The Value of Updating Your Variable Pay in BalancedComp

Capturing Variable Pay in BalancedComp: Why It Matters and How to Do It

Why Does Variable Pay Matter?

If you're only entering base pay into your BalancedComp system, you're only seeing part of the story. Updating your variable pay levels—bonuses, incentives, commissions, and other performance-based rewards—gives you a more accurate, holistic view of total cash compensation. This is critical when you're trying to compare internal equity, evaluate market competitiveness, or model what’s truly walking out the door when talent leaves. By layering in variable pay, you’re not just fine-tuning numbers—you’re strengthening your strategic decision-making.

Especially in today’s tight labor market, where total rewards are often the differentiator, it’s essential to see how your organization stacks up. Variable pay is no longer just a cherry on top; it’s often a significant slice of the compensation pie. When your BalancedComp data reflects the full picture, you can better identify compression issues, defend your pay strategies to leadership, and fine-tune incentive plans to drive behavior and retention. You already have the system—don’t leave its most powerful insights untapped.

How to Update Your Variable Pay

Ready to get started? You can proceed in two different ways:

If you have a small number of employees:

1. Under Employees, click on an Employee's name, then select Total Cash Comp.
2. Click the green Edit Total Cash Comp action button at the top.
3. In the modal that appears, enter the total amount paid out last year, including all bonuses, commissions, and incentive amounts. Then click Save.

If you have a larger number of employees or want to update this information en masse:

1. In the Importer, click the green Actions button and select Download Import Ready CSV from the dropdown menu.
2. Open the CSV file that was just downloaded to your computer. Then, enter all the variable pay from the previous year in Column U.
3. Once you are done adding that infomration, save the file as a CSV.
4. In the Importer, click the green Actions button and select Import New CSV from the dropdown menu.