This article explains how to generate and export data using the new Preliminary Payroll export.

With the new export, you can produce a single Excel file that includes employee changes, starters and leavers, and cleanly formatted compensation data. You can hand this file to your tax advisor or payroll processor.

The Preliminary Payroll export is currently in beta and available to a specific group of customers. You can test it and share feedback before the wider release. The legacy export stays available throughout the beta.

Main features

• See every employee at a glance: The People tab lists everyone in one view and clearly labels starters and leavers.
• Track every change: The Employee Changes tab lists every data change effective in the current period, and flags retroactive changes in their own column.
• Use compensation values right away: Value and currency each get their own column, and values are formatted as real numbers, so the file works directly in formulas.
• Handle multiple currencies cleanly: Employees paid in more than one currency get a separate row per currency.
• Know the status of every file: Each file carries the status Draft, Final, or Updated, so you always know what stage the data is in.
• Keep working while files generate: Exports build in the background, so you don’t have to wait.
• Customize your columns: Choose and reorder which attributes appear in the People tab of your export.

Before you start

Understand who can use this feature

• This beta is available to payroll managers using Preliminary Payroll, on the Core or Core Pro subscription.
• During this phase, it's also available to customers without an active payroll integration. Customers using a payroll integration will get access in a later milestone.

Define the relevant attributes for Payroll

To use custom columns in the People tab and in the export, you need to define the relevant payroll attributes first. Then select which of these attributes you can include in the export:

1. Go to Payroll and select the relevant period.
2. Click the Manage tab.
3. Under Payroll data, Click Payroll identifiers. Select which attributes identify employees across all tabs and exported sheets. You can use an automatically generated ID.
4. Click Personal information. Define the employee attributes you want to track in Payroll.
5. Click Export data. Select which attributes can be included in the export.

Note:
The export doesn't yet include Time Off balance attributes (for example, accrual, balance, or carryover).

Customize which columns appear in the export

Once you have defined the payroll-relevant attributes, you can select and reorder which of those attributes appear in the People tab of your export:

1. Go to Payroll and open the relevant period.
2. In the People tab, click Columns.
3. Click the toggles to select the columns you want to display in the export.

Generate an export when you approve a period

Approving and exporting in one step means the file always matches the data you approved.

1. Go to Payroll and open the period you want to approve. 
2. Click Approve.
3. From the Export template list, select Excel - All data.
4. To review the export first, click Preview.
5. Click Confirm to approve the period and start the export.
6. Wait for the Exporting data notification to finish.
7. Find the file in the Documents tab with the status Final.

Generate an export after you approve a period

If something changes after approval, generate a fresh file without redoing the approval.

1. Go to Payroll and open an already approved period.
2. Click Export.
3. From the Export template list, select Excel - All data.
4. To review the export first, click Preview.
5. Click Confirm to generate the export.
6. Find the file in the Documents tab with the status Updated.

FAQ

Can I still use the legacy export during the beta? 

Yes. Select Legacy export from the Export template list.

What should I do if I find missing or incorrectly formatted data? 

Share your feedback using the Share feedback button on the Support page. Describe the issue and the steps you took.

Will the legacy export be removed during the beta? 

No. The legacy export stays available in parallel throughout the beta.