Timesheets can be imported from a variety of sources, including CSV file formats as well as direct import from third-party providers. To import timesheets, please make sure the timesheet service is enabled within the Timesheet service page under payroll settings. From there you will be able to enable timesheets and configure providers.
Importing Timesheets
To begin the timesheet import process, select 'Manage Employees' -> 'Import Timesheets' on your payroll dashboard:
From here you can choose the timesheet source from the drop-down menu. The options available are:
- Custom file upload
- Roster
- Deputy
- Lightspeed Restaurant (O-Series) POS
- Kounta
- WageEasy time clock (.wtc) file upload)
- WFS (Roster Live) file upload
- Square
Custom file upload
This timesheet import function allows the import of timesheets from CSV files. The file format is not fixed; most timesheet formats may be imported provided the following requirements are satisfied:
- The file must be in CSV (comma separated) or TSV (tab separated) format
- There may only be one timesheet entry per line
- Each timesheet line requires, at minimum:
- Start/End date/time or Date + Units
- Employee
- The import will fail if dates are entered that are before the employee's start date.
NB. re Locations
- if the file data you're importing does not have a location for the timesheet then the employee's default location (as per the employee record / Pay Run Defaults page) will be assigned to the timesheet when the data is imported
- if the file data you're importing has an employee working at a location they do not have access to (on the employee record / Locations page), then that location will be automatically enabled/added for the employee on the employee record when the data is imported
Important: Dimension values in a timesheet will take priority over primary dimension values in the pay run default screen when a timesheet is imported:
ie; if both
-
dimension values are added to a timesheet, and
-
primary dimension values are set up in the employees pay run defaults screen
then the dimension values added to the timesheet should be added to the earnings line when the timesheet is imported. Primary dimension values should be ignored.
First, select the file to upload.
Once the file has been uploaded, the user is able to set the date format of the file (US date formats and Australian date formats are supported).
The next step is to configure the type of data for each column. A preview of the first few lines of each column are shown to assist in the column matching. See below for a description of all available column types:
Once the columns are mapped, the next step is to actually begin the import. It is possible to replace timesheets uploaded in a previous import (for example, if there were errors in the previous import). N.B: that if timesheets are included in a pay run, they may not be replaced.
The final option is to determine whether the timesheets are automatically approved or whether they should go through the standard timesheet approval workflow. Click Import to begin the process.
Once the timesheet import process is complete, if there were any errors they will be shown. The file may be re-uploaded or the columns re-configured and the import retried.
If the import is successful, the format of the file may be saved so that it can be re-used at a later date to save having to map the column types each time.
Simply click the 'save the file format' link, give the format a name and click 'Save timesheet format'. If at a later date you want to delete this saved file format, you can by clicking the 'view custom file formats' link. This will open a context box up with the currently saved files. Simply click the delete icon next to the file that you want to delete:
Column Types
The following table lists the available column types.
