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Bulk-import employees via CSV file

James Nixon
Updated
EH Content Team

Available for the following HR plans: Premium, Platinum
Available for the following user access level: Admin    

Updating your employee records individually is a very time-consuming process, which is why a CSV bulk uploading feature is essential.

This article explains how to use the Import Employees feature. This feature lets you choose from a pre-prepared template or your own CSV file and then bulk upload the data to your HR platform. It also includes a field mapping product so you can customise the location of specific data fields in your CSV file.

Helpful Hint

Currently, you cannot use the Bulk Import feature to update Account Emails. This is due to the Account Email being used to map the changes in the CSV File to the correlating HR File.

  Interactive learning

Click here for an interactive demo

Getting started

Bulk upload using a CSV file

Important

Within your CSV file, address details, such as street address and country, will need to be grouped together for a successful import.

Warning

Please do not delete any of the columns in your CSV file. If you delete or remove columns in your CSV file and upload it into the platform, this will result in clearing some of your data on the platform too. This will lead to errors and affect your records and system.

  1. Click the  People menu.
  2. Click the Import Employees submenu.
  3. Choose the template you need:
    • Advanced Import Employees (including pay details).
    • Quick Import Employees.
    • Update Employee Employment Details.
    • Update Employee Custom Fields.
  4. Choose whether to:
    • Include existing user information.
    • Include terminated users.
  5. Click the Download button.
    screenshot of the import employees screen, highlighting the download button
  6. Enter the required details in the template you downloaded.
  7. Save the changes you made to the file.

  8. To upload the edited file, you can either:

    • Click the Upload tile and select the file; Or
    • Drag the file to the Upload tile.

    screenshot of the import employees screen, highlighting the upload tile

  9. Click the Yes button.
    screenshot of the import file popup, highlighting the yes button
  10. Map the columns in the CSV file to the correct fields in the HR platform.

     

    Important

    If the Contract Type column is included in the CSV then it must have one of the available options (Permanent or Fixed Term) filled in - it cannot be left blank.

  11. Click the Continue button.
    screenshot of the import employees page, highlighting the continue button

     

    Helpful Hint

    The platform will show a list of any errors that need to be corrected. Otherwise, you will see the Imported Successfully page, where you can see the number of employee records created or updated.

    You can click the Go to Employee Page button to view them.

    screenshot of the import employees page, showing that the import was successful

Helpful Hint

This will trigger email invitations to new employees that you have just imported, inviting them to create their HR/Employment Hero Work account password in Employment Hero Work app, and begin the onboarding process.

Further information

How do I get the most out of this feature?

We would recommend using the pre-prepared sample CSV templates available. We have listed some tips on how to best use these templates and make sure a successful upload of your data below:

  • We recommend adding a personal email in the Account Email column. Employees will then still be able to log in to access their read-only information after they leave your organisation. 
  • Do not use a generic email for your employees, for example, info@company.com. 
  • If you receive any error messages during your upload, the error message always corresponds to the following row. For example, an error in row one means the error is in row two, and so on. 
  • Fields with an asterisk are mandatory fields, and you must complete these fields.
  • Follow all naming conventions referenced in the column headers of your CSV. For example, if an employee is in multiple teams (such as HR, Admin, and Payroll), you must separate those team names with the following symbol: | (in other words, it should look like this: Anne Example HR | Admin | Payroll).
  • In the Update Employee Employment Details csv, Start Dates and Job Titles are interdependent. You can not complete one field without the other. 
  • In the Advanced Import Employees (including Pay Details) csv, Salary and Pay Details effective date are interdependent. You can not complete one field without the other. 
  • Downloading the Advanced Import Employees (including Pay Details) csv removes the leading zeroes from sort codes and account numbers. You must reformat these columns by making the column custom and adding six zeros for sort codes and eight zeros for account numbers. 
How do I update employee teams and reporting lines?

We recommend you have your employees' data in Employment Hero before you assign their teams and managers. You can then use the Update Employment Details template to assign teams and primary/secondary managers to employees in bulk.

