Configure your payroll journal

An essential part of payroll is being able to export your payroll data to your accounting software. This process involves mapping various payroll costs to specific accounts depending on the company's structure.

UK Payroll allows your to configure a payroll journal template to map accounts based on your accounting setup. This allows you to download a report that can import data into your accounting software with minimal manipulation.

How to configure your payroll journal

1. From the left side bar, select Reports.
2. Select Payroll Journals.
3. Click Edit journal template.
4. You can choose to split your journal into up to 2 org structures by marking the boxes next to the org structure name.
5. Select any items you want to show separately in your journal by marking the boxes next to the item names.
6. Select any pay items and schemas you want to show separately in your journal by selecting them from the dropdown menu.
7. Click Preview journal to verify the configuration of the journal, which will be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet. The preview will use data from the draft payroll.

   Note: Account codes will be blank as these are configured in the next step. Amounts may not balance if there are errors in the journal.

8. Click Next.
9. If you have opted to split your journal, you can choose to map your account codes Only by pay items or By pay items and organisational structures. Mark your option by clicking the radio button, and click Next.
10. Assign account codes to the relevant pay items.
11. Click Next.
12. Review the configuration in the Summary. If you are happy with the configuration, click Save & close.

The template can be amended at any time and changes will apply when downloading existing and new reports.

How to download your payroll journal

You can download the journal for draft and submitted payrolls.

1. From the left side bar, select Reports.
2. Select Payroll Journals.
3. Click the three dots to the right of the relevant payroll.
4. Select Download.

FAQs

What is an unallocated cost?
If you see an unallocated cost line on your journal it means that there is something within your payroll that hasn't been allocated a code within your journal. All unallocated costs will be combined and displayed in a single line.

Why is the template less detailed than I expected?
The template needs to be configured first, or it will not have many details.

Why can’t I download my journal?
To download the journal, it needs to have the correct balance. If you are splitting by org structure, each employee in the specified payroll will need to be assigned an org structure.