If your payroll provider isn't supported by our integrations but you can upload timesheets into your payroll system, you can still build your own custom payroll export file using these built-in tools in Deputy.
- Getting started - create a custom template
- Configuring your export file template
- Edit or delete your template
- Copying a template
- Making a template blank
- Common errors and issues
- FAQ
Getting started - create a custom template
Note: once you have created a custom payroll export template that template will then be available for selection in the payroll export dropdown menu for you and other managers the next time you export.
1. On the Timesheets tab, select Export Timesheets.
2. Use the date and location selectors to display the range of timesheets you require then select the employee's timesheets you want to export.
3. Click on Export Selected Items.
4. Click the “Can’t find your payroll?” Create a custom payroll export link beneath the Select Payroll dropdown.
5. A page will open allowing you to create a custom payroll export template.
Configuring your export template
Name your template
Enter a name for your template so that you and other managers will know what the template is set up for.
Later, you can easily identify which templates you have created by the (custom) tag appended to their name in the payroll export dropdown list.
Edit and reorder your included columns
Below your template name, you can see a list of columns we've already included by default to get you started.
1. If you don't want to include some of this information in your export file, simply expand on the data field and click Remove.
2. If you want to reorder the column order simply click on the data field and drag it to where you want it to appear in the order.
3. If you want to add a new data field not already included you can add it from the list on the right-hand side of the screen by clicking on the + sign to add it to your list of included columns on the left.
You can find the Deputy data field you need by either:
- expanding the lists or
- using the text search bar as shown below
This list includes our most commonly used data fields for exporting timesheet data but if the field you are looking for isn't listed, you can tick the Show advanced fields box if you need to see a complete list of all Deputy fields available to export. If you still can't find the field you need you can add a custom column or row.
4. Once you have decided on your required columns and their order you can expand each one to configure:
- what this field will be named in the column header when you export (it is set to the Deputy default but you can change it to match your payroll system if required)
- the format the data in the column will be exported in. For example, in text data fields you can choose between lower case and upper case or to remove spaces, for numerical fields you can set decimal places, for date and time fields you can set the date and time format.
Add a custom column or row
If the default list of Deputy data fields doesn't quite match your needs for exporting to your payroll system you can create custom columns or rows. Perhaps you need a blank or static column or row in your export file for your payroll system to accept it? You can add as many custom columns or rows as you need.
1. Click on the + sign if you want to add a custom column or row.
Custom column
The custom column you added will now appear at the bottom of your list of included columns but of course, you can rename the Column header and click and drag it to reorder it how you like in your other included columns.
Now you can configure the custom column to contain either:
- a blank column
- a Static value (please enter the value you'd like to be entered in the column)
- Multiple data sources (you can merge 2 or more selected Deputy data fields together into one column with you also specifying the format they appear in and what separated each data field)
- Conditional fields (you can configure rules to fill this custom column field based on the values of other data sources from Deputy. See Example of a conditional custom field for more information.
Custom row
If you click the + sign to add a custom row it will now appear on the left hand side of the screen and you can configure your requirements including:
- whether the row will be positioned before the column headers, after the column headers or as a footer.
- what kind of data each cell in the row contains (it can be static and set now during set up or set at the time of timesheet export)
You can add multiple entries of custom row data and each will appear in your columns according to the order they appear in this list. You can click and drag to reorder them as shown.
You can add as many custom rows as you require.
Format Settings
Lastly, in order to ensure your exported file is accepted by your payroll system, click on the Format Settings button on the top right of the screen to configure your export format settings. You may need to check the import file specifications in your payroll system to assist with setting these options.
You can edit settings such as:
Setting | Options | Notes |
File type |
.csv .txt .dat |
|
Apply fixed width | ON or OFF |
If you turn this on each column will be a fixed width of characters. Note:
|
Encapsulation |
ON or OFF | Text will be enclosed by double quotes when using delimiters to group data |
Export all pay rates | ON or OFF | When this is on, the setting against the pay condition in Deputy which determines whether the pay rate is exported as part of an integration is ignored and all pay rates will be exported into the file. |
Disable column headers | ON or OFF | Select this as ON if your exporter doesn’t require the headers of each column |
Delimiters |
Comma (,) Semicolon (;) Pipe (|) Caret (^) Space Tab None Other |
If you have selected .txt or .dat file type, you will need to choose the delimiter. If you have turned on fixed column width the delimiter will default to none. If you have selected .csv file then the delimiter is automatically set to comma (,) If you select Other please nominate a character in the field that appears. |
Group data | ON or OFF | Turn this ON if you want to group by pay rule hours / cost. Matching rows will aggregate pay rule hours/cost. |
Evenly split breaks in shift (BETA) | ON or OFF |
When this is turned on, instead of using the actual break times the employees have taken, it will be just split in the middle of the shift. If this option is turned off, the actual break times will be included. What you should select here will be determined by what your use case is for the export, or what your payroll application may require for timesheet import. |
Click Apply when you are happy with the export file format settings.
