Merit cycles powered by
real-time market data.
Stop running comp cycles in disconnected spreadsheets. Combine internal position data, benchmark ranges, and live market signals into structured workflows with budget controls and approval routing.
From the team behind SalaryCube — used by HR teams at 1,000+ organizations
Built for three roles, not one.
Comp Planning ships role-aware experiences for the three people who actually run a merit cycle.
For HR Directors
Set up the cycle, configure guidelines, distribute worksheets, monitor progress, finalize, and export payroll. The full admin workflow lives at /comp-planning.
For Managers
A single worksheet for your team. Pre-populated, guideline-aware, with budget remaining and exceptions flagged. Add notes, adjust within your authority, submit when you’re done.
For Approvers
A pending-decisions queue with one-click approve or return-with-comments. Full visibility into the worksheet you’re approving, plus a Recent Decisions tab for everything you’ve already cleared.
Compensation Cycle Workflows
From snapshot to
audit-ready cycle.
Configure your merit matrix, distribute pre-populated worksheets to managers, route them through your approval chain, and apply changes — with market context from SalaryCube alongside every recommendation.
FY2026 Annual Merit Cycle · Effective Apr 1, 2026
Amber Patel — Engineering
Allocated
$80,000
Planned
$78,890
Variance
−$1,110 (1%)
Aaron Lockwood
Engineer I
Beatrix Tannenbaum
Engineer I
Camille Roussel
Engineer I
Devon Aldridge
Engineer I
Next approver: Nora Patel
Submit for ApprovalWhat is SalaryCube Comp Planning?
Key capabilities and benefits customized for this product
| Capability | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Snapshot-based worksheets | Worksheets read from a frozen employee/compensation snapshot, so live data changes don’t mutate in-flight cycles |
| Guideline-driven recommendations | Recommended increases come from your configured guideline matrix (rating × compa-ratio band → recommended percent) — your policy, not a black box |
| Merit Matrix Builder | Configure guideline matrices by performance rating and compa-ratio band; each matrix is captured into the cycle for auditability |
| Manager Worksheets | Distribute pre-populated worksheets to managers with internal position data, benchmark ranges, smart flags, and notes |
| Budget Controls | Set department-level budget pools at cycle setup; dashboard shows projected spend per department in real time |
| Approval Routing | Multi-step approval chains with NamedUser or CompTeam approver types and one-click approve / return-with-comments |
| Detect Changes | Surfaces drift between the snapshot and current employee data — hires, terminations, pay changes, manager moves — before you finalize |
| Post-Apply Audit Summary | After Apply Changes, the cycle dashboard transforms into a permanent audit record: Approval Log, Activity Feed, Export Log, role-filtered for every viewer |
Tired of These Problems?
Merit cycles run in disconnected spreadsheets with no version control or audit trail
Managers make pay decisions using 6-month-old survey data instead of current market rates
HR spends weeks consolidating spreadsheets, chasing approvals, and reconciling budgets manually
Comp Planning solves all of these →
| Spreadsheet-Based Merit Cycles | SalaryCube Comp Planning | |
|---|---|---|
| Version control | None | Snapshotted at every state change |
| Audit trail | Email threads and lost edits | Full Approval Log + Activity Feed |
| Approval routing | Manual handoff | Multi-step chain with one-click approve/return |
| Budget tracking | Updated after-the-fact | Real-time per department |
| Drift detection | Manual reconciliation | Detect Changes surfaces hires/terms/pay changes |
| Payroll handoff | Reformat by hand | One-click CSV export with audit |
Powerful Features
The pieces of the cycle that spreadsheets can’t reproduce — surfaced as first-class product features.
Three-Layer Decision Context
Internal + Benchmark + Market
Every worksheet row gives managers three contexts side-by-side: the employee’s internal position (tenure, current pay, rating), your configured benchmark ranges, and market context from SalaryCube Bigfoot. Managers see all three before deciding.
Merit Matrix Builder
Performance × Compa-Ratio Guideline Grid
Build guideline matrices that map performance ratings to compa-ratio bands. Set recommended increase percentages per cell. The matrix is captured into the cycle at Generate-Worksheets time so the guidelines that drove every recommendation are preserved for audit.
