This article describes how to export Deputy timesheets using standard hourly rates to Xero.
For specific help with exporting timesheets using the Deputy pay rule library pay rates to Xero read Export timesheets using Deputy pay rule library awards to Xero.
Before you export to Xero
Check permissions
- You need to be a Location manager or System administrator in Deputy to export to Xero
- You must have an active Xero Payroll subscription (in AU, NZ, UK or US) for your company with either Standard or both the Payroll Administrator and Advisor permission roles. If you aren't sure, you may check your permissions in Xero by going to Settings in the top right corner, then clicking General Settings, and then Users. If you can't see Settings at all, you do not have the required permissions.
Connect to Xero (first time only)
Read Connecting Xero and Deputy to connect your Deputy Location to your Xero organisation. You will only need to do this once. If you aren't sure if you are connected already or not, you can check if your location is listed under the Connect locations list on the Xero integration configuration page.
Prepare to export
We strongly recommend following Xero's guide on employee and payroll setup before exporting from Deputy and ensure you have a Payroll Calender set up in Xero.
The steps detailed below may affect more than one employee. Please ensure you check the configuration of each employee you are exporting timesheets for.
To ensure the most successful export to Xero, there are several conditions in Xero and Deputy that must be met:
- Ensure Employee names are identical in Deputy and Xero
- Set up your employee's pay rates in Deputy
- Create the pay items earnings rate in Xero
- Assign the earning rate to the employee's profile in Xero
- Ensure employees have been associated with the relevant payroll calendar in Xero
- Configure the earnings rate in the employee's pay template
- Ensure a XERO draft Pay Run has been created
- If you are using timesheet tracking codes in Xero, they are set up in Deputy's Area export codes
- Ensure the leave codes in Deputy match Xero leave
1. Ensure employee names and email addresses match
When setting up your employees in each system you may have chosen to:
- sync your employee information from Xero to Deputy OR
- sync your employee information from Deputy to Xero OR
- enter your employee information manually into both systems
However you entered the information into both systems, it's important to understand that when exporting timesheets from Deputy to Xero, Xero matches its imported data to employees based on their email addresses, first and last names.
- Ensure the spelling is correct in Xero and Deputy and that there are no blank spaces after the typed name in Xero. If there is an empty space after the typed text, Xero will fail to match the employee.
- If the spelling of the employees' names and email addresses is not identical between Deputy and Xero, duplicate employees may be created in Xero. If the employee does not have an email address, Deputy will match based on the name. If they have both an email address and name, Deputy matches to Xero based on email address first.
- Two employees in Xero may not use the same email address, as Deputy does not allow you to share emails.
Note: If you turn on Autosync with Xero you will be unable to edit the Payroll ID for your team members in Deputy locations connected to Xero.
Check the employee's name and email address in Xero at Payroll>Employees>Details:
2. Ensure you have set up your pay rates in Deputy
You can set your team member's employment type and pay rates in Deputy in People > Click Name > Employment > Edit > Pay details. Read Set up a team member's pay rates for more information.
Note: The pay rate amounts you assign here will not sync to Xero during timesheet export so you will need to ensure they are entered in Xero.
If you are assigning the Deputy pay rule library pay rates to your employees in Deputy please read Export timesheets using Deputy pay rule library awards to Xero.
3. Creating the Pay Items Earnings Rate in Xero
Set up the corresponding earning rate pay item in Xero for each pay rate you use with your employees.
So that the hours you export in your Deputy timesheets matches with the pay items in Xero, you need to follow a standard naming configuration for your Xero earning rates when setting them up:
| Deputy payrate name | Xero Pay item earning rate name |
| Hourly weekday | Hourly weekday |
| Saturday | Saturday |
| Sunday | Sunday |
| Public Holiday | PH |
3.1. Click on Settings in the drop-down menu under your Xero organisation name on the top left of the screen.
2. Click on Payroll settings.
3. On the Pay Items tab, under Earnings, click Add.
4. Enter the earnings name and select Rate per Unit as the unit type. Complete the other fields as required for your organisation's requirements.
Note:
- It is recommended that when an Earnings Rate Pay Item is created in Payroll Settings, a default value is entered in the Rate per Unit field. All Pay items earnings rates then assigned to the employee will refer back to this rate. This reduces data entry in most circumstances and reflects the accurate use of multipliers if employees are eligible for different rates when working in different areas.
- You also need to have specified a default value in Rates per unit field to be able to add the earnings rate to the employee's Pay Template.
- Even if you assign a default value per hour when creating the pay item, you may also apply it manually to an employee. This means that you may use one Pay Item for multiple employees, even if those employees are paid differently to the rate specified at creation of the pay item
Click Save when you are done.
4. Assign the Earnings rate to the employee's employment profile
Select an earnings rate from those you configured from the dropdown menu in the Ordinary Earings Rate field and click Save.
5. Assign a Payroll Calendar to the employees
Employees in in Xero must also have a Payroll Calendar assigned in the Employment tab of the employee's profile so that Xero can accept the pay items for this period.
6. Configure the earnings rates in the Employee’s Pay Template
1. Click on the Employee's Pay Template tab and add all the earnings rates your employee will require using Add Earnings Line to add each one.
