Payroll update 1 September 2026 – forms portal special edition #3
Kia ora koutou
Welcome to this special edition of the payroll update. This edition is all about helping you get ready for the forms portal when it goes live for all schools next week. It lets you know:
- what the forms portal is
- when you’ll get access to it
- how to get ready to use it
- who you can contact if you need support.
The forms portal allows you to submit forms online
The portal replaces most of our PDF forms
In the forms portal, you can submit forms online instead of having to attach a PDF to an email. This should be quicker and easier, and you’ll be able to see the progress of your request.
The forms portal does not replace EdPay
Continue to use EdPay as you do now.
You’ll get access to the portal on Tuesday 8 September
As an EdPay authorised user, you’ll be able to use the forms portal when it goes live for all schools on Tuesday 8 September.
Here’s what you need to do before you use the portal
Complete the training
Before you use the forms portal, please:
Beta schools that have begun using the forms portal have told us that they found both these resources very helpful.
Link your ESL account to EdPay
You’ll need to have already linked your Education Sector Login (ESL) to EdPay to access the portal. Most of you have done this. If you haven’t, you’ll need to do so before you can access the portal. You may be asked to log into ESL before logging into the portal.
Select the new button when you log in
On 8 September, you should see a new button at the top right of your ‘My Employees’ screen in EdPay. Select this button to log into the forms portal.
The button will also be available on our edpay.govt.nz website.
After you’ve logged in, check your language and time-zone settings
Once you’ve logged in to the forms portal, you need to make sure you have the correct language and date format. Follow the simple steps in the ‘Getting set up’ section near the beginning of the eLearning modules.
Keep these things in mind when using the portal
Only submit new forms
Once you’ve logged in to the forms portal, only submit new forms. You’ll need to follow the old process for EdPay forms you’ve already submitted as PDFs.
Wait for the form to load
The form will take about ten seconds to load. Please wait for it to load before you select ‘send’. If you select 'send’ before the form loads, you won’t be able to enter your details, and we’ll receive a blank form.
Support your principal
Your principal may not be a regular user of EdPay. Please check in with them to make sure they know what to do when they have to authorise forms in the forms portal. Sections 12 to 16 of the quick reference guide are specifically for principals.
We’re here to help
Get in touch if you need support
Email or call your payroll advisor if you need support. They will be able to help you with any issues.
We value your feedback
Feel free to email us with feedback about the portal. Send your email to feedback@edpay.nz and use ‘Portal – school name – topic’ as the subject line. For example, you could use the subject line ‘Portal – Petone College – Requests screen’.
Thank you
We appreciate you taking the time to learn how to use the portal
We know it can be tricky learning new systems and processes, so we really appreciate you taking the time to learn how to use the forms portal. We hope you’ll soon enjoy the benefits of the portal.
Ngā mihi
Education Payroll