Employee Payroll Elections

Activate User's Guide
Version
2025.1
Employee Payroll Elections

Use the Employee Payroll Elections wizard to load recurring employee deduction and earning elections that are scheduled to apply at a predefined frequency. You can load the remaining balances for deductions that are configured as a declining balance, and identify any duplicate deductions and earnings.

Important notes

Note: Don’t use this import to load codes that belong to a Dayforce Benefit Plan.

Note: For the Implementation team: When an implementation is close to the cutover date, you can use this wizard to load payroll elections more than one time. You can also refresh the wizard with new data to clear and then reload the data.

Note: Activate users with Preceda selected as the Ascender Migration Type can use this wizard to select multiple files to upload from your computer in a single step. See Preceda Centralized Data Loads.

Before you begin

The following must have taken place:

  • Confirmed that no duplicated Earning/Deduction names or reference codes exist in Dayforce.
  • Enabled the is Generated flag in Dayforce for recurring Earnings.
  • Assigned the pay groups and default frequency to the earning and deduction definitions.
  • Completed any necessary Payee setups and assigned the default Payee to the definitions.
  • If using Dayforce Benefits, remove any records that belong to a benefit plan.
  • Removed deductions that represent taxes or worker's compensation.

Key concepts

Payroll elections are used to set earnings and deductions for employees’ pay. Using payroll elections, you can specify:

  • The generated earnings that an employee gets.
  • The deductions that are applied to an employee’s pay.
  • Employee-specific amounts, or limits, for generated earnings or deductions.
  • The balance of the outstanding loans.
  • Transactions associated with outstanding loans or balances that are in arrears.

You map any new deduction or election codes found to existing deductions and earnings in Dayforce.

Tasks

To complete and upload deduction and earning elections:
  1. In Activate Central, click Load Your Data. The Load Your Data wizards are shown.
  2. Click Employee Payroll Elections.
  3. On the What you need to confirm before you start page, review the information and select the checkboxes to confirm that you’ve completed the tasks.
  4. Click Next.
  5. On the Load page, click Download all templates.

    Note: If you only want to download either the Deduction Elections or the Earning Elections, click Download for the appropriate template.

  6. Select the location where you want to save the template documents.
  7. Open the template (DeductionElection.xlsx and EarningElection.xlsx) on your computer.
  8. On the DeductionElectionData tab or the EarningElectionData tab, complete all columns with the data for all employees in the organization.

    Note: The Activate release version shows in cell B3 on the Instructions tab of the template. This information helps you later determine the version of Activate you were using when you downloaded the template.

    Note: Instructions for populating the fields are in the Deduction Election Template Fields and Earning Election Template Fields sections (below) and on the Instructions tab of the template.

  9. Click Save and close the templates.

    You can use any file name for the template you upload. The file must be an Excel or CSV (Comma-Separated Value) document and contain the data in the required format.

    Important: Don’t change the name of the tab in the template. Activate uses the tab name to validate that the correct template is being uploaded. In addition, don’t change the column headings.

  10. On the Load page, click Upload files.
  11. Go to your completed Deduction Election or Earning Election template where you saved it on your computer.
  12. Click Open. Activate validates the data.

    Note: If the uploaded file has errors, a Validation Failed message shows in red at the bottom of the page. You must correct the errors in the file on your computer and upload the file again.

    Note: When you upload an Excel file, Activate includes the name of the uploaded file into the name of the XML file it generates and loads to the Dayforce File Server. The format of the generated XML file name is <NamespaceName>_<Import Type>_<file name provided>_YYY-MM-DD_HHMM. This information makes it easier to audit files later.

  13. Click Next. The payroll mappings are derived directly from the customer data.

    New mappings often result when:

    • Incorrect values are pulled into the file.
    • The file is updated after it was obtained.
    • There were actual changes in the source system between data loads.
  14. If the uploaded files will generate new payroll mappings, a message states that you must map all new items on the upcoming pages. Click one of the following:
    • No to stop and return to the Load page. You can upload a corrected file, if needed.
    • Yes to continue. The mapping page opens.

    You can click Download to generate a file with the mapping information.

To install deduction and earning information:

When the deduction and earning information is complete in Activate, you must install the data in Dayforce.

  1. On the Review & Load page, review the information, and make any necessary corrections:
    1. Click the appropriate link to download the mapping files.
    2. Select the location on your computer where you want to save the files.
    3. Making the corrections to the files.
    4. Click Upload New File(s).
    5. Click Re-Validate to confirm that there are no errors.
  2. When all corrections are complete, click Done & Install.

