> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bolto.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# I Missed the Approval Deadline

> What an expired draft means and the two ways to still pay your team.

Read this when a payroll draft shows **Expired**, or the approve button is gone and payday is close.

***

## What happened

Every payroll has an approval deadline: the payday minus your processing period, in business days. Once it passes, the draft becomes Expired and can't be submitted for the original payday. There isn't enough time left for the bank debit and deposits to clear.

## Your options

**Option 1: Move the pay date.** Email support (or post in your Slack channel) and ask us to move the pay date to the next available date. We update the draft on the back end, and you approve it before the new deadline. Employees are paid a day or a few days late. This is the most common fix and takes minutes.

**Option 2: Run an off-cycle payroll.** Create an [off-cycle payroll](/payroll/off-cycle-bonuses-commissions) for the same pay period with the earliest available pay date. Use this if you also need to change amounts, or if support isn't available.

Either way, tell your employees when to expect the money.

## Why you didn't see it coming

Bolto emails a reminder two days and one day before each deadline and creates a task on your overview page. If you didn't get the emails, check spam and confirm the Owner's email in **Organization → Users** is one someone reads. Deadlines are shown in US Eastern Time. A 3pm ET deadline is noon Pacific.

## Avoiding it next time

* **Auto-Pay.** For groups of salaried, exempt employees, Auto-Pay submits unchanged runs on the deadline day. See [Auto-Pay](/payroll/running-payroll#auto-pay).
* **Approve early.** You can approve as soon as the draft is created at the start of the period. You don't have to wait for the deadline.
* **Set a timesheet cutoff.** For hourly groups, the payroll can't be finished until hours are approved. Set a cutoff a day or two before the approval deadline.
* **Add a second Owner.** If only one person can approve, a vacation becomes a missed payroll.


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