About the course
Purpose
The goal of the Practical Payroll Course is to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills related to planning, calculating, and managing payroll systems.
Participants will learn the full payroll cycle — from incoming documentation to final settlement. They will study how to structure salary components and apply relevant legal requirements in payroll management.
During the course, participants will create a customized Payroll file in Excel, tailored to their specific needs and based on automated calculations. This file will also be used throughout the course for practical assignments and real-case exercises.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
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Manage the full Payroll cycle — from collecting documentation to preparing payroll reports
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Distinguish and accurately calculate key salary components: fixed salary, allowances, overtime, bonuses, vacation, and sick leave
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Understand the fundamental principles of labor and tax legislation that affect payroll calculations
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Create a Payroll file in Excel and use key formulas such as IF, ROUND, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and PivotTable
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Perform automated calculations and consolidate data within multi-file payroll models
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Prepare payroll reports and summaries for management or audit purposes
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Handle complex payroll cases such as contractors, part-time employment, employee termination, and final settlements
Lecturers

Sopo Kikuashvili
Learning & Development Expert, Trainer | OD Consultant
- Sopo Kikuashvili is a professional with 14 years of experience in the field of Learning & Development (L&D);
- She possesses unique experience that integrates the corporate sector with international standards and academic knowledge;
- Founder of “Progress Hub,” a training and consultancy center focused on personal and organizational development;
- In recent years, her L&D experience has encompassed complex sectors such as the construction materials and petroleum product industries;
- She has accumulated diverse academic and practical experience in public administration and organizational development (OD);
- She has extensive experience managing training cycles at the NATO Defence Institution Building School (DIB), where she was also actively involved in quality management and accreditation processes;
- She has experience in digital learning and the development of educational platforms;
- Certified specialist in curriculum and syllabus design and development by the Clingendael Institute of International Relations (Netherlands);
- Certified instructor (ToT) from the NATO School (Germany);
- Over 6,000 participants trained; experience managing more than 300 training events in the roles of independent trainer and training manager.

Sophio Kacharava
Development Team Lead at SMART Support
- Partner and Head of Development at the business consulting and services company SMART Support;
- 5 years of work experience in HR, specifically in recruitment;
- Familiar with IT and tech recruitment principles;
- Has worked with companies across various industries and understands their specific requirements;
- In addition to core responsibilities, has worked on process digitization and optimization;
- Holds a Bachelor’s degree from the School of Management and Social Sciences.
