Pay Structure and Internal Equity Review

Run a directional pay-equity self-assessment on two groups in your workforce. Assign each person to a group, enter pay, time in role, and performance, and the workbook shows the raw pay gap, then the gap that remains after accounting for time in role, so you know whether a deeper, controlled review is warranted.

One Excel workbook that screens two groups for a pay gap

A working model, not a blank grid. You sort people into two groups, the workbook measures the gap and what tenure explains, and it opens on a filled-in example so the read is clear before you load your own data.

• Pay Structure and Internal Equity Review. Assign each person to one of two groups and enter pay, time in role, and performance. The workbook returns the raw gap in pay between the groups, then an adjusted gap that accounts for time in role, and opens on a filled-in example so the read is clear before you load your own data.
• The adjusted view, the summary, and what to do next. An Adjusted View tab isolates how much of the gap time in role explains and what is left over. A summary rolls it onto one page. An Action and Privilege tab and a Benchmark and Law tab document the limits of a self-assessment and how a controlled analysis is run, so the result is used the way it is meant to be.

Three steps from your pay data to a clear read

You sort people into two groups, the workbook measures the gap, and an adjusted view tells you how much of it tenure explains.

• Build the two groups. Assign each person to Group 1 or Group 2 and enter pay, years in role, and performance.
• Read average against median. Compare the two figures the gap tab returns, because a large spread between them usually means a few outliers, not a broad pattern, and that changes what you investigate first.
• Account for tenure, then decide. The adjusted view removes the part of the gap time in role explains and states what is left, so you know whether the gap warrants a deeper, controlled review.

Who this review fits and where to go if that is not you

Built for

• An HR or comp lead who wants a structured first look at internal equity before deciding whether to commission a full audit.
• An owner or lean HR team putting eyes on pay for the first time and needing to know where the problems are.
• A consultant or fractional HR lead who runs a directional equity screen for clients and wants the method and its limits documented.

If you are looking for

• A privileged statistical pay-equity audit you can stand behind in a dispute. That is a controlled analysis run under privilege, a different exercise from this directional screen.
• A whole pay structure to screen against. The Salary Band Builder builds the grades and ranges this review reads people against.

Before you buy

What format is it and can I edit it?

It is one Excel workbook that also works in Google Sheets. Every input and formula is editable, and the file is yours to keep. Duplicate it to screen another pair of groups.

Is this a pay-equity audit?

No, and it does not pretend to be. It is a directional self-assessment that flags where pay looks uneven so you know where to look. A defensible pay-equity audit is a controlled statistical analysis run under privilege. This screen tells you whether that deeper work is worth commissioning.

How accurate is the result?

The gap math is exact for the data you enter, and the adjusted view correctly removes the part of the gap that time in role explains. What it cannot do is control for every legitimate factor behind a pay difference, which is the work an audit does, so read each result as a question to investigate, not an answer. On a small group, treat it as directional only.

Does it include market or survey data?

No. It reads the pay, tenure, and performance you enter for your own people. Pull current market data separately if you need it.

What is the refund policy?

Digital products are covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. See the refund policy for the full terms.

What happens after I buy?

Checkout delivers an instant download link, and a receipt with the same link arrives by email. Open the workbook in Excel or Google Sheets and start with the example before you load your own data. Questions or want a hand getting set up? Email support@truestephr.com.

How the download works

Your files arrive as a single ZIP download, best opened on a computer: save it, extract it (right-click and Extract All on Windows, double-click on a Mac), and open the Start Here file first. PDFs open in any reader, and the editable files work in Microsoft Word and Excel or their free equivalents, including LibreOffice and Google Docs and Sheets. No other software is needed. Step-by-step help for every device is at truestephr.com/pages/download-help.

Scope

This kit is a set of working tools and editable templates for making pay decisions in a clear, consistent, and defensible way. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for qualified counsel on your specific situation. Wage, overtime, exempt classification, pay transparency, and equal pay rules vary by state and change over time, and a pay structure can create exposure it was meant to prevent. Have your bands, your increases, and your classifications reviewed against applicable law before you finalize them.