Getting started with Cintra Bureau

Cintra Bureau - High-Level Summary

Cintra Bureau is a payroll outsourcing service that sits between client organizations and Cintra's cloud-based payroll platform. It provides specialized workflow management and payment processing capabilities for payroll bureaus.

Core Functionality Areas:

? User Management & Access Control

• Bureau Managers: Full administrative access with organization configuration rights
• Bureau Users: Operational access for day-to-day payroll processing
• Role-based permissions with different access levels to various features
• MFA support (SMS or Authenticator app) for secure access

? Payment Processing & BACS Integration

• Payment Authorization: Multi-stage approval workflow where cloud users authorize payments and bureau processes them
• BACS File Management: Generate, batch, transmit, and track bank payment files
• Payment Status Tracking: Monitor payments through states like "New", "Not Authorized", "Submitted", "Transmitted", "Paid by Employer"
• International Payment Handling: Separate processing for international vs domestic payments
• Payment Settings: Configure payment methods (BACS vs manual) with start/end dates for different payment types

? Organization & Payroll Management

• Multi-Organization Support: Manage multiple client organizations from a single interface
• Payroll Configuration: Set up payslips, logos, and organizational branding
• Team-Based Structure: Filter and manage organizations by teams within the bureau
• Payment Schedules: View salary and liability payment schedules across organizations

? Workflow & Approval Processes

• Dual Authorization: Cloud users approve payrolls, bureau users process payments
• Payment History & Audit: Track all payment authorizations with timestamps and user details
• Status Management: Change payment statuses (with role-based restrictions)
• Bank File Processing: Download, submit, and track bank file transmissions

? Reporting & Monitoring

• Payment Status Screens: Monitor payment progress across all organizations
• Historical Reporting: View past payments and authorizations
• Outstanding Payment Tracking: Red dot indicators for items needing attention
• Bank File Details: Detailed views of payment file contents and statuses

Key Business Value:

The Bureau system enables payroll service providers to efficiently manage multiple client payrolls while maintaining proper authorization controls, ensuring clients retain approval authority over their payments while the bureau handles the operational complexity of payment processing and compliance.

The system appears to be actively developed with recent features around unlocking Cintra Cloud access for bureau users, enhanced payment settings validation, and improved user experience elements.