diff --git a/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html b/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html
index 3cb797e..9bc9e3c 100644
--- a/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html
+++ b/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html
@@ -29,17 +29,20 @@
     <div class="d-flex flex-column flex-md-row justify-content-between align-items-md-center gap-3 mb-4">
         <h1 class="page-title mb-0"><i class="fas fa-wallet me-2" style="color: var(--accent);"></i>Payroll Dashboard</h1>
         <div class="d-flex flex-wrap gap-2 payroll-actions">
-            <button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-info shadow-sm btn-sm btn-md-normal" id="workerLookupBtn">
-                <i class="fas fa-id-card fa-sm me-1"></i> Worker Lookup
+            {# Pastel soft-fill action buttons — unified treatment via .btn-action-soft #}
+            {# + per-button colour modifier. Shadow, sizing, padding all live on the #}
+            {# base class so the template stays lean. See docs/design-tokens.md. #}
+            <button type="button" class="btn-action-soft btn-action-lookup" id="workerLookupBtn">
+                <i class="fas fa-id-card"></i> Worker Lookup
             </button>
-            <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary shadow-sm btn-sm btn-md-normal" id="batchPayBtn" title="Pay all workers with a configured pay schedule for their current pay period">
-                <i class="fas fa-users fa-sm me-1"></i> Batch Pay
+            <button type="button" class="btn-action-soft btn-action-pay" id="batchPayBtn" title="Pay all workers with a configured pay schedule for their current pay period">
+                <i class="fas fa-users"></i> Batch Pay
             </button>
-            <button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-success shadow-sm btn-sm btn-md-normal fw-bold" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#addAdjustmentModal">
-                <i class="fas fa-plus fa-sm me-1"></i> Add Adjustment
+            <button type="button" class="btn-action-soft btn-action-add" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#addAdjustmentModal">
+                <i class="fas fa-plus"></i> Add Adjustment
             </button>
-            <button type="button" class="btn btn-outline-warning shadow-sm btn-sm btn-md-normal" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#priceOvertimeModal">
-                <i class="fas fa-clock fa-sm me-1"></i> Price Overtime
+            <button type="button" class="btn-action-soft btn-action-price" data-bs-toggle="modal" data-bs-target="#priceOvertimeModal">
+                <i class="fas fa-clock"></i> Price Overtime
             </button>
         </div>
     </div>
diff --git a/docs/design-tokens.md b/docs/design-tokens.md
index 93508f2..faa92a7 100644
--- a/docs/design-tokens.md
+++ b/docs/design-tokens.md
@@ -33,6 +33,25 @@ Token definitions live in `static/css/custom.css`:
 - Dark theme: `:root { ... }` block around lines 85-91
 - Light theme: `[data-theme="light"] { ... }` block around lines 149-155
 
+## Button-action tokens (payroll dashboard)
+
+Pastel soft-fill palette for the 4 action buttons at the top of
+`/payroll/` (Worker Lookup / Batch Pay / Add Adjustment / Price
+Overtime). Defined alongside the badge tokens in the same `:root` /
+`[data-theme="light"]` blocks.
+
+| Token pair | Button | Dark BG | Dark FG | Light BG | Light FG |
+|---|---|---|---|---|---|
+| `--btn-action-lookup-bg/fg` | Worker Lookup | `#3e5c7b` | `#d7e5f2` | `#c7d9e8` | `#243b56` |
+| `--btn-action-pay-bg/fg` | Batch Pay | `#7a4d1a` | `#fae0c3` | `#f5d6a8` | `#633e0e` |
+| _reuses `--badge-bonus-*`_ | Add Adjustment | (see Bonus row above) | | | |
+| _reuses `--badge-overtime-*`_ | Price Overtime | (see Overtime row above) | | | |
+
+The CSS classes are `.btn-action-soft` (shared shape) + one of
+`.btn-action-lookup` / `.btn-action-pay` / `.btn-action-add` /
+`.btn-action-price` (colour modifier). See the `.btn-action-soft`
+block in `custom.css` for hover/active/focus behaviour.
+
 ## Where each colour appears
 
