALLOW.

Selected pay period

Uses the current fortnight, saved shifts and Payslip Match Mode lines. This does not change pay unless you use the separate payslip override.

Shift-by-shift audit

Shows current app-applied allowance plus likely rule candidates: early start, twilight and spread.

Trackers

Estimated leave balances, repeated shifts, services and buses driven.

Leave balances

Uses the starting balances entered from your latest payslip, then deducts only leave entries after the payslip balance date.

Shift stats

Counts saved shift numbers across all PayBuddy entries, including total hours and estimated gross pay.

Service stats

Counts route/service trips from saved shifts using the Shift Library route timelines. Leave and RDO entries are ignored.

Bus stats

Counts each bus number entered. Multiple buses can be entered with commas.

Settings

Appearance, contract profile, pay rules, leave balances and salary sacrifice.

Shift allowance now uses the audit logic by default: weekday straight early shifts use actual pre-6am minutes × 15%, weekday straight twilight shifts use actual post-7pm worked minutes × 15% after meal deduction, and weekday spread shifts use the full split gap × 15%. PayBuddy compares early, twilight and spread and pays the highest single allowance only. Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday worked shifts are excluded from 15% SHIFT ALLOW candidates because their penalty rates are higher/non-cumulative. If Transdev pays a different SHIFT ALLOW line, use Breakdown → Payslip Match Mode so the correction applies to that pay period only. Use Menu → Payroll Tools → Allowance Audit to inspect each shift.

Default uses the ATO fortnightly PAYG formula instead of a flat percentage. Manual % is only a fallback if a payroll setup needs custom tuning.

Only used when PAYG tax method is set to Manual percentage fallback.

Separate after-tax deduction. Use this for repayment arrangements that should reduce net pay but not change PAYG tax.

Settings saved.

Shift Library

Search shifts, compare statistics and open a shift for sign-on, sign-off, paid hours, route timeline and valid pay estimates.

Straights, spreads, Saturday, Sunday, School, Pinjarra and Rail groups are available. Browse by group first; School opens its own straights/spreads/Pinjarra sub-library before the shift list.

Routes, Desto & ETIM codes

Clean reference table built from the route timelines loaded in Shift Library.

This list is generated from all loaded shifts. It shows each route/code combination found in the imported shift sheets, plus which shift numbers use it.

Time converter

Convert roster-style hours into decimal hours and a quick gross pay estimate. If your keyboard shows ; instead of :, PayBuddy accepts it.

Decimal hours result 0.00 Enter time as 6:45, 6;45 or 6.45 to convert minutes properly.
Keyboard showing ; instead of :? Use 6;45. PayBuddy treats it as 6:45.
Time is not normal decimal maths. 6:45 means 6 hours and 45 minutes, so it converts to 6.75 decimal hours.

How to read it

Minutes are out of 60, not out of 100. If a shift is 6 hours and 45 minutes, calculate 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75, then add the 6 hours. That gives 6.75 decimal hours.

The quick pay figure is base hourly pay only. It does not add Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, overtime, early-start or spread loading.

Pay guide

Plain-English guide for using PayBuddy, finding tappable areas, checking payslips and understanding the calibrated pay logic.

Choose a topic

Start with the tutorials if you are learning the app. Use Back to return to this list.

Recommended learning path

Use these sections in order the first time you set up PayBuddy.

1. Start hereBasic workflow: choose a fortnight, enter days, save shifts, then check Home and Breakdown.
2. What's tappable?Shows the main buttons, cards and chips that open more detail.
3. Pay period tutorialHow to add shifts, RDOs, annual leave, sick leave, SLU and public holidays.
4. Payslip match tutorialHow to compare PayBuddy against a real Transdev payslip.
5. Allowance audit tutorialHow to inspect SHIFT ALLOW before we tune the allowance logic.
6. Pay rulesRead the detailed payslip lines, penalty, overtime, leave and tax sections when something looks off.
This is a checking guide, not a legal payroll document. Current defaults have been calibrated against real payslips and may still differ by a few cents because payroll systems and PayBuddy may round individual lines differently. If a payslip disagrees with the app, keep the payslip result and use Payslip Match Mode to tune PayBuddy.