    A summarized list of the elements to be prepared, created, and installed shows. An estimate indicates how long the installation should take to complete.

    During the installation, the current step in the process shows in bold text so you can monitor the progress.

    Important: If someone is signed directly in to Dayforce and potentially applying manual configuration, Activate shows a warning at Done & Install. Don’t continue with the Activate installation if users are actively applying configuration changes. Users’ changes might be lost if a failure occurs during the Activate installation. Download the User Report and follow up with the team members before you continue with the Activate wizard.

  3. Click one of the following:
    • Add Email and enter your email address to receive an email when the installation process ends, instead of waiting for it to finish.
    • Next w hen the installation is complete.

    Activate Central opens with the name of the Wizard now shown in green text and a green checkmark to the left of the wizard’s name. The current day, date, and time of completion are included, along with your name as the user who completed the Wizard. The environment in which the installation was applied (Stage, Config, or Train) is also shown.

    Note: If you want to add more information, click I want to add more. See Executing a Rollback When Using the “Add More“ Feature in the Payroll Wizards.

To review and update deduction election mappings:
  1. On the Mapping page, confirm that all Dayforce deductions are aligned with the appropriate code.
  2. For any deductions that are incorrectly aligned, click the drop-down list in the HCM Deduction column for that deduction and select the correct deduction.

    Note: If you select an incorrect deduction, the Error icon () shows next to the selected deduction. You must select a correct deduction to continue.

    Note: If you select the "Drop Deduction from import" option, Activate ignores the deduction and it isn’t included in the election file. Activate retains the previous mapping, unchanged, and it’s available for use in elections, if needed.

    Note: Activate shares the deduction code mappings across all environments (Config, Stage, and Train) so you don't have to reconfigure each time you use a different environment.

    Note: Deductions that are mapped to earnings show with the “Map as Earning“ option selected. If you select a deduction code instead of “Map as Earning,“ the rows in the deduction file transform to the corresponding deduction code in the XML and not to an earning. If you select “Drop Deduction from Import“ instead of “Map as Earning,“ the rows in the deduction file are dropped from the XML but aren’t transformed to a deduction or an earning. If you revert the deduction mapping but load the same code in the Earning file, it’s handled the same as the previously existing earning mapping.

  3. Click Next.
To review and update earning election mappings:
  1. On the Mapping page, confirm that all Dayforce earnings are aligned with the appropriate code.
  2. For any earnings that are incorrectly aligned, click the drop-down list in the HCM Earning column for that earning and select the correct earning.

    Note: If you select an incorrect earning, the Error icon () shows next to the selected earning. You must select a correct earning to continue.

    Note: If you select the "Drop Earning from import" option, Activate ignores the earning and it isn’t included in the election file. Activate keeps the previous mapping, unchanged, and it’s s available for use in elections.

    Note: Activate shares the earnings code mappings across all environments (Config, Stage, and Train). This information means that you don't have to reconfigure each time you use a different environment.

    Note: Deductions that are mapped to earnings show with the “Map as Earning“ option selected. If you select a deduction code instead of “Map as Earning,“ the rows in the deduction file transform to the corresponding deduction code in the XML and not to an earning. If you select “Drop Deduction from Import“ instead of “Map as Earning,“ the rows in the deduction file are dropped from the XML but aren’t transformed to a deduction or an earning. If you revert the deduction mapping but load the same code in the Earning file, it’s handled the same as the previously existing earning mapping.

  3. Click Next.

Results

Fields populated in Dayforce

The data uploaded from the Deduction Election template populates the fields on the following pages in Dayforce.

Note: You must select an employee if you haven’t already done so.

Dayforce fields populated by the Deduction Election template
Field in Template Field in Dayforce Pages in Dayforce
Payroll Identifier —

 

 

 

For configuration, the information
shows on the Earnings and
Deductions page (Payroll
Setup > Earnings and Deductions).

When the data is loaded for Parallel
and Go Live, this information shows
on the Payroll Elections page (People icon
> Payroll > Payroll Elections).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Employee Identifier Employee Reference / Number
First Name First Name
Last Name Last Name
Deduction Code Name / Code
Deduction Description Description
Effective Start Date Effective Start
Effective End Date Effective End
Amount Amount
Percent Amount
Frequency of Deduction Schedule
Remaining Balance —
Limit Value —
Payee —
Payee Value —

The data uploaded from the Earning Election template populates the fields on the following pages in Dayforce.

Dayforce fields populated by the Earning Election template
Field in Template Field in Dayforce Pages in Dayforce

Payroll Identifier

 —

 

 

For configuration, the information
ends up on the Payroll Setup,
Earnings, and Deductions page.

