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Compliance setup — this guide covers statutory, payroll, and regulatory requirements. Octal HR is configurable for different countries, regions, and organizational policies.
Overview
A Branch represents a physical location or office site of your company. Branches in Octal HR control:
- Employee assignment and org chart grouping
- Payroll processing segregation (run payroll per branch or combined)
- Provincial social security contribution (SESSI for Sindh, PESSI for Punjab)
- Biometric device association for location-based attendance
- Manager / HR scope — restrict a manager to see only their branch
Example Branch Setup
Head Office — Lahore
PunjabSESSIActive
142
Employees
8
Departments
3
Devices
Lahore Office
PunjabPESSIActive
67
Employees
4
Departments
2
Devices
Islamabad Office
ICTEOBI OnlyActive
29
Employees
2
Departments
1
Device
Peshawar Warehouse
KPKNo Social SecurityInactive
0
Active
1
Department
0
Devices
Creating a Branch
1
Go to Settings → Company → Branches → Add Branch.
2
Enter the Branch Name (e.g., "Lahore Head Office"), Code (e.g., "KHI-HO"), and Full Address.
3
Set the Province: Sindh, Punjab, KPK, Balochistan, or ICT. This drives provincial social security eligibility.
4
Configure Social Security: SESSI (Sindh), PESSI (Punjab), or EOBI-only for other territories. Enter the branch's social security registration number if applicable.
5
Assign a Branch Manager (user with Manager or HR Admin role). This manager can approve leave and loans for employees in this branch.
6
Set the Default Working Calendar — inherit from company or use a branch-specific schedule (useful for shift-based or warehouse locations).
7
Click Save Branch. The branch is now available in all employee records and payroll settings.
Provincial Social Security by Branch
Social security and statutory contribution requirements vary by country, region, and jurisdiction. Configure the appropriate scheme for each legal entity, branch, or location to ensure accurate employee deductions and employer contributions.
| Province / Territory | Scheme | Employee Rate | Employer Rate | Wage Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sindh | SESSI | 1% of wages | 6% of wages | PKR 30,000/mo |
| Punjab | PESSI | 1% of wages | 6% of wages | PKR 25,000/mo |
| KPK | EOBI Only | 1% (EOBI) | 5% (EOBI) | EOBI min wage |
| Balochistan | EOBI Only | 1% (EOBI) | 5% (EOBI) | EOBI min wage |
| ICT (Federal) | EOBI Only | 1% (EOBI) | 5% (EOBI) | EOBI min wage |
EOBI (Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution) applies nationally to all branches. SESSI/PESSI are additional provincial schemes that layer on top. Employees in Sindh or Punjab branches will have both EOBI and provincial deductions.
Assigning Employees to Branches
Each employee belongs to exactly one branch at a time. Branch assignment affects:
- Payroll run scoping (run payroll for "Lahore HO" only)
- Social security deduction scheme applied
- Manager's visibility scope
- Biometric device check-in location
- Branch-specific public holiday calendar overrides
To assign or transfer an employee:
1
Open the employee's profile → Employment Details tab.
2
Edit the Branch field and select the new branch.
3
Set an effective date for the transfer. A transfer history entry is logged automatically.
4
If the employee's social security scheme changes (e.g., Lahore), Octal HR adjusts the deduction profile for the next payroll cycle.
Mid-month transfers: If an employee moves branches mid-month, the payroll for that month uses the end-of-month branch assignment. Social security contributions are applied to the full month under the new branch scheme. Adjust manually if proration is required.
Running Payroll by Branch
You can run payroll for all branches together or process each branch independently:
- Combined Run: Go to Payroll → Run Payroll → All Branches. One payroll run covers all employees.
- Per-Branch Run: Select Specific Branch and choose a single branch. Useful when branches have different pay dates.
- Payroll Reports: All reports can be filtered by branch — useful for cost centre analysis and GL mapping.
Branch-Level Calendars
Some branches may have different working days or local holidays (e.g., a Lahore port branch may observe different operational hours). Assign a Custom Calendar to a branch to override the company-level defaults.
Go to Settings → Company → Branches → [Branch Name] → Working Calendar → Override.
Ramzan schedule per branch: You can configure a reduced working hours schedule per branch during Ramzan — branches in different cities may have slightly different iftar times affecting shift end times.
Deactivating a Branch
If you close an office location, deactivate the branch rather than deleting it to preserve historical data:
1
Reassign all active employees from this branch to another branch first.
2
Unlink any biometric devices assigned to this branch.
3
Go to Settings → Company → Branches → open the branch → toggle Status to Inactive.
4
Click Save. The branch remains in historical records but cannot receive new employee assignments.