How to Use the Payroll PDF
A printable, signable record of hours worked — no payroll software, import, or field mapping required.
What the Payroll PDF is for
Not every workplace uses payroll software that accepts a CSV import, and not every manager needs one. The Payroll PDF is Shift Show's alternative export: a formatted, human-readable report of an employee's hours, laid out so it can be printed, reviewed, and signed as a standalone record.
Where the Payroll CSV is built to be read by a system, the Payroll PDF is built to be read by a person. It presents the same underlying hours information, but organised into clear sections with totals, so it can be checked at a glance and kept on file, either on paper or as a signed digital document.
This guide explains what the PDF contains, how to generate and review it, and how employees and managers typically use it to sign off hours.
What's in the Payroll PDF
The PDF groups hours into clearly labelled sections so a reviewer doesn't have to work through a spreadsheet to find what matters.
Ordinary & Overtime Hours
Regular hours worked and any overtime, broken down by date so each entry can be checked against a roster or timesheet.
Sundays Worked
Hours worked on Sundays are listed separately, since these often attract a different pay rate under many awards or contracts.
Public Holidays
Hours worked on public holidays are shown on their own, alongside the relevant dates, for the same reason.
Leave & Summary Totals
Any recorded leave, plus a summary of total hours across the pay period, so the overall figure can be verified before it's signed off.
Exactly which sections appear depends on the information recorded in Shift Show and the report period selected.
Step-by-step: from export to filed record
Export the Payroll PDF
Generate the PDF report for the employee and pay period you need from Shift Show.
Review the figures
Read through the structured sections — Ordinary Hours, Overtime, Sundays Worked, Public Holidays, Leave, and the summary totals — and check them against your own timesheets, roster, or payroll records.
Send it to the relevant person
Typically, the employee sends the PDF to their manager, or the manager generates and shares it directly — whichever fits your workplace's process.
Print or open it for sign-off
The manager prints the document, or opens it in any PDF reader if it will be signed digitally, and checks it against their own records before approving it.
Sign as required
The PDF includes signature lines for both the employee and the manager. Depending on your workplace's process, one or both may sign to confirm the hours are accurate.
File the record
Keep the signed copy — on paper or saved digitally — with your usual payroll or HR records, following whatever retention practice your business already uses for timesheets.
PDF or CSV: which one do you need?
The two exports serve different purposes, and many businesses only ever need one of them.
See Payroll CSV & Software Compatibility for more on how the CSV can be used with payroll systems.
Important
The Payroll PDF is a summary of the hours recorded in Shift Show. It is not, on its own, an official payroll record.
Your employer's official records and rules always take precedence over the app. Nothing in a Shift Show export is auto-trusted — a manager, payroll officer, or HR administrator may choose not to rely on the app's figures if they don't match approved timesheets, rosters, or applicable pay rules. Always verify hours, overtime, and leave before the record is filed or used for payroll processing.