diff --git a/core/templates/core/index.html b/core/templates/core/index.html
index d752c6b..750b174 100644
--- a/core/templates/core/index.html
+++ b/core/templates/core/index.html
@@ -209,6 +209,13 @@
                     <i class="fas fa-money-check-alt"></i>
                     <span>Run Payroll</span>
                 </a>
+                {# === PAY SALARY — quick path: opens the Pay-Salary modal on /payroll/ === #}
+                {# Same fa-user-tie icon as the payroll dashboard's Pay Salary button so #}
+                {# users have one mental model for "salary = fa-user-tie". #}
+                <a href="{% url 'payroll_dashboard' %}?action=pay-salary" class="quick-action">
+                    <i class="fas fa-user-tie"></i>
+                    <span>Pay Salary</span>
+                </a>
                 <a href="{% url 'work_history' %}" class="quick-action">
                     <i class="fas fa-history"></i>
                     <span>View History</span>
diff --git a/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html b/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html
index 25aa0bd..f1fb24a 100644
--- a/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html
+++ b/core/templates/core/payroll_dashboard.html
@@ -2116,6 +2116,22 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
         });
     }
 
+    // === Quick-action deep-link: /payroll/?action=pay-salary ===
+    // The home dashboard "Pay Salary" Quick Action links here with this
+    // param. Auto-click the existing Pay Salary button (which does the
+    // clean-slate + type=Salary + managers-only scoping + modal open),
+    // then strip the param so a manual refresh or Back doesn't re-pop
+    // the modal. Best-effort — never let a deep-link quirk block the page.
+    try {
+        var _qsAction = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get('action');
+        if (_qsAction === 'pay-salary' && paySalaryBtn) {
+            paySalaryBtn.click();
+            var _u = new URL(window.location.href);
+            _u.searchParams.delete('action');
+            window.history.replaceState({}, '', _u.pathname + _u.search + _u.hash);
+        }
+    } catch (e) { /* deep-link is best-effort; never block the page */ }
+
     // When the modal is opened from the HEADER button (not quick-adjust,
     // not Pay-Salary), clear any pre-selected workers/project and reset
     // the type to Bonus.
diff --git a/core/tests.py b/core/tests.py
index 86d5b07..8ae64a1 100644
--- a/core/tests.py
+++ b/core/tests.py
@@ -3307,6 +3307,37 @@ class WorkerListPayTypeFilterTests(TestCase):
         )
 
 
+class PaySalaryQuickActionTests(TestCase):
+    """Home dashboard 'Pay Salary' Quick Action: an admin sees a tile
+    that deep-links /payroll/?action=pay-salary; the param is inert
+    server-side (no view change). The auto-open click is client-side
+    JS, verified by manual checklist (not asserted here)."""
+
+    @classmethod
+    def setUpTestData(cls):
+        cls.admin = User.objects.create_user(
+            username='psqa_admin', password='pw',
+            is_staff=True, is_superuser=True,
+        )
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.client.force_login(self.admin)
+
+    def test_home_has_pay_salary_quick_action(self):
+        resp = self.client.get('/')
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
+        # The tile links to the payroll dashboard with the deep-link param.
+        self.assertContains(resp, '?action=pay-salary')
+        # And is labelled "Pay Salary".
+        self.assertContains(resp, 'Pay Salary')
+
+    def test_payroll_dashboard_ignores_action_param(self):
+        # The param is purely a client-side signal; the view must not
+        # care about it — same 200 as a plain /payroll/ load.
+        resp = self.client.get('/payroll/?action=pay-salary')
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
+
+
 class WorkHistoryTeamFilterTests(TestCase):
     """The /history/ page accepts ?team=<id> to narrow to logs tagged
     with that team, ?team=none for logs with no team set, and empty