Your template will now be saved for use to export timesheet data. The next time you or another manager needs to export timesheets it will also appear in the Export Selected Items drop-down list.
Edit or delete your custom payroll export template
If you need to edit the configuration of your template click Edit, make the changes you require and click Save.
Copying a template
It is possible to copy an existing Custom Payroll Exporter template in Deputy. This allows you to make draft changes to a template without affecting your original setup.
To do so click Edit on the template you wish to copy.
Click on the three dots menu in the Custom Payroll Exporter editor and click Make a copy.
Once you have done this a new copy of the template will display in the editor and by default have the same name with (copy) appended on the end. You can now customise this template, rename it if you wish and click Save.
Making a template blank
If you would prefer to build your Custom Payroll Export template from scratch click the three dots menu in the Custom Payroll Exporter editor and click Make template blank.
This will remove all the default fields in the template and allow you to add fields to a new blank template.
Common Errors and Issues
Commas in Location names, Area Names, or Export Codes
If your custom payroll export uses a field that contain commas, the export will fail.
For example, if your export includes Area names, and you have a timesheet for work at an Area named "Sydney, Golf Shop" the export will fail.
The export process might report success in some instances, but no file will be downloaded.
Expected fields are empty
If your custom payroll export uses a field but there is no data for that field in the timesheets to be exported, the export will fail.
For example, if your custom payroll export expects an 'Area Export Code', and you have a timesheet for work at an Area without an export code, the export will fail. You can add or edit Area export codes by following the help guide Areas in Deputy
The export process might report success in some instances, but no file will be downloaded.
FAQs
What if I was using custom payroll exporter (beta)?
If you had previously used the beta version of the custom payroll exporter to create a template, you should still see the template listed as an option while exporting. Any new templates will need to be created using the Custom Payroll Exporter flow listed above.
Can you select the same data source more than once?
Yes, if you need the same data in more than one column you can.
Does this tool support Shift Questions / Custom Timesheet Fields?
Yes, these fields are listed at the end of the Timesheets data sources list using the prefix 'Custom'.
Can I add a column with my own fixed data that is repeated?
Yes, add a custom column and select Static then enter the value you need in this column.
How can I add a column for hours worked per pay condition?
In the list of Deputy data sources, expand the list for >Timesheet then >Export codes hours/units and select your required pay condition.
Where in Deputy can I find the export codes for a pay condition?
Click the Timesheets tab then Export Timesheets > Group by Pay Rate, you'll be able to see and set export codes for each pay condition.
How can I add a column with the export codes for leave rules?
Tick 'Show advanced fields', and select Leave condition export code from the > Leave Requests drop-down menu.
Where can I find the export codes for a leave rule?
Export codes for leave rules can be found in Business Settings - follow this help document Leave management overview
Can you show me an example of setting up a custom conditional column?
Example: An organisation has multiple business locations with codes designated in Deputy as AZU, COB and CYA. When timesheets are exported the organisation wants employees that are associated with AZU as their main location to be exported with their 'Payroll ID' as their primary identifier but employees that are associated with COB and CYA as their main location to have their timesheets exported with their 'Preferred Name' as their primary identifier.
Solution: We can configure a custom conditional column that uses the Employee Main Location code as the Reference field. This means that Deputy will check this field and then decide what to do based on the conditions we set up.
We can set conditions that say IF the reference field equals (can also use contains, less than or greater than) the value we specify (in this instance AZU) then Deputy should enter the Employee Payroll ID in this custom column.
Similarly, we can set conditions that say IF the reference field equals (can also use contains, less than or greater than) the value we specify (in this instance COB or CYA) then Deputy should enter the employee's Preferred Name in this custom column.
Note: setting multiple conditions like this means that Deputy will consider each condition in the order you configure them. If the first condition is NOT met, Deputy will check the next condition and so forth until it finds a match or runs out of conditions. You can reorder the conditions if you need by clicking and dragging them into your required order.
If none of the conditions are met then there is an opportunity to configure fallbacks so that if the reference field is either empty or does not match any of the previous conditions then Deputy will know what data to enter in this custom conditional column.