Common CSV import errors

If you receive errors when bulk-updating employees via a CSV file, try separating employees into different files based on their employment type or other key differences. Then, upload each group separately. As an example: if your CSV file includes both hourly and salaried employees and you are encountering an error, remove the hourly employees and save them in a separate file. Then start by uploading the salaried employees using one file then uploading the hourly employees using the other file. This helps prevent formatting conflicts and ensures a smoother update process.

General issues
Additional spaces If a cell contains a space at the beginning or end, it can cause an upload error. To prevent this, check for and remove any extra spaces before uploading your file.
Format errors

When copying from Excel to CSV, the format changes. This also changes the data, most often with numbers that have leading zeros, such as BSBs and phone numbers.

You will need to reformat the column to a custom format that includes the zero.
Adding hyphens

Bank details are the most common to have added hyphens. There should not be hyphens in these sections.
Data missing from columns linked to other columns

When inputting data into certain columns, you will need to fill out others. Examples are the super columns, banking columns, and tax columns.

If you do not have all the data, it is better to delete all these related columns before upload. You can come back instead when you have the data.
Missing column header

Ensure every column has a header and that no data exists in a cell without a corresponding header.
Uploading the advanced spreadsheet when Payroll settings are turned off The platform will not allow this action. You need to delete all columns that have disappeared along with payroll settings, and then upload.
Missing surnames Ensure every employee has a surname. If any surnames are missing, either remove those employees from the file or add the missing surnames.
Blank columns If optional columns (e.g., the 'Cost Centre' and 'Primary & Secondary Managers' columns) have no data, delete them from the CSV to prevent errors. Keep only mandatory fields marked with asterisks.
Missing mandatory fields Ensure all mandatory fields (marked with an asterisk) are filled out before uploading. Missing mandatory fields will cause the upload to fail.
Leading zeros appear in dates If leading zeros appear in dates where they are not allowed, revise the formatting rules and remove them.
General errors persist If general errors persist, try uploading a smaller dataset (e.g., a file with only three employees) to manually pinpoint errors before reattempting to upload the full list.
Importing errors
If an import error occurs, the Payroll platform will outline which row the error has occurred on. Please note that the platform will start counting the rows from the first employee on your CSV file, it does not consider the heading row. This means if an error is listed on row 10 for example, please refer to row 11 on your Excel file to resolve the issue.
To resolve import errors, follow the below steps:
  1. Download the attached file in Step 1.
  2. Open the downloaded file and fix the errors. The errors will appear in the red text and will display the row in which the error needs to be resolved.
    CSV file import errors
  3. Re-upload the corrected CSV file.
A - F
ABN Incorrect number of digits.
Account Columns
  • Hyphens being included.
  • Not 6 digits.
  • Including alpha characters.
  • Space between digits 3 and 4.
Account email Account emails can only be changed within the person’s profile, not via CSV. If you change someone’s account email in the CSV, you will create a new employee.
Account Number Columns
  • Spaces in the numbers.
  • Hyphens in the numbers.
  • Including alpha characters.
Additional Cost Centres
  • Adding ‌a cost centre before updating from the Payroll platform. If it has been added to the Payroll platform and not re-synced to Employment Hero, Employment Hero will think it does not exist.
  • Not utilising the '|' symbol to separate multiple additional cost centres.
Allocated Percentage Columns Empty for those with multiple accounts.
Anniversary date [dd/mm/yyyy] Not in dd/mm/yyyy format.
Classification
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a combination that does not exist.
Company Landline
  • Leading zero being dropped.
  • Spaces being added.
Company Mobile
  • Leading zero being dropped.
  • Spaces being added.
Contract type [Permanent|Fixed term]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
  • Leaving blank for Full-time or Part-time employment types.
  • Head to the 'Contract Type' column in your CSV file and enter either Permanent or Fixed Term, depending on the employees employment status.
Contract type is only applicable for full-time and part-time employment types.
  • Ensure the 'Contract Type' field is left blank for independent contractors
  • Anniversary Date: If an employee is assigned to an award (Classification, Industrial Instrument and/or Pay rate Template), they will need to have an anniversary date listed. This is the anniversary date of the pay rate and indicates when the employee may be eligible for their next pay increase based on the award settings.
Could not assign the correct Pay Rate Template to employee This error occurs when the pay rate template listed in the CSV data does not align with the classification and/or industrial instrument selected for the employee. Please ensure the correct pay rate template is listed.
Date of birth Not in dd/mm/yyyy format.
Employing Entity Misspelling.
Employment type [Full-time | Part-time | Casual]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
End Date