Start here: normal PayBuddy workflow

  • 1. Open Home. The big number is the current estimated net pay for the selected fortnight.
  • 2. Open Period. This is the main daily entry hub. Tap a day chip to select the roster day you want to enter.
  • 3. Add what happened. Use Add entry for shifts, leave or adjustments, or use the quick buttons for RDO, annual leave, sick leave, SLU or paid public holiday.
  • 4. Use the Shift Library when possible. Enter a shift number or browse the library so PayBuddy can fill sign-on, sign-off and paid hours.
  • 5. Check the estimate. Home gives the fast net-pay estimate. Breakdown gives the line-by-line explanation.
  • 6. Reconcile after payslip. Use Payslip Match Mode when the real payslip arrives. Use Allowance Audit when SHIFT ALLOW does not match.

Most useful screens

HomeFast summary: estimated net pay, gross, tax, hours and entries.
PeriodMain entry screen: choose days, add shifts, add leave and review saved day entries.
LibrarySearch shift numbers, view shift details, check route timelines and use a shift for an entry.
BreakdownLine-by-line pay estimate, weekly split, payslip match and allowance audit shortcut.
TrackersLeave estimate, shift counts, route stats and bus stats.
MenuSettings, pay guide, payroll tools, backup/export and advanced tools.

What's tappable?

Most tappable areas are buttons, day chips, saved-entry cards, shift-library rows and guide cards with the small open marker.

Home net-pay cardRead-only summary. The small chart button on the card opens the detailed Breakdown view.
Bottom navHome, Period, Library and Menu are the main navigation buttons.
Day chipsTap a date in Period to select that day. Saved days show badges like ✓, AL, SL, SLU or PH.
Saved day entriesTap a saved entry card to edit/review it. Double-tap a saved day chip to jump straight into its details.
Shift Library rowsTap a shift row to open details. From the detail screen, use the shift to fill a new entry.
Guide cardsSome Pay Guide cards are tappable and open a more detailed explanation.
Payslip Match ModeFound in Breakdown and Menu → Payroll Tools. It compares app totals against the real payslip.
Allowance AuditFound in Menu → Payroll Tools and Breakdown. It explains SHIFT ALLOW candidates by shift.
Rule of thumb: if it looks like a card, chip, row or button, try tapping it. If nothing opens, it is probably a read-only summary.

Pay period tutorial

  • Select the fortnight. Use Older, Current pay, Newer or Change period.
  • Select a day. Tap the day chip. The selected day panel updates underneath the fortnight grid.
  • Add a worked shift. Tap Add entry, choose Shift, enter the shift number, then check the auto-filled hours.
  • Add a split/spread day. Save the first part, then add another shift/part on the same date. The day badge will show a number for multiple entries.
  • Add leave or RDO. Use the quick buttons on the selected day panel: RDO, annual leave, sick leave, SLU or paid public holiday.
  • Fix a mistake. Tap the saved entry for that day, edit it, then save again. Use Clear selected day only when you want to remove that day’s entries.

Day badge meanings

✓A saved worked shift exists for that day.
NumberMore than one saved entry exists on that day.
RDORostered day off. No pay added.
ALAnnual leave. Uses the configured leave-day hours.
SLPaid sick leave. Uses the configured leave-day hours unless edited.
SLUSick leave unpaid. Records the day but adds no pay.
PHPaid public holiday not worked. Adds the configured leave-day hours only.

Payslip Match Mode tutorial

  • Open Breakdown. Confirm the selected fortnight matches the payslip dates.
  • Open Payslip Match Mode. Enter the payslip’s normal hours, sick leave, sick NLE unpaid hours, T/Half @150%, Double @200%, PH WORK HRS @150%, ORD EXC 7.6 @150%, SAT O/T @150%, SAT PEN @50%, SHIFT ALLOW, gross, tax and net. For rail/voluntary work, set the entry Work class to Extra / voluntary / rail T/Half @150%. Use T/Half bridge/extension entries for modified waiting time before attached extra work.
  • Compare line by line. If hours are wrong, fix the entries first. If tax is wrong, check tax settings. If SHIFT ALLOW is wrong, run Allowance Audit.
  • Use period-only override carefully. Use SHIFT ALLOW for this period only when you want the app to match that payslip without changing future fortnights.
  • Keep the payslip as truth. The app is an estimate. Payslip Match Mode is the correction layer.
Best order: fix paid hours first, then penalties, then shift allowance, then tax/net. Do not tune tax to hide a shift-hours or allowance problem.

