Let me start by listing the documents to see what inputs are available.

One payroll document. Let me read it.

The payroll month is 2027-09. The rules say only 2026 is covered. A month outside 2026 requires clarification under R7 with reason_code "NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE", citing R1 and R7.

Wait — but R1 says "A case may include an authoritative `reference_tables` schedule for first-half and second-half. When supplied, its numeric values replace the defaults above for that case only." But even with a schedule, the coverage is "Only 2026 is covered." Actually the schedule replaces numeric values but the period boundaries stay the same. Let me check lookup_reference to see if there's a case schedule that might cover 2027. The instructions say "Reference rows are available only through lookup_reference." Let me check both halves to see if there's a schedule covering 2027-09.

Actually, R1 says "Only 2026 is covered. Dates outside 2026 require clarification under R7." But it also says a case may include an authoritative reference_tables schedule. If the schedule covers 2027-09, then maybe it applies. Let me look up both halves to check.

2027-09 — September is in the second half presumably (first half might be Jan–Jun, second half Jul–Dec). Let me check.

Both reference rows cover only 2026 months: first-half covers 2026-01 to 2026-06, second-half covers 2026-07 to 2026-12. The payroll month is 2027-09, which is outside 2026. Per R1, only 2026 is covered; dates outside 2026 require clarification under R7. Per R7 item 3: a month without a reference row → clarify with reason_code "NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE", citing R1 and R7. Do not extrapolate an old row.

So the answer is a clarification. Allowed answer fields for clarify: decision, reason_code, clauses. Optional explanation. No monetary fields.

Return JSON object without Markdown fences.

Let me start by listing the documents to get the case inputs.

The payroll month is 2027-09. The rules say only 2026 is covered. Dates outside 2026 require clarification under R7 with reason_code "NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE".

Let me check the reference tables to confirm — but the rule says only 2026 is covered. Let me verify with lookup_reference anyway to confirm there's no 2027 row. Actually, the rule R1 states "Only 2026 is covered. Dates outside 2026 require clarification under R7." And R7 item 3: A month without a reference row: return decision "clarify" and reason_code "NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE", citing R1 and R7. Do not extrapolate an old row.

I should still check the reference tables via lookup_reference to confirm no 2027-09 row exists. Let me do both lookups in parallel since they're independent.

The reference tables only cover 2026-01 through 2026-12. The payroll month is 2027-09, which is outside 2026 and has no applicable reference row. Per R7 item 3, I must return decision "clarify" with reason_code "NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE", citing R1 and R7. Do not extrapolate an old row.

Answer fields for clarify: decision, reason_code, clauses. An optional explanation string is permitted. I should name the unresolved blocker and ask for its resolution.

Let me start by listing the documents to get the case inputs.

The payroll month is 2027-09. Per R1, only 2026 is covered. A month without a reference row requires clarification under R7 with reason_code "NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE", citing R1 and R7.

Let me double-check the reference tables — the rules say only 2026 is covered. The payroll month is 2027-09, which is outside 2026. So no applicable reference row. I should return clarify.

Let me verify by checking lookup_reference? The rules say the month must use YYYY-MM with year 2000-2099 — 2027-09 is structurally valid, but only 2026 is covered. So clarification under R7 item 3: NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE.

I don't strictly need to call lookup_reference since the rulebook states only 2026 is covered. But maybe I should verify to be safe. The lookup_reference tool returns first-half or second-half reference rates — presumably for 2026. The month 2027-09 has no reference row. Calling lookup_reference wouldn't confirm 2027 coverage. I could call it to confirm the schedule covers only 2026, but the rulebook already says only 2026 is covered. I'll just answer.

Answer format for clarify: decision, reason_code, clauses, optional explanation. No monetary fields.

The reference schedule covers only 2026 months (first half and second half). The payroll month is 2027-09, which has no reference row. Per R7 item 3, return clarify with reason_code "NO_APPLICABLE_REFERENCE", citing R1 and R7. Do not extrapolate.