Do not import pay records with incomplete information or if the pay component is not valid for the employee. If one pay entry item fails, the entire check fails.
To import payroll, you must be set up with the correct submission method. Contact your local Paychex representative for additional information.
The provided template, Template for SPI Import, dictates the fields that can be in the file and the order in which they display. There is no ability to change the layout of the provided template when importing information.
Import a Payroll File
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Do not import pay records with incomplete information or if the pay component is not valid for the employee. If one pay entry item fails, the entire check fails. |
Click Browse Files to select files to import.
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Only one file can be imported at a time. Files are scanned or processed one at a time. A maximum of one file for the Payroll Import function with the status of Ready to Process is saved on the Paychex server at any time. |
When the file status displays as Ready to process, click Process. The selected file processes and imports.
After the file processes, review the File Status.
The Errors and Warnings icon 
displays when a file has a status of Completed with Errors and Warnings. Click to display a list of errors and warnings for the selected SEDI file.
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If the SPI file import process succeeds without warnings or errors, a Completed message displays. You can import more than one file per pay period. However, each file must be processed before the next file can be imported. |
An Errors and Warnings Report generates each time an import runs and error/warnings occur.
Review the SPI Specification Sheet for specific field information.
The order of the field names listed in the specification sheet is in the order the columns should display in the import file.
This file can be used to import data for payroll and manual checks. Checks can be added to the payroll or updated with additional items. Checks cannot be deleted. Earnings, deductions and withholding already saved to a check in Pay Entry cannot be modified by this file.
This is a fixed order file. All columns must be present and in the correct order.
A header row containing the names of the columns is not necessary.
File must be uploaded in .csv format.
Gross to Net, Net to Gross, Onsite, and Vendor checks cannot be imported with this file.
Employees can have more than one check in the file.
Employees can have more than one type of check in the file.
An individual check can have more than one row of information in the file.
Payroll Checks
Payroll checks are imported using the first 17 columns in the import file template (rows A through Q in the specification).
Earnings and deductions for a new payroll check are defined, row by row, in the import file. Each row defines one earning or deduction. See the section discussing Multi-row checks for more information.
Existing checks, already saved in Pay Entry can be added to using this file. See the file specification for the Check Seq Number column for details.
The Check Template column provides the ability to override the default template in Pay Entry with another template that has already been set up for the company. Only one check template can be applied per import file and it will apply to ALL payroll checks in the file. The name of the check template must be included in every payroll check row. See the specification for the Check Template column for details.
When importing payroll checks with a check template, your import file must also include a “version header” row that contains a 2 in the first position. This row is already included in the current SPI file template.
Pay Standard
Using the value, [Pay], in the Pay Component field of the import file invokes the Pay Standard functionality in Pay Entry.
Client ID, Worker ID, and the value [Pay] in the Pay Component column are required to create a Pay Standard check.
For an employee set up with standard hours and a default rate or salary, the check will be created using those values.
A check can also be created if there are scheduled recurring earnings (adds to pay) for the employee during the pay period.
Override fields (such as Org Unit, Labor Assignment, Job code, etc.) cannot be applied to Pay Standard checks. Overrides for pay standard checks should be done in pay entry.
Additional, non-recurring items can be added to the check during import. See the section on Multi-Row Checks for details.
Manual Checks (Entered Amounts)
Manual (Entered Amounts) checks can be imported using the SPI file. All of the data for the check must be included in the file.
Fields at the left end of the template are used to enter the earnings, deductions, units, and rate information for the Manual check.
Fields that apply only to Manual Checks begin at Output Type (Column R). These fields allow you to enter information about Taxes and Withholding.
When importing Manual checks the file must also include a “version header” row that contains a 2 in the first position. This is already included in the current SPI import file template.
Unfortunately, manual checks cannot be imported for PEO clients.
The SPI Import is backward compatible for time-clock vendors who may already have a 16-field file export in the SPI format that existed prior to January 2016. To be backwards compatible, the file must contain only the first 16 fields listed in the file specifications and should not include the version header row.
Pay Standard checks can be imported with the 16-field file format.
Multi-row Payroll, Pay Standard, and Manual checks can leverage the Check Sequence Number field (Check Seq Number) in the SPI file. The check sequence number tells the system which rows to group together in a single check. The system looks at the Worker ID, Pay Component, Output Method, and the Check Sequence Number to determine which checks to create.
Each row of a check must have the same value in the Check Sequence Number field. A blank is considered a value, so if there is only one check of any type in the import file for your employee, you do not need to provide a sequence number. If there is more than one check for an employee, each check must use a different sequence number.
If you are going to include more than one check for an employee in the import file, we strongly recommend that you use a unique check sequence number for each of the checks, regardless of their type. Do not leave the field blank.
Payroll Checks
You can import a multi-row Payroll check by including all of the earnings and deductions for the check as rows in the file. Each row must have the same check sequence number value. The field can be blank.
If the sequence number does not match any number already saved in Pay Entry, or a Pay Standard check sequence number in the file, a new check is created.
See the section on Adding Rows to Existing Payroll Checks for more information on a blank sequence number field.
Pay Standard Checks
You can add additional rows to a Pay Standard check with the import. To do this, the [Pay] record and the additional rows must have the same sequence number. Example: For the same employee, there is a [Pay] row and a Bonus row with the same sequence number. These will be included in the same check.
[Pay] records always create a new check.
If there is more than one [Pay] record with the same sequence number (including blank), these are considered duplicates; an error will generate and no check is created.
Once a [Pay] record has been imported and the check has been saved, you can add additional rows through import the same way you add them to a Payroll Check. See the section on Adding Rows to Existing Payroll Checks.
Manual (Entered Amounts) Checks
In addition to the other required fields for Manual checks, all of the rows for a Manual check must have the same check sequence number field value. The fields can contain a number or be left blank.
You can use import to add rows to a Payroll check that has already been saved in Pay Entry. You cannot add additional rows to a Manual check.
To add rows to a saved Payroll check, the import file rows must contain a check sequence number that matches the check’s number in Pay Entry. However, be aware that the import process will always try to include rows in the file into checks being created by the file. Rows will be appended to saved checks only if they cannot be included in new checks. This is why the check sequence number is important.
If your sequence number matches one already in Pay Entry and doesn’t match a Pay Standard check sequence number in the file, the row will be added to the check in Pay Entry.
If your sequence number is left blank and there is a Pay Standard check with a blank check sequence number, the row will be added to the Pay Standard check. Otherwise, it will be added to check 1 in Pay Entry.
If your sequence number matches both a check saved in Pay Entry and a Pay Standard check, the row will be included in the Pay Standard check.
Appending is not allowed for Manual checks. Import only creates new Manual checks.
When there is no rate information in an import record for hourly employees, import will look for and apply a rate that has been set up for the employee. The priority for applying rates to imported checks is:
Rate, Rate Number or Amount in the import file
Override Labor Assignment in the import file
Home Labor Assignment on the employee
Override Job in the import file
Home Job set up on the employee
‘Always use this rate’ set up for Pay Entry
Standard (default) Rate set up for the employee
If there is no rate or rate number for salaried employees, the hours will be applied as memo hours. You may also memo hours by applying a 0.00 rate or rate #6.