Not in dd/mm/yyyy format.
ESA Details missing from one column that is related to the others.
Fixed Amount Columns Leaving empty.
G - L
Gender [Female | Male | Non-binary | Prefer not to say]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
Home Phone
  • Leading zero being dropped.
  • Spaces being added.
Industrial Instrument
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a combination that does not exist.
Job Title Leaving empty.
Leave allowance templates

To rename leave allowance templates (LATs) in the payroll platform so that the same name is not used against different templates. If awards are in use, it may be helpful to amend the name of the template to include the award number at the end to help differentiate the LATs.
Line 1 contains empty header or columns

This occurs when the CSV file has empty columns at the end of the document. To open this, open the file, delete or all needed 'Columns' and then save as CSV again.
Line 0 unfortunately an error has occurred

This error tends to occur when mandatory columns are removed from the CSV file. For more information on what columns are required when updating certain fields, please refer to the section CSV fields that need updating together in this article.
M - R
Marital status [Single | Married | In a Relationship]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
Nationality
  • Listing a nationality that is not listed.
  • Misspelling.
Pay category
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting an option that does not exist in your platform.
Pay details - Effective from [dd/mm/yyyy]
  • Not in dd/mm/yyyy format.
  • Not updating this field when you are attempting to create a new salary line.

  • Please ensure a date is listed in the Pay details - effective from column.
Pay Rate Template
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a combination that does not exist.
Pay schedule
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting an option that does not exist in your platform.
Personal Mobile Number
  • Leading zero being dropped.
  • Spaces being added.
Primary Cost Centre
  • Adding ‌a cost centre before updating from Payroll. If it has been added to the Payroll platform and not re-synced to HR, HR will think it does not exist.
  • Not utilising the '|' symbol to separate multiple additional cost centres.
Primary Manager Email
  • Putting an email that is not the account email for the manager.
  • Putting the manager’s name instead of an email.
S - Z
Salary option [Annum | Month | Fortnight | Hour]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
Secondary Manager Email
  • Putting an email that is not the account email for the manager.
  • Putting the manager’s name instead of an email.
SMSF Account Name Details missing from one column that is related to the others.
SMSF Account Number Details missing from one column that is related to the others.
SMSF BSB Details missing from one column that is related to the others.
SPIN/USI Pasted in incorrectly, causing error in cell.
Start Date

Not in dd/mm/yyyy format.
Super Account Name Details missing from one column that is related to the others.
Super Choice [Regulated | SMSF | Company nominated]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting an option that does not exist in your platform.
Super Fund ABN
  • Not enough digits.
  • Spaces being added.
Super Member Number Details missing from one column that is related to the others.
Tax File Number
  • Inputting asterisks instead of numbers (most common with Xero and MYOB clients).
  • Hyphens listed.
  • Spaces being added.
  • Less than 9 digits.
Team [separate multiple teams with '|'] Not utilising the '|' symbol to separate multiple teams.
Termination Date
  • Not in dd/mm/yyyy format.
  • Missing when termination type is populated.
Timesheets [Enabled | Disabled | EnabledForExceptions]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
Title [Mr | Ms | Mrs | Miss | Dr | Mx]
  • Misspelling.
  • Adding a full stop at the end.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
Type [Employee | Contractor]
  • Misspelling.
  • Inputting a type that is not listed.
Unable to touch historical versions File imports are only able to update the 'current' salary record on an employees profile or create a new record. It is not possible to amend previous salary records. To resolve this error, please ensure the Pay details - effective date matches the date listed on the employee's current salary details or list a new date to create a new salary record.

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