2. Select the relevant Earnings Rate. It is recommended that the Use Earnings Rate option is selected for the ‘Calculation Type’ selection. If you find you can not select that option (if it is greyed out) it means no Rate per Unit value was set when you configured the earnings rate.
Click OK when done.
7. Create the draft Pay Run
Before pay items can be successfully exported from Deputy to Xero, a Pay Run (based on a Xero pay calendar) must be created in the area shown below in Payroll > Pay Employees. The start and end dates of the draft Pay Run you create in Xero must match the exact start and end dates you later select in Deputy when exporting.
Note: If an employee has approved timesheets for this pay period already in Xero please revert them to draft otherwise an error will appear when you export.
You can check this by selecting Payroll > Timesheets and checking the status. If the Timesheets are from the period you wish to export and they are already Approved then open the timesheet in Xero and click on Revert to draft before you export any timesheets from Deputy.
8. Area export codes
9. Leave export codes
If you are exporting paid leave timesheets from Deputy (Australia only), you may export the following leave types:
| Xero | Deputy |
| Annual Leave | dp_annual_leave |
| Personal/Carer's Leave | dp_sick_leave |
| Compassionate Leave (paid) | dp_bereavement_leave |
| Community Service Leave | dp_community_leave |
| Long Service Leave | dp_long_service_leave |
| Time Off In Lieu | dp_rdo_leave |
Note: The leave names in Xero and Deputy export codes must match those displayed above exactly for the leave to be exported correctly. They will be set as this in Xero and Deputy by default unless someone has changed them.
You can check your leave in Xero by selecting Settings from the menu under your organisation name. Then Payroll Settings> Pay Items > Leave as shown below:
You can check your Deputy Leave export codes by following How to set up leave entitlements.
Note: Deputy will not export timesheets with unpaid leave types to Xero.
Once you have prepared Xero and Deputy for the export you are ready to export your approved timesheets from Deputy.
Exporting to Xero
On the Export Timesheets page select:
- the Location you are exporting timesheets for
- the date range that exactly corresponds to the draft pay run you created in Xero
- the employees you wish to export timesheets for. You can select them individually or click Select all.
If you need to review or edit any item, click on the timesheet line then click on Original item to make any changes.
Once you are happy with the timesheets, click on Export Select Items.
In the popup, you should see that Xero Payroll is already selected and the name of the Xero organisation you are connected to will be displayed. If it is the incorrect organisation you can disconnect and connect to the correct one.
You will also have the option to decide whether you'd like to export to Xero using Timesheets or Payslips. Most of our customers choose timesheets for this export option.
Click Export to send the timesheet information to Xero.
You will then see the following pops ups.
Including this one, if the export is successful.
If you have any errors while exporting please:
- check you have completed all the steps listed in this article for all employees you are exporting timesheets for
- read Troubleshooting Common Xero Export Errors
- submit a request for help with Deputy support.
Watch a video on exporting timesheets from Deputy to Xero
Next steps in Xero
After a successful timesheet export from Deputy (if you have exported the data as timesheets) you can check the hour units for each earnings rate line have synced to your employees in Xero.
Click on Payroll > Timesheets then select each employee to review the hours exported from Deputy and add any manual allowances or other adjustments you may need to make.
Click Approve.
Once you approve the timesheet in Xero it will transfer the hours to the draft Pay run you created and apply the matching earnings rate for each relevant earnings line.
If the hours or rate don't appear in the pay run as expected check:
- have you created an earnings rate in Xero that matches the pay rates for that employee in Deputy?
- have you assigned all relevant earnings rates for each employee to their pay template in Xero?
Once you are satisfied that the timesheet data has exported from Deputy to Xero correctly you can process your pay run as usual.
FAQs
Should I export to Xero as Timesheets or Payslips?
Export as Timesheets
- If you'd like to make additional adjustments to the timesheet information you are exporting to Xero (such as adding deductions or additional allowances) we recommend using the Timesheet option when exporting from Deputy.
Export as Payslips
- If you are happy with the rates applied to the timesheets in Deputy and need to make no further adjustments we recommend using the Payslips option, as it will enter the Pay Run directly and you may process it from there as usual.
I got an error when exporting
Please read Troubleshooting Common Xero Export Errors.
When an error with the export process occurs, it is recommended that you check the pay run in Xero to confirm which employees' timesheets have come across to Xero and which ones have not and as this will narrow down the scope for troubleshooting. If you have isolated the employee or timesheet causing the error and corrected it, it is recommended to only export the affected timesheets that were not successfully bought across the first time.
Note: If all timesheets are exported again, they will overwrite any previous export.
Can I export timesheets for salaried team members?
No, salaried team members' timesheets do not export from Deputy. Salary information is only added to a team member's profile in Deputy for Business insights and reporting purposes.
Which countries offer Xero Payroll?
Xero Payroll is currently offered in Australia, NZ, the US and the UK. Trying to export from Deputy to Xero to any other country will result in a "scope not recognised" error.
How do I export my timesheets that utilise Deputy's pay rule library award pay rates to Xero?
Read Export timesheets using Deputy pay rule library awards to Xero.