Reference periods are an optional Rotaready integration setting for companies on a monthly pay frequency. Instead of pulling rota data by calendar month, the integration filters and attributes signed-off rota data according to the reference period boundaries you configure. Your payroll engine still runs as a normal monthly payroll; this only changes how rota data aligns with each run.
⚠️Warning! If you change your pay date or offset configuration while a reference period is already in progress, hours already signed off under the old boundary will not automatically move to reflect the new one. If already-signed-off hours need to be re-attributed, revert and re-sign-off the affected days in Rotaready.
Existing patterns
If your business organises its working weeks into fixed quarterly blocks, you can choose one of three fixed patterns:
📌Note: You can't switch a company between a fixed pattern and Offset, or back again, partway through a tax year. Pattern changes of this kind take effect from the start of a new tax year.
4-4-5: 4 weeks, 4 weeks, then 5 weeks.
4-5-4: 4 weeks, 5 weeks, then 4 weeks.
5-4-4: 5 weeks, 4 weeks, then 4 weeks.
Each pattern repeats quarterly, giving 13 periods across the tax year, anchored to a fixed start date that you set.
Prerequisits
Reference periods, including the new offset pattern below, are only available for companies with:
📌 Note: If pay frequency is not set to Monthly, no reference period options will appear in the integration settings.
Pay frequency set to Monthly.
The Rotaready integration is enabled and connected.
The offset pattern
The Offset pattern is a new reference period option for companies whose pay date itself moves from month to month. Rather than anchoring to a fixed start date, offset recalculates each reference period's boundary directly from that period's own pay date, so the reference period stays aligned to your actual pay schedule automatically.
This is configured in the Rotaready integration settings in Paycircle and applies only to the Rotaready integration.
Reference period settings
Click Company Settings, then click Integrations.
Navigate to Time and Attendance, then open Edit Rotaready Integration.
Navigate to Rotaready reference periods, then enable Setup periods.
📌Note: Your current pay period's start and end dates are displayed, followed by the reference period pattern options.
Select the offset pattern
Select Offset from the pattern options, alongside 4-4-5, 4-5-4 and 5-4-4. Three configuration fields appear in place of the single start date field used by the fixed patterns.
Configure the offset fields
Pay period date: The point in your pay period that the reference period is anchored to. Options are Pay date, Start date, or End date.
Reference period date: The reference period date that moves relative to your selected pay period date; Start date or End date.
Offset days: The number of days between your selected pay period date and reference period date, entered as a positive or negative whole number. A negative value means the reference period date falls before the pay period date; a positive value means it falls after. This must be within ±31 days.
Example
If your pay date is 24 April 2026, you select the end date as the reference period date, and you enter an offset of -5:
Reference period end date: 19 April 2026, 5 days before the pay date.
Reference period start date: 23 March 2026.
This produces a 4-week reference period.
Each subsequent period is recalculated the same way against that period's own pay date, so the reference period continues to track your pay date even as it moves from month to month.
Preview and save
To preview the calculated boundaries, click Open reference period calendar.
For each period, the preview shows the pay period, pay date, reference period start date, reference period end date, and number of weeks. Step through periods using the navigation arrows to check the pattern across the full tax year.
To apply the configuration, click Save.
Offset configuration rules
Because offset boundaries are calculated from your pay date rather than fixed in advance, Paycircle checks your configuration against every period in the tax year before it can be saved. A configuration is rejected if any calculated period would breach one of the following:
Every reference period in the tax year must have a positive length.
Reference periods across the tax year must not have any gaps or overlaps.
A reference period's end date must not fall on or after its pay date, for every period in the tax year.
Offset days must be within ±31 days.
A reference period must overlap with the pay period it relates to.
If your configuration is rejected, review your pay period date, reference period date, and offset days, then adjust and try saving again.
FAQ
Why is the offset not showing as a pattern option?
Verify company pay frequency is set to Monthly.
Contact our support team if pay frequency can't be changed.
Why won't my offset configuration save?
Check your combination of pay period date, reference period date, and offset days against the configuration rules above.
Use the calendar preview to check every period in the tax year, not just the current one; a combination can look valid for one period and invalid for another.
Contact our support team with the values you're trying to enter if you're unsure why a configuration is being rejected.
Why is data appearing in the wrong period?
Check that rota sign-off dates in Rotaready fall within the expected reference period boundaries.
If you've recently changed your offset configuration, check whether affected hours need to be reverted and re-signed off.
Review the period preview to verify the boundaries align with your expectations.