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Upload allowances to payslips

This article is for Australian Xero users; setup and features are specific to that region. NZ allowances can be uploaded as usual via Payslips. UK users cannot currently upload to Payslips until Xero enables it. See Payroll (NZ & UK) overview.
How allowances are uploaded in UpSheets depends on how they are set up as Pay Items in Xero. Allowances can be added to an employee payslip using the Payslips upload option. If you want to upload an allowance as a timesheet instead, the Xero pay item must be set up correctly first. They may be uploaded as timesheets if they:
  • Have Rate Type = Multiple; or
  • Have Rate Type = Rate per unit and Type of units = hours; or
  • Have Rate Type = Rate per unit and Type of units = the same time unit used for the employee’s Ordinary Earnings Type (Days, Weeks, etc.)
There is no single right approach - it depends on what suits your business. If your pay items are set up for timesheets and you do not currently use the Payslips upload, uploading allowances as timesheets is often easier. If those settings are not in place, the allowance should be uploaded through Payslips instead. For the timesheet rules, see Valid Earnings Rates.

Pay Item Setup

Below are the main ways allowance pay items can be set up in Xero: Download a sample CSV file

Fixed Amount

A fixed allowance lets you upload a fixed dollar amount to the payslip for an employee. The upload file must contain:
  • first_name and last_name, or full_name
  • type (the name of the Pay Item)
  • rate (the total dollar amount)
  • calculation_type (FIXED AMOUNT)
Fixed Amount Allowance Setup

Fixed Amount Allowance setup in Xero

Rate per Unit

A rate per unit allowance lets you upload a rate and a unit to the payslip for an employee. The upload file must contain:
  • first_name and last_name, or full_name
  • type (the name of the Pay Item)
  • rate (the rate per unit)
  • hours (the number of units)
Rate Per Unit Allowance Setup

Rate Per Unit Allowance setup in Xero

Rate per Unit (Preset)

A rate per unit (preset) allowance lets you upload the number of units to the payslip when the rate is set on the Pay Item in Xero. The upload file must contain:
  • first_name and last_name, or full_name
  • type (the name of the Pay Item)
  • hours (the number of units)
Rate Per Unit Preset Allowance Setup

Rate Per Unit Preset Allowance setup in Xero

Multiple

Multiple allowances let you upload the number of units that are a multiple of the ordinary earnings rate for each employee. These must be uploaded as timesheet lines or validation will likely fail on the payslip upload.
Multiple Preset Allowance Setup

Multiple Preset Allowance setup in Xero

Upload and validation

The Payslips upload option is required to add allowances to a payslip; the payslip must already exist in Xero. When validated, the allowances appear as below:
Validated

Allowances validated in UpSheets

Payslip

After upload, the allowances appear on the payslip in Xero as shown below:
Validated

Allowances on payslip in Xero