| <Column type | Description |
| Nothing (skip) | Select this column type if the data is irrelevant to the timesheet import |
| Date |
Date only (without time information). The date may be in US or Australian format. |
| Start time | Time only |
| Start date and time | Date and time |
| End time | Time only |
| End date and time | Date and time |
| Break start time | Time only |
| Break start date and time | Date and time |
| Break end time | Time only |
| Break end date and time | Date and time |
| Employee ID | This ID value is currently only available via the API |
| Employee external ID | External ID of the employee |
| Work type ID | This ID value is currently only available via the API |
| Work type external ID | External ID of the work type |
| Location ID | This ID value is currently only available via the API |
| Location external ID | External ID of the location |
| Dimension ID 1 | |
| Dimenson ID 2 | |
| Pay category ID | This ID value is currently only available via the API |
| Pay category external ID | External ID of the pay category. NOTE: it is preferred to use work types that map to pay categories/leave categories rather than mapping directly to pay categories |
| Leave category ID | This ID value is currently only available via the API |
| Leave category external ID | External ID of the leave category. NOTE: it is preferred to use work types that map to pay categories/leave categories rather than mapping directly to leave categories |
| Classification ID | This ID value is currently only available via the API |
| Category type |
This field indicates the type of data that is present in the Category ID or Category external ID fields. Possible values:
|
| Category ID | This ID value is currently only available via the API |
| Category external ID | External ID of the leave category or pay category or work type (as indicated by the Category type column) |
| Rate | Rate the employee is paid for this shift. This is not mandatory - the employee's standard rates will be used. NOTE: this column does not work well in conjunction with pay conditions |
| Comments | Comments associated with the timesheet |
| Units |
This may be used to override the number of paid hours for the timesheet. If left blank, the hours will be determined by the start/end times and the breaks. Units may also be required for unit-based pay categories. |
Date/time columns may be used in the following combinations:
- Start date and time + End date and time
- Date + Start time + End time
- Date + Units
Dimensions Columns, users can add either:
- Dimensions (Which is dimension name) These have to be in the format - Dimension name:Dimension value name. Users can import multiple of these split by an | in a timesheet import . For instance 'Department:A|Sales:TeamB".
- Dimension value ID - Only one of these can be added to a timesheet line in an import
Sample Timesheet Formats
Each of the following sample timesheet import formats assume the following:
- There is an employee with an External ID of MM (Mickey Mouse)
- There is another employee with an External ID of DD (Donald Duck)
- There is a location with an External ID of foh (front of house)
- There is another location with an External ID of warehouse
- There is a work type with an External ID of STD
Example 1:
This timesheet format uses datetime data in the start/end/break start/break end columns
Example 2:
This timesheet format uses a date column with separate start time/end time columns
Example 3:
This timesheet format uses a date column and a units column to represent the hours worked
All of these timesheets are very simple however they can be expanded upon due to the timesheet importer's flexibility.
Roster
The Roster import option allows timesheets to be created directly from the integrated employee rostering module.
N.B. If you have enabled the Employees must accept shifts that have been assigned to them option in the Rostering settings, the shifts must be accepted by the employees before they can be imported into the timesheets.
To limit the timesheets that are created there are a number of options to filter the roster records. Filtering can be done using the following options:
- Date Range
- One or more location - This will filter on the location of the roster record.
- Pay Schedule - Filter to employees with a matching default pay schedule
The 'Approve timesheets' option is to determine whether the timesheets are automatically approved or whether they should go through the standard timesheet approval workflow. Click 'Import' to begin the process.
Once the process is complete you will be given the option to import more timesheets or proceed to the timesheet approval section.
Deputy
Please refer to this article for information on importing timesheets from Deputy
Kounta
Please refer to this article for more information on importing timesheets from Kounta.
Lightspeed Restaurant (O-Series) POS
Please refer to this article for more information on importing timesheets from Lightspeed Restaurant (O-Series) POS.
WFS (Roster Live)
Please refer to this article for more information on importing timesheets from WFS (Roster Live).
Square
Please refer to this article for more information on Square integration.
Explore related content
- Managing leave requests Learn how to respond, filter, and edit leave requests.
- Reporting access Learn how to manage who has access to reports.
If you have any feedback or questions, please contact us via support@yourpayroll.com.au
Comments
It is not helpful at all. What is Leave category ID, where do I find it? How do I upload the Leave in, where is the example format?
Hi Lisa. Thank you for getting in touch with us. We are always here to learn how to improve our documentation. The Leave category ID is a value assigned to the Leave Category in the API, the coding of the timesheet itself. It is not something you can access/find yourself but instead it is something the software pulls through. I hope this helps.
Thanks Pippa, if I can't find Leave Category ID by myself, how do I upload the leave into timesheet? Could you provide me an example how to do it? Thanks
Hi Lisa please could you take me through what you have done so far and tell me what you are trying to achieve? Thanks. If you do not have this value then it is something that comes from the API of an integration. Simply do not fill it in.
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