Import and split timesheet data across departments and cost centres

Before you import payment or deduction information into Sage Payroll, prepare a CSV file in the required format. You can import a single CSV file containing both the payment and deduction details, or two separate CSV files. One for payment information and the second for deduction information, using Microsoft Excel or Windows Notepad.

If you're using a time and attendance software, check with your software provider to see if they can create the CSV file for you. They’ll need to know:

• Your payment and/or deduction numbers - To run this information directly into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, follow the steps detailed in this article. You can then email the saved Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to your software provider.
• Your department and cost centre codes - Take a screenshot of the Company/Payroll > Departments window, and the Company/Payroll > Cost Centres window. Then email these images to your software provider. 

The CSV file must contain one line per payment/deduction using the following order:

NOTE: If you're using Notepad, you must manually separate each piece of data with a comma.

of your payroll data, then complete the following steps:

1. On the menu bar, click Processing then click Time and Pay.
2. Next to the File Location box, click browse . Browse to and select the CSV file, then click Open.
3. Click Continue.
   

   TIP: Check the Time and Pay - Import window for any errors and warnings. You can't import a timesheet with errors, you must resolve them before proceeding.

4. To print a list of the data you're about to import, click Print Detailed View.
5. Check your printer settings are correct, then click Print.
6. To import and save the timesheet values, click Save Time and Pay then click OK.

• If you don't include hourly rates for hourly payments in the CSV file, Sage Payroll uses the hourly rates held in the Payments tab of Employee Details.
• You must use a separate row for each pay element. For example, if an employee has basic and overtime pay, you must use two separate rows.
• If an employee is set as pay type "Hourly", multi timesheet import will not supercede any “Standard Hours” or “Fixed” type payment amounts entered in the Employee Details > Payments tab> This will cause a duplication of those payments on the timesheet import panel i.e. no “Standard hours” or “Fixed” payment amounts should be entered in Employee Details > Payments tab if employee is to be paid by Timesheet import.
• If an employee is set as pay type “Salary” in the Employee Details > Pay/YTD tab, multi timesheet import will not supercede any “Fixed” type payment amounts in the Employee Details > Payments tab, causing a duplication of those payments on the timesheet import panel i.e. no “Fixed” type payment amounts” should be entered in Employee Details > Payments tab if employee is to be paid by Timesheet import.
• You can import as many payments as you want, as long as they're set up in Company/Payroll > Payments.
  

  NOTE: The employee number on the import file must match the exact employee number in Sage Payroll. For example, if the employee is set up in Sage Payroll as number 0054, however is shown on the import file as 54, importing this file will fail to pay the correct employee.

• Variable-type payments must have a value in the CSV import file, otherwise no values import for these payments.
• Fixed-type payments, such as salary, are always included in the timesheet import. However, you must reference the employee in the import file for their timesheet to save. To do this, you must either:
  
  
• Refer to the employee on the import file, for example, 2,0003. By doing this, you're telling Sage Payroll that employee number 0003 should be included in the import. You don't need to import a value for this employee as the payment's standard amount is already held in the Payments tab of Employee Details.
• Exclude the employee from the timesheet import CSV file and save the employee’s timesheets individually through another pay method – random, sequential or batch
  
  
• When you're saving the file, ensure the file type is CSV.
• Don't close the CSV file, until after you have imported it into Sage Payroll Professional.
• Importing the same CSV file twice within a single period will cause duplication of the imported information.