JD Classification and Pay Transparency Kit
Define the role once and get everything downstream right. A job description built on essential functions, and an exempt or non-exempt call made on the three real tests.
Previews are taken from the deliverable itself.
Pay structure and merit kit
Compensation Toolkit
Build a defensible pay structure and run a merit cycle against a budget, with the two tools large companies use to do both. Set one market anchor, and the Salary Band Builder builds your grades and places your people.
$89
- Editable operating files, not a subscription
- Immediate access through the secure TrueStep HR store
- Built and reviewed under the published TrueStep HR standard
Digital products carry a 30-day money-back guarantee. General HR information, not legal advice.
Need it working, not sitting in Downloads?
Add a one-hour setup session · $149
Bring the purchased tool and your live situation. A TrueStep HR practitioner helps you set the inputs, make the first decisions, and leave with a usable next step.
See the Setup Session →What this closes
A practical system that moves the decision into real work.
Look at the sample structure in the Salary Band Builder before you change a cell. It shows how one market midpoint generates a whole grade ladder.
DecisionSet pay and raises
IndustryCross-industry
Files6 PDF guides, 2 Excel workbooks
ReviewBuilt to the published release checks; sources and change notes sit beside the catalog.
What is inside
Every file in the download, by name.
Taken from the kit’s own Start Here guide, so what you see here is what you open after checkout.
PDF · readSalary Band Builder (Excel tool and PDF guide): set one market anchor and it builds salary grades with a minimum, midpoint, and maximum, then place your people to see who sits below, within, or above their range
PDF · readMerit Increase Matrix (Excel tool and PDF guide): set your increases by performance and range position, enter your people, and it recommends each raise and rolls the budget up against your target Both tools open pre-filled with a worked example and run on the standard compensation formulas large companies use, so you can replace the highlighted cells with your own numbers
PDF · readQuick Reference: the whole workbook on one page: what each tab is for, what you enter, and how to read the result (file 2).
PDF · keepTrueStep HR Product License: what you may and may not do with the files you purchased (file 5).
PDF · readUsing This Workbook in Google Sheets: how to upload the file to Google Sheets and exactly what to check afterward (file 6).
Also in the download: Merit Increase Matrix - Guide (PDF, file 7) and Salary Band Builder - Guide (PDF, file 8). Every file is in the same folder, named with the number shown here so the steps below point straight at it.
How to use it
Your first 15 minutes
Step 1 is the Salary Band Builder, file 3. Work down from there, and by step 4 you open the Merit Increase Matrix.
Open the Salary Band Builder and look at how the sample structure is built before you change anything.
On the Band Builder tab, set your Grade 1 midpoint from a market source, then pick a midpoint progression and a range spread. The grades and ranges build for you.
On the Employee Placement tab, enter your people to see each compa-ratio, range penetration, and status. The Summary tab rolls it up, and the Benchmark tab shows the settings other employers use.
Open the Merit Increase Matrix, set your increase percentages and cut points, enter your people, and read each recommended raise with the blended increase. The Budget Scenario tab checks the plan against the merit budget you have to spend.
Before you buy
Clear answers to the practical questions.
The point of a product page is to let you judge the work before checkout.
What exactly do I receive?
6 PDF guides, 2 Excel workbooks, each one named in the What is inside section above. The purchase is a download, not a subscription, and the files are yours to keep.
Are these the real screenshots?
Yes. The preview images on this page are taken from the current deliverable, so you can judge the structure and writing before buying.
Can I use the files in my business?
The files are designed to be edited for your own internal operations. Review the included license and have legal counsel check decisions that require jurisdiction-specific advice.
What if I need help applying it?
Use the $149 Setup Session for one hour of implementation help on this tool. TrueStep HR does not offer broader consulting engagements. For a legal question, use qualified counsel.
Extend the system
Build on this decision.
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Get every publicly advertised Ontario posting right before it goes live. A ready-to-fill template with the required lines, plus copy-ready AI wording. A tracker checks the pay range and runs the 45-day and three-year clocks for you.