Terminating employees - FAQ

Answers to some frequently asked questions about terminating employees.

Oliver Cook avatar
Written by Oliver Cook
Updated over a week ago

Below we answer some frequently asked questions about when you terminate an employee.


What does terminating an employee do?

When you terminate someone in Sage HR, this means they no longer show as an active employee in your company. They aren't listed in your Company Directory, Org Chart, and they don't appear in a search. Instead, they appear in your terminated employees report.

Typically you terminate an employee who has left the company.


Is terminating an employee the same as deleting them?

No, when you terminate an employee, this doesn't delete them. They still show in Sage HR, just not as an active employee. If you want to permanently remove them from the system you need to delete them from the terminated employees report.

⚠️CAUTION: Deleting an employee is irreversible.


Can a terminated user still log in?

Sage HR

If you use Sage HR by itself, then no, a user can't log in after being terminated.

Sage HR and Sage 50 Payroll UK integration

If you use Sage HR integrated with Sage 50 Payroll (UK only), known as Sage HR Online Services, it can be possible for someone to have access to log in after they've been terminated.

There is a setting that allows employees access to their payslips and P60s either 7 days, 30 days, or 1 year from their termination date. All they can do is view their payslips and P60s, they can't access other documents.


Can you edit a terminated employee?

Yes, the terminated employees report you can click on the pencil icon to edit their termination information, such as their date of termination, reason for termination, and any additional comments.

If you want to make any changes to their profile, you can click on their name which takes you to their profile.

On their profile, you see a message that states when their last working date was.

You can make any changes to their profile like you could when they were an active employee.


Can you undo terminating someone?

If you have terminated someone by accident, or an employee is no longer leaving, your options to undo this depend on whether your Sage HR integrates with Sage payroll software.


Can I schedule someone to be terminated?

Yes, you can. When you terminate them and you select a future termination date, the employee remains an active employee until the end of that date. You can amend this anytime.

EXAMPLE: You schedule termination for 9 January 2023. This means 9 January is their last working day, and will become inactive from 10 January 2023.


What does ‘Approval needed in Sage 50cloud Payroll’ mean?

If you use Sage HR integrated with Sage 50 PAyroll UK, when you terminate an employee you may see a message say:

Approval needed in Sage 50cloud Payroll

This shows if the employee profile in Sage HR Online Services was linked to their record in Sage 50 Payroll.

Don't be alarmed by this message, there is nothing you need to approve to actually terminate the employee,

All it means is the employee's leaving information is sent to Sage 50 Payroll pending approval. An admin in Sage 50 payroll can then approve to import leaver information into Sage 50 Payroll.

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