Manager Worksheets
Pre-Populated with Guardrails
Distribute worksheets pre-filled with employee data, current pay positioning, guideline ranges, and notes. Smart flags highlight exceptions. Submit once and the worksheet enters the approval chain.
Department Budget Controls
Real-Time Spend Tracking
Set department-level budget pools in Step 5 of cycle setup. As managers submit recommendations, the dashboard shows projected spend per department in real time. The Step 5 pill turns red when projected spend exceeds budget.
Approval Routing
NamedUser + CompTeam Approver Types
Multi-step approval chains with two approver types: NamedUser (a specific person picked by email) and CompTeam (routes to the cycle owner). One-click approve or return-with-comments — returns reset the worksheet to the manager, approvals advance to the next step.
How Comp Planning Works
Three steps from cycle setup to a permanent audit record — the merit-cycle workflow your team actually needs.
Configure the Cycle
Run the 7-step wizard: cycle fundamentals, eligibility, guidelines, templates, department budgets, approval chain, and review. Click Generate Worksheets when you’re done.
Distribute Worksheets to Managers
Managers see pre-populated worksheets with employee data, guideline ranges, and three-layer decision context. Smart flags highlight exceptions and budget impact. Notes and adjustments stay on the worksheet for audit.
Review, Approve, Apply, and Audit
Route worksheets through your approval chain. Track budget in real time. When the cycle is complete, Apply Changes locks the cycle, writes the new compensation record, and emits a payroll-ready CSV. The dashboard becomes a permanent Audit Summary — every approval, every export, every drift detection captured for compliance.
Post-Apply Audit
After Apply Changes, you have a permanent record.
When you finalize a cycle, the dashboard transforms. The active workflow chrome is replaced by an Audit Summary view with three sections:
Approval Log
Every approve and return decision across every worksheet, with timestamps and comments.
Activity Feed
Worksheet generation, submissions, returns, approvals, Apply Changes, payroll exports, and Detect Changes runs — newest first.
Export Log
Every payroll CSV export with the actor, the row count, and the options used. Re-download from the section header.
Each section is role-filtered on the server: admins see the full cycle, managers see their own worksheet outcomes, approvers see their own decisions. Same endpoint, different payloads.
Applied · Apr 1, 2026
FY2026 Annual Merit Cycle
Employees
87
Total cost
$214,400
Avg merit
3.5%
Worksheets
12 / 12
Amber Smith Exported payroll_FY2026.csv
87 rows · standard format
Amber Smith Applied changes 87 recommendations finalized
Cycle locked
Nora Patel Approved Engineering worksheet
Approver step 2 of 2
Marcus Hale Returned Marketing worksheet
"Review compa-ratios on senior roles"
Permanent record · Role-filtered
Re-download CSVOne cycle. Three role experiences.
Same data, different surfaces — designed for the people who actually use them.
HR admin home
Cycles list, dashboard, finalize, Audit Summary
Manager home
Active assignments + Past Assignments archive
Approver queue
Pending tab + Recent Decisions tab
Why Choose Comp Planning?
- 1
Post-Apply Audit Summary — every cycle becomes a permanent compliance record without an extra step
- 2
Snapshot model — in-flight worksheets are insulated from live employee data changes; Detect Changes surfaces drift before you finalize
- 3
Built-in approval routing — NamedUser and CompTeam approver types, multi-step chains, one-click approve / return-with-comments
- 4
Designed for mid-market companies (100–3,000 employees) — not the enterprise implementation burden, not the spreadsheet chaos
- 5
Three-layer decision context — internal position + your configured benchmark ranges + SalaryCube market data — in every worksheet
Export & Integration Options
Get your data where you need it—Excel export included, custom integrations available
Employee data from your SalaryCube workspace
CSV Export (payroll-ready)
Enterprise-ready • Role-based access controls • Snapshot-based auditability
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Comp Planning
Ready to Replace Spreadsheet-Based Merit Cycles?
Run snapshot-based merit cycles with guideline-driven recommendations, real-time budget tracking, multi-step approval routing, and a permanent post-Apply Audit Summary — all inside SalaryCube.