COE Compensation FAQs
General
What is the compensation section on my COE?
It's the monthly compensation breakdown printed on your Certificate of Employment. It lists Basic Salary, De Minimis, your itemized Allowances, and Total Gross Pay. Line items worth 0.00 aren't shown at all, so you only see what you actually receive — and if you have no allowances on file, the Allowances heading is left out entirely. Total Gross Pay is the sum of the line items printed on your certificate.
Which salary does my COE show?
The salary in force the moment your COE is generated — your current rate, taken from the most recent salary record effective on or before that moment.
Will a raise that starts next month appear on my COE?
No. Future-dated salary records are ignored. A COE generated today shows today's salary; request a new one once the new rate takes effect and it will reflect the increase.
I had a backdated salary adjustment — how does that appear?
Basic Salary shows your new post-adjustment monthly rate, with the adjustment already baked in. There's no separate retroactive line item and no multi-month catch-up total, no matter how far back the adjustment was applied — the breakdown is always your monthly compensation as at generation time.
Can I request a COE with compensation for someone else?
No. A COE is generated for your own employee profile only, and that includes the compensation section. HR admins can't generate one on an employee's behalf either.
I've left the company — which salary would my COE show?
The salary in force when the certificate is generated, which for a separated employee is their final salary. Whether you can request one at all depends on your access rather than your employment status: as long as your work email still works and you can log in, you can request a COE. Once your access is revoked, requests are no longer possible.
Where the Figures Come From
Where does Sidekick get my compensation figures?
From one of two places, depending on how your company is set up. Companies using both Sprout HR and Sprout Payroll with the salary history feature enabled have their figures pulled from Sprout Payroll. Everyone else — companies on Sprout HR only, or on both systems without salary history enabled — has their figures pulled from Sprout HR's salary history. Either way you get the same breakdown; only the source differs.
Can I get a COE with compensation if our company doesn't have Sprout Payroll?
Yes! Compensation is pulled from your Sprout HR salary history instead, so your COE still shows Basic Salary, De Minimis, your allowances, and Total Gross Pay.
The figures on my COE look out of date — why?
On Sprout HR–only setups, salary history isn't fed automatically by Sprout Payroll — it reflects exactly what your HR team has kept current in Sprout HR. If a recent salary change hasn't been recorded there yet, your COE won't show it. Ask your HR admin to update your salary history, then request a new COE.
When Compensation Isn't Available
Why doesn't my COE have a compensation section?
Because your salary information couldn't be retrieved — either there's no salary record on file for you, or the source system wasn't reachable at the time. Your COE is never blocked on this: it's still issued and still downloadable, just without the compensation breakdown, and Sidekick tells you why and points you to your HR team, who can issue one that includes compensation.
I'm newly hired and my COE came without compensation — is that normal?
Yes. A day-one hire with no salary record yet gets a COE without the compensation section. Once your salary history is on file, a newly requested COE includes the breakdown.
My allowances are on file but my COE shows no compensation at all — why?
Basic Salary is the anchor for the whole section. If it's missing or recorded as 0.00, the compensation section is left off the certificate entirely, even where a De Minimis or an allowance has a value — a breakdown without Basic Salary is never printed. Ask your HR admin to check that your Basic Salary is recorded, then request a new COE.
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