Import employees into WageEasy

To import employee information into WageEasy, you need to create a CSV (Comma Separated Values) format import file. This can be done by extracting information from your existing payroll system in CSV format, or if you are unable to extract straight into a CSV file, extract as an Excel spreadsheet and then convert the spreadsheet to a CSV format.

You will need to create a report from your existing payroll system with as much employee information as possible, eliminating the need for manual entries. The effectiveness of this procedure will rely on the information and what format this information can be extracted from your old payroll system.

Optionally, the first line of the file may be a comma-separated list of field names in the same order as the employee records.

The following table (Employee Importing Specification) details the data items that can be included in the import file. Data items can appear in any order in the import file. The first line of the file may be a comma-separated list of field names in the same order as the employee records.

*Mandatory Data Item

Each Row will contain one employee record. Each field (column) within the record is delimited from the next by a comma (,). Fields (apart from Integer, Decimal, and Date) and including the column names in the first line (if included) within each record will also be quoted with the double quote (").
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​**YTD values
When using STP, it is best practice to exclude YTD’s from the CSV file and not transfer them from your old payroll. YTD values have already been reported to the ATO through STP Pay Events and are on the employees’ myGov accounts. Bringing over YTDs from your old payroll will result in these values duplicating in the employees’ myGov.
​Note: If you want to bring over YTD values from your old payroll, you will have to use the old payroll's STP to zero out all values for the current tax year before you import these amounts into WageEasy. Gross in WageEasy means taxable gross, i.e., the value that is reported in STP as Gross.
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​Example

“EmployeeNo”,“LastName”,“FirstName”,“DOB”,“StartDate”,“EmailAddress”,“PayMethod”, “YTDGross”
“1”,“Jones”,“Jason”,09/04/1972,21/05/1999,“[email protected]”,0,1994.34
“2”,“Williams”,“Susan”,18/11/1981,25/05/1999,,1,1832.61
“3”,“Martin”,“Duncan”,15/01/1966,07/08/2000,“[email protected]”,0,2107.97

Get as much of the information (see table above) as possible. Entering the information in a CSV file/Excel Spreadsheet is much quicker than adding it manually into WageEasy. Once an Employee is imported into the database, any amendments must then be made through Employee Details, from Employee, Edit employee. It is not possible to import an Employee twice.
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The leave balances must be brought forward on the actual date the report was extracted from the old payroll system. You must have reports that you can balance to in the old payroll system, ensure that the leave balances reports are up to the date you are doing the import. Leave balances are in decimal hours in the exporter. Make sure you bring in total leave balances. Leave balance means the total amount of leave the Employee is entitled to as at a certain date. i.e., entitled plus pro rata. You may need to add several values together, depending on how your system reports leave. Dates are very important as WageEasy calculates leave every day.
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It is highly recommended that you have the banking details in your spreadsheet. Adding banking details manually can leave room for error. You should also import the employees’ bank account name details i.e. ,AB Smith. When you have extracted the CSV import file. Please check the following:

This file needs to be saved as a CSV (comma separated values) file. Excel is not good at creating a ‘true’ CSV file. Scroll to the bottom of this article for instructions to convert an Excel file to a true CSV file.
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Once the CSV file has been created, please take a copy of the CSV file and paste it into an alternate location. If you would like to view the contents of this copied CSV file, Opened with Word Pad. All text fields should have quotation marks around them. For example, “Joe” “Bloggs” “3 Short Street”. Date fields, etc, will have no quotations, but you will need to make sure that the date data is logical i.e.; day before month before year. If the last column on the CSV file has blank fields associated with it, the employee(s) will not import. If this is the case, cut a column (any column that is filled with data) and paste it in the last column.
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Company details required in the Database:
​WageEasy,Setup,

Final items to check before importing:

Import process:
Once you have checked your file, you are ready to start. Warning – do not open your approved csv file. As advised before, the best option is to take a copy and then open the copy using either Wordpad or Notepad

Adding in additional information
You can also add:

1.Additional bank accounts. If any employees have their pay deposited into more than one bank account, that information can be added as additional lines below the employee record in the csv file. The details you will need are:

2. Employee salary sacrifice can also be directly imported from the CSV import file by adding an additional line below the respective employee record with the information listed below. The value MUST be entered as a negative value in the import file:

3. Superannuation, Please enter in any;

Please note

You would need to add, if applicable;

Run reports
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Once you have made sure that the WageEasy reports match with the previous payroll system, print them out, attach them to the previous system’s reports, and get the financial controller to sign them off. This is good to show that you have finished and for auditing purposes. You just need to keep in mind that WageEasy will begin accruing Leave daily for those Employees set on Awards that have Yearly Accruals. Therefore from the date referenced when bringing Leave balances across, WageEasy will automatically add the next date to begin accruing.

Remember, there could be a difference between the leave accruals in the old payroll system and WageEasy due to the calculation of leave accruals in the old system being in decimals and in hours and minutes in WageEasy.

The link Macro.xls contains an Excel spreadsheet with a Macro that will convert your Excel Spreadheet to a true CSV file. Once you have created your Excel spreadsheet containing your employee information that you want to import into WageEasy, and you have saved it in a secure location, open the Macro.xls from the link above, ensuring that the Enable Editing and Enable Macros are both active.

In your Excel spreadsheet, highlight all the columns containing information and then go to View, Macros, View Macros. Look for Macros in All Open Workbooks and find the Macro, Highlight, and Run. You are now required to enter a destination file with a complete path, i.e., c:\directory name (ensure that this directory name exists)\and then the file name with the extension .csv, i.e,. EmployeeImport.csv. Ensure that you give this file a new name, not re-using the name of your original Excel spreadsheet. The Macro will now create a true csv file for you, adding quotation marks where needed. Do not open this file.
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The links below contain Excel spreadsheets, a sample file with data examples, and the second is an import template.
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​Import sample file with data examples
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​Wage Easy Employee Import template