When the data is loaded for Parallel
and Go Live, this information ends up
on the Employee, Payroll, Payroll
Elections page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employee Identifier

 Employee Reference / Number

First Name

 First Name

Last Name

 Last Name
Earning Code Name / Code
Earning Description Description
Effective Start Date Effective Start
Effective End Date Effective End
Amount Amount
Percent Amount
Frequency of Earning Schedule
Limit Value

—
Payee

—
Payee Value

—
File generated by the Employee Payroll Elections Data wizard

After completing the Employee Payroll Elections wizard, a single import file is automatically generated and placed on the customer’s FTP site.

Employee Election Import

  • FTP Subdirectory: Import/EmployeeElectionImport
  • Filename: <Namespace>-EmployeeElectionImport-<DateTime>.xml
For an example illustrating how Activate translates the template data to XML, click here:
Copy 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<EmployeeElectionImport>
    <ElectionImport>
        <ClientXrefCode>configwizard_49</ClientXrefCode>
        <EmployeeElection>
            <Employee>
                <EmployeeXrefCode>961209</EmployeeXrefCode>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Deduction</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>OTHER_POSTTAX_5</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <Amount>10.000</Amount>
                </Election>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Deduction</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>OTHER_POSTTAX_PCT_1</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <PercentValue>10.000</PercentValue>
                </Election>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Deduction</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>OTHER_POSTTAX_9</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <Amount>10.000</Amount>
                </Election>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Earning</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>MISC_PCT</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <PercentValue>10.000</PercentValue>
                </Election>
            </Employee>
            <Employee>
                <EmployeeXrefCode>961014</EmployeeXrefCode>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Deduction</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>OTHER_POSTTAX</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <Amount>10.000</Amount>
                </Election>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Deduction</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>OTHER_POSTTAX_PCT</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <PercentValue>10.000</PercentValue>
                </Election>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Deduction</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>OTHER_POSTTAX_2</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <Amount>10.000</Amount>
                </Election>
                <Election>
                    <EarnDeductType>Earning</EarnDeductType>
                    <EarnDeductXrefCode>MISC_PCT</EarnDeductXrefCode>
                    <EffectiveStartDate>2017-01-01</EffectiveStartDate>
                    <PercentValue>10.000</PercentValue>
                </Election>
            </Employee>
        </EmployeeElection>
    </ElectionImport>
</EmployeeElectionImport>

Activate also generates the following report to help with Employee Election validation.

  • FTP Subdirectory: EmployeeElectionImport/ActivateValidationReports
  • Filename: <Namespace>-ActivatePayrollElectionValidationReports-<DateTimeStart> - <DateTimeEnd>.xlsx

Next steps

Complete the next wizard, as appropriate.

Employee Payroll Elections templates

All templates have the same basic structure:

  • Instructions tab: Helps you understand the purpose of the data and complete the fields in the template.
  • Data tab: Contains headers for the data to be included in the template. The headers remain the same, but you can change the column order. If you add more columns, Activate ignores them.

All number ranges in the templates include the numbers at both ends of the range.

Deduction Election template fields
To see a list of the fields in the template, click here.
Payroll Identifier
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
1 Required.
Required. String1 between 1-64 characters Used to identify a group of employees uniquely. It could be defined as “organization Number” in some previous payroll provider systems. It could be defined as “Salary Employees” or “Hourly Employees” if you segregate them into separate groups for Payroll Register purposes. It’s the identifier used to define the current payroll the employee is paid through. It’s the grouping of employees paid at the same time who are reported together in the same payroll totals reports. B1234
Monthly Executive
Payroll 		This data is used as part of the key to identify deduction definitions uniquely. It serves to preserve definitions, which might have the same name or code but differing functionality between payrolls.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Employee Identifier (Required)
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
2 Alphanumeric. Unique value between 1-40 characters.

For Canadian pay groups, a unique value between 1-9 characters.

