Export payroll-ready timesheets without retyping hours
Quick tips
- Close exceptions before you export.
- Use the payroll report for the exact period you send to payroll.
- Include bonus columns only after the rules are configured correctly.
- Make the export part of a written payday checklist.
What has to be true before you export
Three things: exceptions are cleared, the pay period matches what payroll expects, and any bonus rules that should appear are already configured. Exporting before those are settled produces a file you will export again.
Clean hours are the whole point. TimelyHours already holds the clocks, the approvals, and the period math, so the export should be the last mile rather than a second round of data entry.
Matching the report period to your payroll calendar
The period boundary is the most common source of quiet errors. A weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly cycle each has a different anchor, and a report pulled for the wrong window will look completely plausible while being wrong.
Set the pay period in store payroll settings once so the report defaults correctly, rather than selecting dates by hand every time and eventually selecting them wrong.
Getting bonuses into the same file
When incentives are configured as rules, the amounts can appear as columns on the payroll report instead of living in a manager notebook. That is the difference between a bonus that gets paid on time and one that gets remembered late.
If you edit a bonus rule after exporting, export again. The file is a snapshot, not a live view.
A payday checklist worth writing down
Review exceptions, confirm the period, export, send. Four steps, same order, every time. The value is not in any individual step but in the fact that doing it identically removes the category of error where something was simply skipped.
Reports export to Excel or CSV, which any payroll provider can accept. Direct payroll integrations are on the roadmap, but a clean file has the advantage of working with whatever you already use.
Common questions
- What file format do payroll exports use?
- Excel or CSV. Both are accepted by essentially every payroll provider and can be reviewed before you send them, which is a useful last checkpoint.
- What should you check before submitting timesheets to payroll?
- Clear any open clock exceptions, confirm the report period matches the payroll calendar exactly, and verify that configured bonus amounts are appearing as expected. Those three checks catch the large majority of payroll corrections before they happen.
- Does TimelyHours integrate directly with payroll providers?
- Not currently. You export payroll-ready reports in Excel or CSV and submit them to your provider. Direct integrations are on the roadmap.
Keep reading
Clear open time clock exceptions every morning
Late clocks, missed shifts, and out-of-range punches pile up quietly. A five-minute morning review keeps payroll clean and reports trustworthy.
Set up bonus rules and pay-period timing so payouts land correctly
Wrong timing or the wrong rule type is why a bonus "does not show." Align the rule with how your pay period actually runs.
Control overtime costs during the pay period, not after payday
Overtime is cheapest to fix mid-week. Reports show the climb while you can still move a shift.