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Import employees for payroll
Typing forty employees one by one takes an afternoon. Fill one sheet, check it, and have the whole team ready for attendance and payroll in a few minutes.
Updated · 6 min read
In short
SimpleERP imports employees from a spreadsheet with codes, joining dates, departments, designations, PAN, Aadhaar and bank details. Every row is checked first, existing employees are matched and skipped, and the list is ready for salary structures and payroll.
To import employees, open Settings → Import data, choose Excel or Google Sheets, download the employees template, fill one row per person and upload it. SimpleERP checks every row, shows the problems, and creates the employees when you click Import. Only first name and joining date are required.
Which columns can the employee file have?
The employee file can have up to 21 columns, but only two are required. Leave a column out or leave a cell blank when you do not have the detail; you can add it later on the employee's profile.
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First name | Yes | Last name is a separate, optional column |
| Code | No | Assigned from your employee numbering when blank, for example EMP-0001 |
| Phone, email | No | Used to match people already in SimpleERP |
| Joining date | Yes | The date the person joined, not the cut-over date |
| Employment type | No | Full time, part time, contract or intern |
| Department, designation | No | Created by name when they do not exist yet |
| Branch | No | The branch the person works from |
| Date of birth, gender | No | Gender is male, female or other |
| PAN, Aadhaar | No | Checked for format, see below |
| Bank account name and number, IFSC | No | For salary transfers |
| Address, city, state, PIN | No | Home address |
Dates can be written as YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY, DD-MM-YYYY, D-MMM-YY or YYYYMMDD, and Excel dates are read as dates. Spaces around values are trimmed.
What does the check look for?
The check applies the same rules as the employee form, so anything it accepts would also save on screen. Each problem names the row and column.
| Field | Rule | Example that passes |
|---|---|---|
| PAN | Five letters, four digits, one letter | ABCDE1234F |
| Aadhaar | Exactly 12 digits | 123412341234 |
| IFSC | Four letters, a zero, then six letters or digits | HDFC0001234 |
| Bank account number | 6 to 18 digits | 50100123456789 |
| PIN code | Exactly 6 digits | 641018 |
| Date of birth | A warning, not an error, when it makes the person younger than 14 on the joining date | 1994-06-02 with joining 2021-07-01 |
| Same person twice | A row that repeats an earlier row is an error naming the first row | Remove the duplicate |
How are existing employees matched?
Each row is matched to people already in SimpleERP by employee code first, then phone, then email. A matched row is skipped, never overwritten, so the details you have already corrected on screen stay as they are.
- Code matches: skipped.
- No code, but the phone matches: skipped.
- No code or phone match, but the email matches: skipped.
- No match: created, with a new code from your numbering if the code cell is blank.
How do you import employees step by step?
Open Import data
Go to Settings → Import data and pick Excel or Google Sheets as the source.
Download the template
Use the employees template so the columns match on their own. Your own headers work too; check the matches the page suggests.
Fill and upload
One row per person. From Google Sheets, use File → Download → CSV. Drop the file on the page.
Check
Open the Employees card and click Check. Read the counts of people to create and skip, and the error table.
Fix and import
Correct the rows in the file and upload again, or tick Import valid rows only. Then click Import.
What comes next after the import?
After the import, the employees are ready for the rest of the people setup. Payroll needs three more things before the first run.
Salary structures
Give each employee a salary structure with basic, allowances and deductions. See salary structure and payroll components.
Attendance and leave
Mark attendance or let employees check in, and allocate leave. See HR, attendance and leave.
Run payroll
Run the month's payroll and review payslips before you post. See payroll software.
Who can see bank and ID details?
Bank account, PAN and Aadhaar are visible only to members with the HR employee manage permission, and to the employee on their own profile. Elsewhere they show masked, with only the last four characters. Importing employees needs the same permission.
Worked example: Lakshmi Steel Furnitures
Suppose Lakshmi Steel Furnitures has 18 people on payroll in Coimbatore. The office keeps them in an Excel sheet. Three are already in SimpleERP because the owner added them while trying the app.
| First name | Code | Phone | Joining date | Department | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murugan | 9843012345 | 15/06/2019 | Production | Welder | |
| Priya | LSF-07 | 9787012345 | 01/04/2022 | Accounts | Accountant |
| Karthik | 9952012345 | 03/01/2024 | Dispatch | Driver |
Check
The card shows 15 to create, 3 to skip and 1 error: row 9 has an IFSC of HDFC001234, one character short.
Fix
The accountant corrects it to HDFC0001234 in the sheet and uploads it again. Errors drop to zero.
Import
15 employees are created. Murugan and Karthik get the next codes from the numbering; Priya keeps LSF-07. Production, Dispatch and Accounts are created as departments.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can I import salary details with the employees?
No. The employee import brings people, not pay. Set up salary structures after the import, then run payroll from the next month.
Our employee codes follow our own pattern. Will SimpleERP change them?
No. A code in the file is kept as it is. Only blank codes get the next number from your employee numbering.
What if a department in my sheet is spelt two ways?
Departments are created by name, so "Accounts" and "Account" become two departments. Make the spelling the same in the file before you import.
Is it safe to upload Aadhaar and bank details?
The file is read in your browser and only the rows travel to SimpleERP when you check or import. After import, bank and ID details are visible only to HR managers and the employee.
I uploaded the same sheet twice. Do I now have duplicates?
No. The second upload matches everyone by code, phone or email and skips them.
Can I undo an employee import?
Yes, within 30 days from Previous imports on the same page, as long as nothing has been built on those employees yet, such as attendance or payslips.
Related
Keep reading
Migrate to SimpleERP
What to bring from Tally, Zoho Books, Vyapar, Busy or Excel, what stays in the old system, how to pick the start date and the order the Import data page follows.
Read moreFrom Excel or Google Sheets
Download a template per list, fill it in Excel or Google Sheets, and upload .xlsx or CSV files. Columns match by name and every row is checked first.
Read moreFix errors and undo
How the import check works, the common errors and their fixes, why a second upload never duplicates masters, and how to undo an import within 30 days.
Read moreSalary structure in India
Basic, HRA, allowances, PF, professional tax and TDS explained as concepts, with a worked payslip and a loss-of-pay example.
Read morePayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with PF, PT and TDS, posted to the books.
Read moreHR, attendance & leave
Employees, a daily attendance sheet, phone check-in, holidays and leave balances.
Read more
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