Required. Alphanumeric. A unique value between 1–9 characters Enables the system to identify employees uniquely. Use the same number assigned to the employee in the Getting Started HR data loads. 3241245
000000006
abc123499 		In the context of this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name help users identify employees when completing the template. This required field validates that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.
First Name
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
3 Required. Required. String1 between 1–64 characters.
Legal first name of the employee. Joe In the context of this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name help users identify employees when completing the template. This required field validates that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Last Name
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
4 Required. Required. String1 between 1-64 characters.
Legal last name of the employee. Smith In the context of this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name help users identify employees when completing the template. This required field validates that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Deduction Code
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
5 Required. Required. String1 between 1-64 characters.
The payroll system Deduction Code as defined on the previous payroll provider's system.   This data is used with the Payroll Identifier and Deduction Description to identify individual deduction definition requirements.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Deduction Description
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
6 Required. Required. String1 between 1-64 characters.
The payroll system Deduction Description as defined on the previous payroll provider's system.   This data is used with the Payroll Identifier and Deduction Code to identify individual deduction definition requirements.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Effective Start Date
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
7 Required Required Date. Excel right-justified date format or Excel text format yyyy-mm-dd. The Effective Start Date for the deduction to be paid to the employee.

Date formatted cells:
09/24/2015
24/09/2015

Text formatted cells:
2015-09-24

This required data determines the time frame for beginning the deduction from the employee's earnings.
Effective End Date
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
8 Optional. Optional. Date. Excel right-justified date format or Excel text format yyyy-mm-dd. The Effective End Date for the deduction to stop being paid to the employee.

Date formatted cells:
09/24/2015
24/09/2015

Text formatted cells:
2015-09-24

This data isn’t required. It can be entered if there’s a known end date.
Amount
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
9 Required (when Percent blank). Optional. Numeric. Accepts 10 digits and 3 decimal points. The flat amount for the deduction to be assigned to the employee's payroll record. Don’t enter an Amount when there’s a Percent. 1371.3
1371.38
1371.382		 This data is used to set up a recurring deduction amount.
Percent
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
10 Required (when Amount blank). Optional. Numeric. Accepts 10 digits and 3 decimal points. The percentage value for the deduction to be assigned to the employee's payroll record. If there is an Amount, don’t enter a Percent.

1 to 99; cannot exceed 99.
37.3
37.38
37.382

This data is used to set up a recurring deduction amount.
Frequency of Deduction
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
11 Required. Optional. String1 between 1–64 characters.
 The assignment of the frequency for making a payment for this deduction. Every Regular Run
First Pay of Month
Last Pay of Month
See drop-down list in Column K on the DeductionElectionData Excel sheet.		 This data is required for the "Payroll Deduction Codes" feature to assign the proper frequency to the deduction code. It’s used on the "Employee Payroll Elections" feature to assign special frequencies to the employee's record in the case that the employee has a different frequency from the deduction definition. Select the appropriate value from the pick list.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Remaining Balance
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
12 Not Applicable. Optional. Numeric. Accepts 18 digits and 5 decimal points. The total remaining amount to be taken for the scheduled deduction. 1371.3
1371.38
1371.382
1371.3826
1371.38264		 Deductions that are configured as a declining balance are deducted from an employee only when there’s a remaining balance to deduct from. When the remaining balance reaches 0.00, the deduction stops. The remaining balance should be assigned when the final value is known.
Limit Value
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
13 Not Applicable. Optional. Numeric. Accepts 10 digits and 3 decimal points. The flat amount or percentage that represents the cap for the total deduction amount. 1371.3
1371.38
1371.382		 The limit can be represented as either a flat amount or a percentage depending on how the deduction has been configured. If an employee's deduction reaches the limit within the specified period, the system reduces any further payments to zero.
Payee
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
14 Not Applicable. Optional. String1 between 1-128 characters The name of the Payee to receive the payment for the deducted amount. BCBS_Med
Steve Smith Tax
Levi #2312		 The payee only needs to be included when a deduction has more than 1 payee assigned. The system assigns the default payee automatically when left blank if the definition has been configured with a payee.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Payee Value
Order Payroll Deduction Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
15 Not Applicable. Optional. String1 between 1-64 characters. The string or numeric value that’s unique to the employee. This value is required for reporting the payment to the payee. Account Number Certificate Number Plan Number The payee value needs to be included only when there is a payee value that is stored at the employee level. Payee parameters that are defined for all employees (pay group level) don’t need to be provided.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Earning Election template fields
To see a list of the fields in the template, click here.
Payroll Identifier
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
1 Required. Required. String1
between 1-64 characters 		This field is used to identify uniquely a group of employees. It could be defined as “Company Number” in some previous payroll provider systems. It could be defined as “Salary Employees” or “Hourly Employees” if you segregate them into separate groups for Payroll Register purposes. This identifier is used to define the current payroll the employee is paid through. It is the grouping of employees paid at the same time who are reported together in the same payroll totals reports. B1234
Monthly Executive
Payroll 		This data is used as part of the key to identify earning definitions uniquely. It serves to preserve definitions, which might have the same name or code but differing functionality between payrolls.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Employee Identifier
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
2 Required.

