This article explains how to enter many records with one file using the Add via Excel button on the Payments, Benefit and Deductions tabs of the All Benefits screen. Users with the BENEFIT_MANAGER permission do this. The file is checked first; records are saved only after you confirm.
Before you start
The types you enter must be selected under Settings > Type Management. A hidden type causes an error in the file.
Some types cannot be entered via Excel and are entered with the wizard:
Benefits: Child Aid, Birth Aid, Marriage Aid, Death Aid, Education Aid, Commuting Allowance and Private Insurance.
Payments: Allowance (travel allowance).
Deductions: Enforcement, Alimony and Travel Allowance Deduction.
The payroll months the payments or deductions fall in must not be closed.
Step by step
In the left menu, go to Pay and expenses > Benefits and click the card of the tab you are entering records for (Payments, Benefit or Deductions).
Click Add via Excel. Depending on the tab, Bulk Payment Entry (Excel), Bulk Benefit Entry (Excel) or Bulk Deduction Entry (Excel) opens.
In Download the template, click Download Template. The template comes filled with the active employees you manage; type, payment method and period are picked from drop-down lists.
Fill in the template:
Enter a type and an amount on each row. Rows where both are empty are ignored. Copy a row to give the same employee more than one record.
For a one-off payment, enter the payment date (DD.MM.YYYY); it is paid in that month's payroll.
For a monthly record, enter a start and end month (e.g. 10.2026); every month in between is processed. A row can cover at most 36 months.
For an advance deduction, enter the deduction date (first installment month) and the installment count; the amount is the total advance. The file can contain at most one advance per employee.
The decimal separator is a comma (1250,50). Write 1500 or 1.500 instead of an ambiguous "1,500".
In Fill in and upload, choose the file (XLSX or XLS, max 10 MB, max 5000 rows) and click Check File.
The preview shows the row count and the To save, With errors and With warnings rows. Use Only rows with errors / warnings to focus on problem rows. The Result column shows the error of each row.
If any row has an error, fix it in Excel, upload the file again with Choose Another File and check it again. Nothing is saved while any row has an error.
When all rows are ready, click Save {count} Benefits (for payments and deductions Save {count} Payments / Save {count} Deductions) and confirm in the Confirm the entries window.
Result
All records are added at once and appear in the list of the relevant tab. The counter shows the Saved number. The records go into payroll exactly like records entered with the wizard. If you upload the same file again, the records are added a second time.
Common problems
Symptom: "Employee not found, or you have no permission for this employee's branch."
Cause: The ID Number, Employee ID or System ID on the row is not recognised, or the employee is outside the branches you manage.
Solution: Download the template again and copy the employee columns from it.
Symptom: "This type cannot be entered via Excel."
Cause: The type needs extra information and can only be entered with the wizard (see Before you start).
Solution: Remove the row from the file and enter it with Add Benefit, Add Payment or Add Deduction.
Symptom: A "this employee already has this record for the same month" warning.
Cause: The employee already has a record of the same type for the same month; the file may be uploaded twice.
Solution: The warning does not block saving. Continue if it is not a duplicate; delete the row if it is.
Symptom: "The payment falls in a closed payroll period."
Cause: The date or month falls in a closed payroll month.
Solution: Move it to an open month.