 | Semantic | Used by |
diff --git a/static/css/custom.css b/static/css/custom.css
index cd09f9c..269b5c9 100644
--- a/static/css/custom.css
+++ b/static/css/custom.css
@@ -89,6 +89,15 @@
     --badge-loan-rep-bg: #b48a1a;      --badge-loan-rep-fg: #fef4d1;
     --badge-advance-bg: #3e5c7b;       --badge-advance-fg: #d7e5f2;
     --badge-advance-rep-bg: #2f679a;   --badge-advance-rep-fg: #d7e5f2;
+
+    /* === PAYROLL DASHBOARD action-button tokens (dark theme) ===
+       Soft-fill pastels for the 4 action buttons at the top of /payroll/
+       (Worker Lookup / Batch Pay / Add Adjustment / Price Overtime).
+       Lookup + Pay introduce new tokens; Add + Price reuse the bonus
+       + overtime adjustment-badge tokens so the payroll page's action
+       row visually echoes the badges below it. */
+    --btn-action-lookup-bg: #3e5c7b;   --btn-action-lookup-fg: #d7e5f2;
+    --btn-action-pay-bg:    #7a4d1a;   --btn-action-pay-fg:    #fae0c3;
 }
 
 /* === LIGHT MODE === */
@@ -153,6 +162,10 @@
     --badge-loan-rep-bg: #f7d873;      --badge-loan-rep-fg: #5a4418;
     --badge-advance-bg: #bccee0;       --badge-advance-fg: #243b56;
     --badge-advance-rep-bg: #9ec1dd;   --badge-advance-rep-fg: #1d3550;
+
+    /* === PAYROLL DASHBOARD action-button tokens (light theme) === */
+    --btn-action-lookup-bg: #c7d9e8;   --btn-action-lookup-fg: #243b56;
+    --btn-action-pay-bg:    #f5d6a8;   --btn-action-pay-fg:    #633e0e;
 }
 
 /* ===================================================================
@@ -1954,6 +1967,48 @@ body, .card, .modal-content, .form-control, .form-select,
     color: var(--badge-advance-fg);
 }
 
+/* ===================================================================
+   Payroll dashboard action buttons — pastel soft-fill (24 Apr 2026)
+   ---------------------------------------------------------------
+   Replaces the earlier mix of `btn-outline-info` / `btn-primary` /
+   `btn-outline-success` / `btn-outline-warning` at the top of /payroll/
+   with a single uniform treatment: solid pastel fill, no border,
+   contrasting text in the same colour family. All four buttons now
+   look like siblings while each retains a colour hint of its role.
+   ================================================================= */
+.btn-action-soft {
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.4rem;
+    padding: 0.4rem 0.9rem;
+    font-size: 0.875rem;
+    font-weight: 500;
+    border: none;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem;
+    line-height: 1.25;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    /* `filter: brightness(...)` on hover is GPU-cheap and gives a
+       subtle lift without having to define 4×2 = 8 hover colours. */
+    transition: filter 150ms ease, transform 80ms ease, box-shadow 150ms ease;
+    box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08);
+}
+.btn-action-soft:hover { filter: brightness(1.08); box-shadow: 0 2px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14); }
+.btn-action-soft:active { transform: translateY(1px); box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08); }
+.btn-action-soft:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid var(--accent); outline-offset: 2px; }
+.btn-action-soft:disabled { opacity: 0.55; cursor: not-allowed; filter: none; }
+/* Icon sits inline with text; inherit colour so it always matches. */
+.btn-action-soft .fas { font-size: 0.85em; }
+
+/* --- Per-button colour modifiers.
+       Lookup + Pay use dedicated --btn-action-*-bg/fg tokens (new).
+       Add reuses --badge-bonus-* (green, "adding money" semantic).
+       Price reuses --badge-overtime-* (mauve, matches Overtime badge
+       on the Adjustments tab). --- */
+.btn-action-lookup { background: var(--btn-action-lookup-bg); color: var(--btn-action-lookup-fg); }
+.btn-action-pay    { background: var(--btn-action-pay-bg);    color: var(--btn-action-pay-fg); }
+.btn-action-add    { background: var(--badge-bonus-bg);       color: var(--badge-bonus-fg); }
+.btn-action-price  { background: var(--badge-overtime-bg);    color: var(--badge-overtime-fg); }
+
 /* --- Sticky filter bar (keeps filters visible as the table scrolls) --- */
 .adjustments-filter-bar {
     position: sticky;