Odoo 20 Payroll Release Notes

For users

Click the chat icon next to a pay run to open its chatter on the right side of the Pay Runs screen.

For developers

A PayRunChatterService plugin keeps the selected hr.payslip.run and the panel visibility; the chatter is rendered aside with threadModel hr.payslip.run.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

No data migration. Custom pay run views that replace the kanban js_class lose the chatter panel.

For users

Payroll officers get a clear warning with a View Payslips to Refund button instead of silently breaking existing payslips.

For developers

New constraint hr.version._check_contract_dates (on contract_date_start, contract_date_end, departure_id) raises a RedirectWarning when validated or paid, non-refunded payslips fall outside the new dates.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Scripts or imports that rewrite contract dates of employees with validated payslips will now fail; refund the payslips first.

For users

Open Payroll to see what needs attention this month, sorted on a timeline, and click the button on each card to fix it.

For developers

Warnings are records of hr.payroll.warning (renamed from hr.payroll.dashboard.warning) with a domain on the checked model; localizations add their own warnings as data.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Custom dashboard warnings defined on hr.payroll.dashboard.warning must be moved to hr.payroll.warning.

For users

Belgian payroll users no longer need to update the Fleet driver by hand after a car is chosen in an offer.

For developers

SignContract._update_version_on_signature (l10n_be_hr_contract_salary) writes future_driver_id then driver_id on version.car_id and bike_id.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Only relevant for databases using the Belgian payroll localization.

For users

Multi-company groups can keep a branch-specific employee type (for example a local contract type) out of the other companies.

For developers

hr.employee.type (company_id, country_id, code, sequence) replaces the old employee_type selection; hr_payroll adds payroll_closing_date and payroll_auto_post on it.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Code reading the old employee_type selection must use employee_type_id (a many2one to hr.employee.type).

For users

Answer "how much gross for this net?" questions during hiring or negotiation without trial and error.

For developers

hr.contract.salary.offer.budget_type gets a monthly_net option; the offer computes gross from the net through a simulated payslip (_generate_salary_simulation_payslip).

Upgrading from Odoo 19

The former hr_contract_salary_payroll logic now lives in hr_contract_salary.

For users

Fewer clicks and fewer mistakes when starting a pay run: period and structure are prefilled and issues are shown before payslips are created.

For developers

hr.payslip.run._get_start_payrun_warnings feeds the PayrunStartWarningDialog; the kanban card buttons come from the payrun_menu template.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

No data migration. The intermediate status-bubble steps that existed during development were removed again before release (commit f810c80cfbf).

For users

Companies that pay later than they validate can wait until payment before employees receive their payslips.

For developers

res.company.payslip_generate_and_send_trigger (on_confirmed, on_paid, never); action_validate passes payslip_generate_pdf in context based on it.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Default is When Confirmed, which matches the previous behavior.

For users

Payslips are easier to read and check.

For developers

Line display depends on salary rule display settings (appears on payslip, extra info) and a muted style for obvious values.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Rules that should always be visible may need their display options reviewed.

For users

Yearly indexation or raises for many employees in one step, including a fixed bonus amount.

For developers

Transient model hr.payroll.salary.increase (increase_rate, applied_on full or capped, capped_wage, extra_amount) launched by the server action action_increase_employee_salary_form.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

No migration.

For users

Less duplication when the same rule applies to several pay structures.

For developers

hr.salary.rule.category_id became category_ids (many2many) and struct_id became struct_ids (many2many); the code must be unique among rules sharing a structure.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Custom rules and code using category_id or struct_id must switch to category_ids and struct_ids.

For users

Review real payslip PDFs before validation.

For developers

hr.payslip.run.action_generate_payslips_pdf calls action_generate_pdf with context is_test_print.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

No migration.

For users

One way to hand time data to an external payroll provider.

For developers

Wizard hr.export.work.entries (month, year, eligible employees) downloads through /hr_work_entry/download; provider specific export models (Acerta, UCM, SD Worx, ADP and others) and hr_work_entry_export_mixin were removed.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Integrations built on the old provider export models must be adapted to the unified file.

For users

No more work entry generation and conflict fixing before payroll; time off types are configured in one place.

For developers

hr.work.entry and hr.leave.type are removed; hr.work.entry.type carries the former time off type fields (leave_validation_type, requires_allocation, request_unit). Modules hr_work_entry_holidays, hr_payroll_planning, hr_work_entry_planning were removed.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Major: custom code on hr.work.entry, hr.leave.type or the Planning-Payroll bridge must be rewritten.

For users

Part-time and flexible schedules can be described by hours per day without inventing fake start and end times.

For developers

resource.calendar.attendance gets duration_hours and a stored duration_based flag (true when hour_from and hour_to are empty); mixing duration and time based lines on the same day is refused.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Code that assumes every attendance has hour_from and hour_to must handle duration_based lines.