Allowance Audit tutorial

  • Open Menu → Payroll Tools → Allowance Audit. You can also use the shortcut inside Breakdown.
  • Check app-applied SHIFT ALLOW. This is what currently affected the pay estimate.
  • Check payslip SHIFT ALLOW. If you entered a payslip match, the audit compares against that figure.
  • Review candidates. The audit shows pre-6am, twilight after meal deduction, spread full-gap and old minus-1h comparison candidates so we can see which rule is closest.
  • Inspect shifts one by one. Each shift card shows whether the likely trigger is early, twilight, spread or unknown.
  • Use it before changing settings. Straight early/twilight audit logic now feeds the automatic estimate. The audit explains mismatches and now excludes Saturday early/twilight candidates under the EA non-cumulative penalty rule.

How to use it for future shift audits

When new shifts arrive, enter them normally first. Once the payslip arrives, enter Payslip Match Mode totals, then open Allowance Audit. The difference between the candidate rules and the payslip gives us the evidence needed to improve the automatic logic.

Common payslip lines

Ordinary hoursThe base paid hours for the shift or leave day. This is usually paid at 100% of the hourly rate.
Penalty / loadingExtra pay added because of the day or condition worked, such as Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, shift allowance or spread shift.
OvertimeAn extra add-on when paid hours pass a daily or weekly threshold. PayBuddy treats this as an estimate until matched against payslips.
Taxable grossGross pay after pre-tax salary sacrifice is removed. This is the amount PayBuddy uses for the tax estimate.
PAYG taxTax withheld from the pay. PayBuddy estimates this using the ATO fortnightly PAYG method unless a manual override or fallback percentage is selected.
Employer superEmployer contribution estimated from gross pay using the super percentage in Settings.

Basic calculation order

1. Paid hours × hourly rate = ordinary/base payLeave days use the configured leave-day hours.
2. Add penalties and SHIFT ALLOWSaturday/Sunday/public holiday penalties stay separate and exclude the 15% allowance candidates. Weekday SHIFT ALLOW uses the highest one of early, twilight or spread full-gap allowance, then rounds to payroll decimal hours.
3. Add overtime estimateDaily OT and weekly OT are calculated as add-ons, not as a second full base payment.
4. Subtract salary sacrifice, then estimate taxNet pay = gross − salary sacrifice − estimated tax. Small cent differences can occur from rounding.

Penalty and loading rules

WeekdayOrdinary base pay only, unless overtime, shift allowance or spread loading applies.
SaturdayOrdinary pay plus a 50% penalty. Example: 6 hours pays as base 6h plus an extra 3h equivalent.
SundayOrdinary pay plus a 100% penalty. Example: 6 hours pays as base 6h plus an extra 6h equivalent.
Public holiday workedOrdinary pay plus a 150% penalty. Example: 6 hours worked pays as base 6h plus an extra 9h equivalent.
Shift allowance / early startDefault method is payslip-style equivalent hours per marked shift. It does not apply 15% to the whole shift unless legacy mode is selected in Settings.
Spread allowanceCurrent rule: full split gap × 15%. This competes with early/twilight and the highest single candidate is used.
Public holiday worked is treated as ordinary pay plus a 150% extra penalty. Public holiday paid/not worked is base pay only. Shift allowance is shown separately from weekend/public-holiday penalties so payslip matching can be checked line by line.

Overtime logic

Daily OT = paid hours above the daily threshold × hourly rate × 50%Default threshold is 7:36, but it can be edited in Settings.
Weekly OT estimate = worked hours above weekly threshold × hourly rate × 50%Default weekly threshold is 38:00. Leave hours are shown separately.

PayBuddy shows overtime as an add-on because ordinary hours have already been counted in the base pay. The extra 50% brings those overtime hours up to 150% total.

Why weekly OT is labelled as an estimate

Weekly overtime can be hard to confirm if a payslip combines or labels overtime differently. PayBuddy keeps the weekly OT line visible so it can be tuned over time against real payslips.

Leave rules

PT30 profileDefault leave day is 6:00 hours.
FT38 profileDefault leave day is 7:36 hours.
Annual leavePaid as the configured leave-day hours with no weekend or public holiday penalty.
Sick leavePaid as the configured leave-day hours with no weekend or public holiday penalty.
Public holiday paidPaid at configured leave-day hours with no worked-public-holiday penalty.

