Payroll Exports Overview

ClickTime supports several options for exporting time data to your payroll system. You can use vendor-specific payroll exports (for providers like ADP and Paychex), flexible files built with the Customizable Data Export (CDE), or other payroll-friendly reports in the Report Center. This guide explains when to use each option and how they fit together.

Who this is for: Administrators and managers who run payroll or prepare time data for a payroll, accounting, or HR system.

Where to start: Go to Company → Reports (Report Center). From there, you can:

• Run dedicated Accounting & Payroll Exports for specific providers.
• Use the Customizable Data Export to build your own payroll file.
• Run Excel / Payroll reports for review and reconciliation.

In this article:

• What counts as a payroll export in ClickTime?
• Choosing the right export option
• Option 1: Vendor-specific payroll exports
• Option 2: Customizable Data Export (CDE) for payroll
• Option 3: Other payroll-friendly reports
• Recommended payroll workflow

What counts as a payroll export in ClickTime?

ClickTime offers several ways to get time data into a payroll system. You can:

• Use vendor-specific payroll exports designed for certain providers (for example, ADP, Paychex, Paylocity Webpay, TraxPayroll, Checkwriters).
• Build a flexible payroll file with the Customizable Data Export (CDE), which works with virtually any payroll system that accepts CSV or Excel.
• Run Excel / Payroll reports from the Report Center to review hours, confirm totals, or support manual entry.

This article helps you choose the right option and points you to more detailed guides for each path.

Choosing the right export option

As a quick decision guide:

• My payroll system is one of the supported exports (ADP, Paychex, Paylocity Webpay, TraxPayroll, Checkwriters)…
  → Start with Option 1: Vendor-specific payroll exports.
• My payroll system is not listed, or I need a custom layout or extra fields…
  → Use Option 2: Customizable Data Export (CDE).
• I just need to review or reconcile hours before running payroll…
  → Use Option 3: Other payroll-friendly reports.

In many organizations, you will use more than one of these: for example, CDE for the main payroll file plus a People / Summary report for quick checks by manager.

Option 1: Vendor-specific payroll exports

ClickTime includes dedicated export formats for certain payroll providers. These reports are designed to match that provider’s file structure as closely as possible so you can import time with minimal manual changes.

Common vendor exports include:

• ADP Export for Payroll
  Use this if you import a file into ADP. This report maps ClickTime employee IDs and earning codes to the ADP import format. 
  See: ADP Export for Payroll 
• Paychex Payroll Export
  Use this if you import time into Paychex via file upload. The export groups hours by employee and pay component for Paychex. 
  See: Paychex Payroll Export 
• TraxPayroll Export
  Use this if you upload a file into TraxPayroll. 
  See: TraxPayroll Export 
• Paylocity Webpay Payroll Export
  Use this if you are on Paylocity Webpay and want an import-ready file from ClickTime. 
  See: Paylocity Webpay Payroll Export 
• Checkwriters Payroll Export
  Use this if you export data into Checkwriters payroll. 
  See: Checkwriters Payroll Export 

Tip: These exports usually require mapping employee IDs, earning codes, or departments in ClickTime to match your payroll system. Each export article includes a “Before you begin” section with setup steps.

New implementations: If you are setting up a new payroll integration and your provider is not listed above, we recommend using the Customizable Data Export for more flexibility and long-term maintainability.

Option 2: Customizable Data Export (CDE) for payroll

The Customizable Data Export (CDE) is the most flexible way to build a payroll file. It lets you:

• Select a pay-period date range.
• Filter by timesheet approval status (for example, only approved/locked).
• Include only worked time, only time off, or both.
• Choose exactly which fields (columns) to export.
• Download the results in CSV, Excel, text, or XML format.

This is ideal if:

• Your payroll system isn’t one of the pre-built exports.
• You need additional fields (for example, department, project, or cost codes).
• You want to build pivot tables or BI dashboards off the same data.

For a full overview of the CDE interface and all options, see: Customizable Data Export.

For step-by-step guidance specific to payroll, including suggested filters and fields, see: Common Use Cases for Customizable Data Export (see the Payroll exports section).

Example pattern: Create a CDE layout called Payroll Export – Biweekly with: Specific Dates = pay period, Include = Only worked time, Approval Status = Only approved or locked, plus fields like Employee ID, Entry Date, Hours worked, and division. Save it as a favorite and update only the date range each pay period.

Option 3: Other payroll-friendly reports

In addition to vendor exports and the CDE, there are several reports in the Report Center that are useful for payroll review and reconciliation.

Look for reports in the Accounting & Payroll and People families, such as:

• People: Summary or People: Project and Task Summary – helpful for checking total hours by person and work type before running payroll.
• Accounting & Payroll reports – pre-formatted Excel files that summarize time by employee and pay period.

Recommended payroll workflow

Regardless of which export option you choose, a consistent workflow can help reduce errors and rework.

1. Confirm timesheets are complete.
   Use your time entry completion tools or reports to make sure everyone has entered required hours for the pay period.
2. Ensure timesheets are approved/locked.
   Use Timesheet Approvals (and Project Approvals, if applicable) so the export includes only final time. For most payroll exports, we recommend filtering to Only approved or locked entries.
3. Run the appropriate export.
   • Vendor-specific export → follow the instructions in that export’s article.
   • CDE payroll layout → update the date range and run your saved configuration.
   • Accounting & Payroll report → run for the same pay period for review.
4. Spot-check totals.
   Verify total hours by employee and pay period. If something looks off, adjust time entries in ClickTime and re-run the export.
5. Import into your payroll system.
   Use your payroll system’s file import process. If the file is rejected, check the troubleshooting tips below.