Professional Development Pro™
Professional development, managed end to end
Compt’s professional development software brings requests, approvals, budget tracking, and tax-compliant reimbursement into a single workflow your team can run in minutes a month, and Finance can sign off on.
SOC 2 Type II · ISO 27001 certified · 4.8/5 on G2 · Runs on your existing payroll
On average, 60% of a professional development budget goes unspent because requesting it and running it is a hassle.
Source: Compt 2026 Annual Lifestyle Benefits Benchmark Report
Why it works
Professional development management, not a maze of spreadsheets
A typical professional development process runs 7–10 steps across multiple approvers and documents, complex enough that employees never start. Professional Development Pro™ collapses it all into a single workflow.
7–10 steps
The typical PD process
- Multiple approvers and documents
- Budgets tracked in spreadsheets and email
- Employees unsure what's available
- Receipts chased by hand, tax sorted later
1 workflow
With Professional Development Pro™
- Requests, approvals & reimbursement in one place
- Real-time budget tracking and a full audit trail
- Employees see what's available, request in seconds
- Reimbursed through payroll, tax built in
What it gets you
~2 wks
to launch a program (not months)
~30 mins
a month to administer it
100% compliant
with IRS regulations
Typical for teams running professional development on Compt.
How it works
One workflow, from request to payroll
01
Admin
Set up the program
Create a development program with eligible categories, budget, and approval chain — as open or governed as the team needs. Eligibility and team structure sync from your HRIS.
02
employee
Request pre-approval
Before spending, an employee submits a request — vendor, amount, expected completion date, and reason — so approval happens before any money is out the door.
03
Reviewer
Approve in a click
Requests route to the right reviewers automatically, each approval tracked. HR sees real-time status, remaining budget, and a complete audit log — no chasing.
04
Payroll
Complete & get reimbursed
The employee uploads proof of completion and payment, and reimbursement runs through payroll with the correct tax classification.
Featured partner
A university partner, not a generic marketplace
Through our partnership with Southern New Hampshire University, a Compt professional development stipend applies straight to SNHU’s six-week Professional Skills courses, paid on completion so reimbursement timing lines up and employees aren’t left out of pocket.
Compt × SNHU
In partnership with Southern New Hampshire University
6wkcourses, new cohorts every 6 weeks
What’s eligible
As flexible or controlled as your team needs
Open it up so employees choose any provider or steer spend with pre-approved vendors and eligibility rules. The level of control is yours. Employees can also see peer learning recommendations from teammates. (Conference travel outside L&D can route to expense management instead.)
Courses
Online classes, bootcamps, and university courses like SNHU Professional Skills
Certifications
PMP, CPA, AWS, SHRM, and other industry credentials and exam fees
Conferences
Registration, sessions, and workshops in an employee's field
Tuition
Degree and continuing-education tuition, including multi-month reimbursement
Coaching
Executive, leadership, and career coaching engagements
Books & memberships
Learning materials, subscriptions, and professional association dues
Integrations
Stays in sync with your HRIS and payroll
Compt pulls from your HR system so eligibility, budgets, approvals, and team structures stay current automatically, then pushes approved reimbursements through your existing payroll.
Pulls from your HRIS
Workday · ADP · BambooHR · Rippling · Namely · Gusto · UKG · Sequoia · And more
Flows into Compt
● Eligibility & budgets
● Pre-approval routing
● Tax classification
● Audit trail
Pushes to your payroll
ADP · Gusto · Paychex · Paylocity · Paycor · TriNet · Rippling · Justworks · And more
SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified · Supports all 50 states and 75+ countries · Status changes sync automatically — no manual roster upkeep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from people leaders
Is professional development reimbursement taxable?
It depends on the expense, and Compt sorts it automatically. Qualified educational assistance receives Section 127 tax treatment up to the $5,250 annual IRS limit; other learning spend is classified per policy. Compt applies benefit-level IRS tax classification that flows to payroll line items — it does not file payroll, state, or federal returns or advise on other tax types.
How do you manage professional development requests and approvals?
Employees submit a pre-approval request before they spend, and it routes to the right approvers automatically. Managers can approve from Slack or email; HR sees real-time status, remaining budget, and a full audit trail in one place instead of spreadsheets and email threads.
How do you keep a learning budget from going unused?
Make it visible and easy to use. Employees can see what’s available and what qualifies before they request, get peer learning recommendations, and request funds in seconds — and HR can track usage in real time to nudge underused budgets before they expire.
Can employees use a learning stipend for any course or vendor?
Yes — there are no vendor restrictions. Employees choose their own courses, conferences, books, coaching, and tuition. Admins can optionally maintain pre-approved vendor lists to steer spend toward preferred providers without limiting choice.
How long does it take to set up a professional development program?
Weeks (at most), not months. Admins configure categories, budget, and approval chains, and eligibility syncs from your HRIS — so there’s no roster to build or maintain by hand.
Does Compt integrate with Workday, ADP, or our payroll?
Yes. Compt connects to ADP, Workday, Gusto, Rippling, Paychex, Justworks, BambooHR, Namely, and more. Employee status changes sync automatically, and reimbursements run through your existing payroll rather than a separate disbursement system.
How does tuition reimbursement work with Compt?
Tuition runs through the same pre-approval workflow, with multi-month reimbursement supported. Through the SNHU partnership, course costs can be paid on completion, which aligns the payment and reimbursement timelines instead of making employees float the cost.
Run professional development as one workflow.
See how Professional Development Pro™ handles requests, approvals, tax classification, and payroll reimbursement in one place.
