The timesheet upload feature will allow you to bulk import contractor timesheet information to create invoices for payroll. First, you need to set up your timesheet definition and link it to the agency that you want to bulk import the timesheets - see Timesheet Settings to learn how to set up timesheet definitions. Once definitions have been created you can start importing your timesheet data.
The process of uploading a timesheet takes 3 steps:-
Choosing and importing your file.
Matching your imported data to your system data.
Finalising and generating invoices.
The next three sections will walk you through each of these three steps plus understanding the screens.
Timesheet Upload Step 1
Navigate to Payroll>Preparation>Timesheet Upload.
Select the definition from the list which matches the format of the file you want to import
3. Click on the section which says 'Select file...', this will open a file explorer for you to search for your document in your system.
4. Once you have found the document, select the file and click on open.
NOTE: the file should be in XLS or XLSX format. A maximum of 5000 lines will be read and any blank rows will be ignored.
5. Your file will now show in the screen, to complete the import choose the week ending date that the timesheet data applies and the date you want for the invoice which will be raised (the invoice date will default to the system date).
6. Press “upload Statement”, a pop up box will appear asking are you sure you want to proceed, press “proceed”
7. The upload will appear in the “timesheet History View” at the bottom of the screen.
8. The Import of the file is now complete. The Step 2 section will explain how to go about matching your data.
Timesheet Upload Step 2
Now you have uploaded your file, Click on the hyperlink “Step 1” under the status column for the timesheet data you need to match. This will take you to the step 2 screen which will look similar to the below.
Understanding Timesheet Upload Step 2
At the top of the screen will be a summary box, this tells you the week ending date, the uploaded date, the name of the definition that was used and the name of the file that was imported.
There is then a summary box indicating the total monetary value of the lines imported, the total monetary value of the lines imported that have matched to a contractor in the system and the total monetary value of the lines imported that are unmatched and need to be mapped to contractor before an invoice can be raised in the system (See Timesheet Upload – Mapping Unmatched data to learn how to map the data)
The Ready to Map section has two tabs of Un-Matched Data and Matched Data and it will default to showing Un-Matched Data (See Timesheet Upload – Mapping Unmatched data to learn how to map the data)
Mapping Unmatched Data
To map any ‘unmatched’ data select the map button under ‘Action’ highlighted below.
This will bring up a search box, which you can use to find all the contractors with an assignment linked to the customer(s) you are importing for.
Once you find the contractor to map the timesheet to, click update and it will map the worker. You should see the timesheet move to the Matched data section and now your total un-matched will reduce. That way you know it has been completed.
The payroll system remembers previous mappings, so if the format is the same the following week it will auto map to the same contractor.
PLEASE NOTE - Any timesheet rows that have to be manually mapped will default the frequency type to the following unless overridden in payroll settings:
Any rate that is £70 or more will default to a day rate.
Any rate lower than £70 will default to an hourly rate.
This means you will want to check the frequency of any manually mapped timesheet rows to ensure the import is correct.
To override the Day Rate at company level please go to Company Set up > Payroll Settings.
To override the Day Rate at Customer level, please select the Customer (Financial Accounting > Customers) and go to Payroll Settings.
Editing The Frequency & NMW Hours
At step 2, you have the ability to change the frequency type and NMW hours for that worker. To do this you select the edit button shown below.
You will then have a pop up on screen, allowing you to edit the frequency and NMW hours for that row.
PLEASE NOTE - If you are editing the frequency to expenses or units, the NMW hours will be restricted to 0.
Bulk Updating The Frequency
You also have the ability to bulk update several rows at once whilst at step 2 of a timesheet upload. This is a great feature for when you notice expenses have been imported as hours! All you need to do is select the frequency you want the rows updating to, as shown below.
Then you select the rows you want updating and press update, easy as that! 😎
PLEASE NOTE - Based on your frequency you may not be able to select certain rows. For example, if you select expenses to bulk update, the system will not allow you to update any SEMP/CIS workers. The same can be said for Materials and CON/CAE workers.
Creating Assignments
If you have unmatched data due to a missing assignment, then hit the "+Create Assignment" button in the main screenshot above. This should bring a slider to your screen.
Customer – This will be the customer you are importing for. If you have linked your timesheet setting to one customer, you will only have this one option.
Director/Contractor – Search for the contractor that is missing an assignment.
Start Date – If you do not have an official start date you can put it as the W/C date for the work the contractor carried out.
End Date – Again if you do not have an official end date you can default this to 2 years after the start date.
It is important to note this will only create an assignment with minimal details. Things such as end client, location or unique agency ID will have to be amended in the assignments tab or people hub record.
From there you can map the timesheet using the same process in Timesheet Upload – Mapping Unmatched data.
Creating Ghosts
If the worker has not been registered yet but the client requires an invoice, MDA allows you to create a ghost record for this worker.
To create a ghost record you first need to select the contractor who needs a ghost record creating and select ‘Create Ghost’ as shown below.
This will bring the below slider to screen.
Customer - the client you are raising timesheets for.
Role - Choose the role the worker is likely to be paid through, the options are Contractor / Self Employed / Contractor as Employee. This is important to get right as each will have different invoicing rules.
Frequency – Choice between monthly or weekly.
Once created the timesheet will auto-map correctly. You will notice his person type now shows as 'Ghost'
In order to run the invoice through payroll you will need to map the live contractor to the ghost record.
You can see how to map the live employee and the ghost record together in People – Manage Ghosts.
Timesheet Upload Step 3
Once you are happy everyone is mapped correctly then we can proceed to the next step, to do this hit the ‘Next’ box in the bottom right. You will be brought to the following screen.
This screen is the final check to make sure you are happy with the import and everything is ready to be invoiced. Once you are happy with everything hit finish in the bottom right.
The system will bring you back to the Timesheet Import screen and you will see your import under the ‘Timesheet History View’
The status will show as ‘Processing’ until it is complete. This is usually instant but depending on the size of your import can take a couple minutes. You can hit the ‘Refresh’ button to see where the import is up to.
When the ‘Status’ has updated to Completed you will see the ‘Total records’ and ‘Matched Amount’.
You will also be able to download an excel with all the details uploaded in the ‘Action’ column.