How to Build Custom Paystub Templates in Google Sheets

The Big Picture: From Manual Payroll To AI-Assisted

If you run a small business, agency, or growing team, you’ve probably spent late nights inside a payroll spreadsheet asking, “Did I miss anything?” A customizable paystub template in Google Sheets is the first step toward sanity. Adding an AI computer agent to that template is the step that gives you your time back.

Below are the top ways to build, use, and eventually automate your paystub workflow.

1. Build a Manual Custom Paystub Template in Google Sheets

Step 1: Set Up Core Structure

• Open a new Google Sheet.
• Create sections for:
  • Company info (name, address, contact).
  • Employee info (name, ID, role, department).
  • Pay period (start date, end date, pay date).
  • Earnings: regular hours, rate, overtime, bonuses, commissions, PTO.
  • Deductions: taxes, insurance, retirement, other.
  • Summary: gross pay, total deductions, net pay.

Step 2: Add Key Formulas

• Gross pay: =Regular_Hours * Regular_Rate + OT_Hours * OT_Rate + Bonuses + Commissions.
• Total deductions: sum all deduction columns.
• Net pay: =Gross_Pay - Total_Deductions.
• Use absolute references (like $B$2) for tax rates used across multiple rows.

Step 3: Make It Readable

• Use borders to separate company, earnings, and deductions.
• Apply number formats: currency for pay, percentage for rates.
• Apply data validation (e.g., restrict hours to non‑negative numbers).

Step 4: Reuse Per Employee

• Duplicate the template sheet for each employee, or
• Keep one master table where each row is a pay period and each column holds a field.

Pros (Manual): Full control, no new tools to learn, easy to tweak.
Cons (Manual): Time‑consuming, error‑prone, hard to scale once you have many employees or complex rules.

2. Semi-Automate With Built-In Google Sheets Features

Once the basics work, make Sheets do more of the heavy lifting.

Use Named Ranges and Templates

• Create a sheet called Template with your ideal paystub layout.
• Use named ranges like TAX_RATE_FEDERAL so you can change values once and apply them everywhere.

Use ARRAYFORMULA for Repeated Logic

If each row is a pay period, you can calculate gross and net pay for all rows:

• In the Gross column header cell:
  =ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ROW(A:A)=1,"Gross Pay",IF(A:A="","",C:C*D:D+E:E*F:F+G:G+H:H)))

Connect to Other Data

• Import hours from a timesheet tab with VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH.
• Use IMPORTRANGE if hours live in another Sheet.

Pros (Semi-Automated): Reduces manual typing, improves consistency, still fully transparent.
Cons: Still requires you to trigger each pay run; logic gets complex as rules multiply.

3. Fully Automate With a Simular AI Computer Agent

This is where you move from “I use Google Sheets” to “I manage the process while an AI does the clicking and typing.” A Simular AI computer agent can operate your browser and desktop like a diligent payroll assistant.

What the Agent Can Do

• Open your Google Sheets paystub template at each pay period.
• Pull hours from time-tracking tools or emails.
• Paste or type hours into the right cells.
• Apply the correct template per employee type (hourly, salaried, contractor).
• Run quick checks: totals match, no negative values, no missing IDs.
• Export PDFs or share Sheets links with employees.

How to Set It Up Conceptually

1. Define the workflow: Document each step you take today: where data comes from, which columns you touch, how you verify results.
2. Show the agent once: In Simular Pro, you walk the AI agent through the workflow on your own machine. It observes how you navigate Google Sheets and connected tools.
3. Encode rules: Add constraints like “flag if net pay differs from last period by more than 40%” or “never change tax rate cells.”
4. Schedule or trigger: Use webhooks or a simple schedule so the agent runs at each pay cycle.

Pros (AI-Agent Automated):

• Massive time savings once configured.
• Production-grade reliability for long, repetitive workflows.
• Transparent execution: every step the agent takes in Google Sheets is visible and auditable.

Cons:

• Requires initial setup time to teach and test the workflow.
• You still need domain expertise to define correct formulas and compliance rules.

4. Hybrid: Human Oversight, Agent Execution

The sweet spot for most business owners and agencies is a hybrid model:

• The AI agent gathers data, updates Sheets, and generates paystubs.
• You (or your finance lead) review a summary sheet the agent prepares: key totals, anomalies, and a list of changes.
• With one click, you approve and let the agent finalize and distribute.

This model keeps you in control of risk and compliance, while offloading the painful mechanics of payroll to a tireless, transparent AI assistant.

In short: start with a solid Google Sheets template, then graduate to an AI computer agent when you’re ready to stop babysitting every cell and start delegating the workflow at scale.