Alphanumeric. Unique value between 1-40 characters.

For Canadian pay groups, a unique value between 1-9 characters.

Required. Alphanumeric. A unique value between 1-9 characters Allows the system to identify employees uniquely. Use the same number assigned to the employee in the Getting Started HR data loads. 3241245
000000006
abc123499 		In the context of this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name is included for the purposes of helping users identify employees when completing the template. This required field validates that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.
First Name
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
3 Required. Required. String1 between 1-64 characters The legal first name of the employee. Joe In the context of this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name is included for the purposes of helping users identify employees when completing the template. This required field validates that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Last Name
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
4 Required. Required. String1 between 1-64 characters The legal last name of the employee. Smith In the context of this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name is included for the purposes of helping users identify employees when completing the template. This required field validates that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Earning Code
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
5 Required. Required. String1 between 1-64 characters The payroll system Earning Code as defined on the previous payroll provider's system.   This data is used with the Payroll Identifier and Earning Description to identify individual earning definition requirements.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Earning Description
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
6 Required. Required. String1 between 1-64 characters The payroll system Earning Description as defined on the previous payroll provider's system.   This data is used with the Payroll Identifier and Earning Code to identify individual earning definition requirements.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Effective Start Date
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
7 Required. Required. Date. Excel right-justified date format or Excel text format yyyy-mm-dd. The Effective Start Date for the earning to be paid to the employee. Date formatted cells:
09/24/2015
24/09/2015

Text formatted cells:
2015-09-24

This required data determines the timeframe for beginning the payment to the employee.
Effective End Date
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
8 Optional. Optional. Date. Excel right-justified date format or Excel text format yyyy-mm-dd. The Effective End Date for the earning to stop being paid to the employee.

Date formatted cells:
09/24/2015
24/09/2015

Text formatted cells:
2015-09-24

This data isn’t required. If there is a known end date, it can be entered.
Amount
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
9 Required (when Percent is blank.) Optional. Numeric. Accepts 10 digits and 3 decimal points. The flat amount for the earning to be assigned to the employee's payroll record. If there’s a percent, don’t enter an amount. 1371.3
1371.38
1371.382		 This data is used to set up a permanent earning amount. It’s used to update the employee's permanent record.
Percent
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
10 (Required when Amount is blank.) Optional. Numeric. Accepts 3 digits and 3 decimal points. The percentage value for the earning to be assigned to the employee's payroll record. When there’s an amount, don’t enter a percent.

1 to 99; cannot exceed 99.
37.3
37.38
37.382

 This required data sets the Earning Parameters for the 'Is Generated' earning definitions. It’s required for the Employee Election Import file for updating the employee's permanent record.
Frequency of Earning
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
11 Required. Optional. String1 between 1-64 characters. The assignment of the frequency for making a payment for this earning. Every Regular Run
First Pay of Month
Last Pay of Month
See drop-down list in Column K on the EarningElectionData Excel sheet.		 This data is required for the "Payroll Earning Codes" feature to assign the proper frequency to the earning code. The "Employee Payroll Elections" feature uses it to assign special frequencies to the employee's record in the case that the employee has a different frequency from the earning definition. Select the appropriate value from the pick list.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Limit Value
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
12 Not Applicable. Optional. Numeric. Accepts 10 digits and 3 decimal points. The flat amount or percentage that represents the cap for the total earning amount. 1371.3
1371.38
1371.382		 The limit can be represented as either a flat amount or a percentage depending on how the earning has been configured. If an employee's earning reaches the limit within the specified period, the system reduces any further payments to zero.
Payee
Order payroll earning codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
13 Not Applicable. Optional. String1 between 1-128 characters. The name of the payee to receive the payment for the earning amount. BCBS_Med Steve Smith Tax Levi #2312 The payee only needs to be included when an earning has more than 1 payee assigned. The system assigns the default payee automatically when left blank if the definition has been configured with a payee.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Payee Value
Order Payroll Earning Codes Employee Payroll Elections Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
14 Not Applicable. Optional. String1 between 1-64 characters The string or numeric value that’s unique to the employee. This value is required for reporting the payment to the payee. Account Number
Certificate Number
Plan Number 		The payee value only needs to be included when there’s a payee value that is stored at the employee level. Payee parameters that are defined for all employees (pay group level) don’t need to be provided.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Recommended actions

Review newly assigned Earning and Deduction elections in Dayforce on the Employee Profile > Payroll > Payroll Elections page.

Commonly encountered issues

  • Missing Limit Value for a deduction.
  • Default frequency not applied to deduction/earning.