Payslip balance date

The payslip balance date is the point where the leave balance is known to be correct. PayBuddy only deducts leave entries after that date.

This protects old shift/stat entry. You can add old pay periods for shift and bus tracking without accidentally reducing annual or sick leave that was already included in the payslip balance.

Deductions, tax and super

Salary sacrificeIf enabled, the entered amount is removed before tax is estimated. If gross is zero, PayBuddy does not create a negative net pay.
Tax estimatePayBuddy uses the ATO fortnightly PAYG formula by default, with optional manual override, extra withholding and tax debt repayment settings.
Employer superEstimated from gross pay using the configured super percentage.
Net payEstimated gross minus salary sacrifice, estimated tax and any separate tax debt repayment.
Estimated net = gross pay − salary sacrifice − PAYG tax − tax debt repaymentThe current default uses the ATO fortnightly PAYG method. Manual overrides and extra withholding can still be used for individual payroll setups.

Example 1: Weekday 6:51 shift

Using $39.4373 hourly rate and no extra loading.

Paid hours6:51
Ordinary pay6.85 × hourly rate
Penalty/loading$0.00
ResultBase pay only

Example 2: Shift allowance

Using the default auto method, weekday straight early shifts add pre-6am allowance hours, weekday twilight shifts add post-7pm worked allowance hours after meal deduction, and weekday spread shifts use the full split gap. PayBuddy uses the highest single allowance only, so early/twilight/spread do not stack. Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday worked shifts keep their penalty lines but do not receive 15% SHIFT ALLOW.

Marked shifts4
Equivalent hours0.685 each
Total allowance hours2.74
Allowance value2.74 × hourly rate

Example 3: Saturday 6:00 shift

Ordinary pay6h × rate
Saturday penalty6h × rate × 50%
Total before taxEquivalent to 1.5×

Example 4: Sunday 6:00 shift

Ordinary pay6h × rate
Sunday penalty6h × rate × 100%
Total before taxEquivalent to 2.0×

Example 5: Public holiday worked 6:00 shift

Ordinary pay6h × rate
Public holiday worked penalty6h × rate × 150%
Total before taxEquivalent to 2.5×

Example 6: Sick or annual leave day

PT30 profile6:00 paid
FT38 profile7:36 paid
PenaltiesNone
Tracker effectDeducts after balance date only

Payslip checking checklist

  • 1. Check pay period dates. Make sure the app fortnight matches the payslip fortnight.
  • 2. Check paid hours. Compare ordinary hours, leave hours and overtime hours separately.
  • 3. Check day types. Confirm Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays were entered as the correct day type.
  • 4. Check allowances separately. Compare weekend/PH penalties and SHIFT ALLOW as separate lines. SHIFT ALLOW uses the highest single weekday early, twilight or spread candidate; Saturday/Sunday/PH worked shifts are excluded from 15% allowance candidates.
  • 5. Check salary sacrifice. Make sure it is enabled only when it actually applied for that payslip.
  • 6. Check tax. The default tax method uses the ATO fortnightly PAYG formula. A few cents difference can still happen from payroll rounding or extra deductions.
  • 7. Check leave balances. Update the payslip balance date and balances when you want a new known starting point.
  • 8. Record the difference. If actual pay differs, keep the payslip result and use the difference to tune tax, overtime or allowances later.

Tools

Backup, restore, version notes and data safety.

Backup Centre

Checking backup health and local data…

Checking
Last backupNot recorded
Active profileChecking…
Full app dataChecking…

Storage rule: PayBuddy data is stored locally on this browser/device. Cloudflare updates do not move data between devices. Backup JSON files are the bridge between old installs, new installs and other phones.

PWA safety / update status

Checking app version, local data and cache status…

v2.25.2
Buildv2.25.2
Local dataChecking…
UpdateReady

Update rule: export a backup before major updates. If PayBuddy ever opens with empty storage after an update, stop and import your latest backup JSON.

Sharing safe: Sending the PayBuddy HTML/ZIP app file does not include saved shifts, bus numbers, leave balances or tracker history. Those stay in this browser/device. Only backup JSON exports contain saved personal data.

Exports include settings, saved entries and the app version. Data is stored locally on this browser/device. New installs start with no saved entries and salary sacrifice turned off by default.