Workstream’s new spreadsheet-style payroll experience lets you review and edit payroll faster and more clearly. You can update hours, earnings, and reimbursements directly in the table, and easily switch between employees and contractors.

Below is an overview of what’s changed and how to use the updated workflow.

📌 This feature is currently in BETA.

This Beta layout is available to select users. If you don’t see it in your account, you’re still using the current payroll flow. Refer to the standard Run regular payroll in Workstream article.

👉 Want a quick walkthrough before you get started? View the interactive payroll spreadsheet demo.

What's new

✔️ Follow a guided 3-step payroll workflow

The new workflow walks you through payroll in three clear steps:

Earnings & Hours
Review and edit hours, earnings, reimbursements, and entries in a familiar spreadsheet view. Data updates as you go, and you can switch between Employees and Contractors tabs.
Preview
Review payment methods, deductions, benefits, and run gross-to-net calculations.
Any changes made here are automatically saved.
Approve & Submit
Finalize and submit payroll once everything looks correct.

You can move forward or backward between steps anytime before approval.

✔️ Use the new "Run Payroll" workflow

The Run Payroll page now makes key setup details easy to access:

Review and update the funding account, pay day, and processing period right away
See the approval deadline clearly so you know when payroll must be approved

Once the payroll is created:

All payable employees and contractors are automatically added to the draft
Add earnings and hours by importing CSVs or entering them manually
Apply tips from tip pools automatically if you use Tip Management

✔️ Edit payroll directly in the spreadsheet

The largest improvement is the spreadsheet-like editor:

Edit hours and amounts for all earnings and reimbursements directly in the spreadsheet.
Imported values will show as imported and can't be edited to maintain data integrity.
Need to fix imported data? Simply add an adjustment (positive or negative) with notes.
Employees and contractors now live in separate tabs, making it easy to review and update each group.

✔️ Import earnings and hours more flexibly

Importing earnings and hours is now more flexible and easier to manage.

Import multiple files into a single payroll - You can import more than one CSV file into the same payroll by selecting Import CSV data. Each file can include up to 1,500 rows. This is useful if your data comes from multiple systems or needs to be split across files.
Use pre-populated import templates - You can download a pre-filled import template that includes all payable employees. The template also includes a Workstream Identifier for each active assigned job. This helps ensure each row is mapped to the correct employee, job title, and location during import.

Using the template reduces setup time and minimizes mapping errors.
Verify imported data by source - After importing a file, you can review the data using the Source filter. This lets you verify earnings and hours from each import separately.

You can also use the Source filter to view data that was:
- Manually entered
- Added from Workstream time cards
- Added from Workstream time off entries
- Added from Workstream tip pools
This makes it easier to confirm where each entry came from before submitting payroll.
Manage and delete imported data - If you need to remove data from a specific import, go to Import CSV data, select Manage data sources, and delete the file you no longer need. Only the data from that file is removed, so the rest of your payroll remains unchanged.
Automatic column mapping during imports - During import, built-in intelligence automatically maps columns when names closely match your payroll fields. This reduces manual mapping and speeds up the import process, especially when using familiar file formats.
Earning-specific descriptions - You can now map different description columns to different earning types during import.
This allows you to:
- Import distinct descriptions for hourly earnings, reimbursements, and other earning types
- Add clearer context to individual earning items
- Reduce the need for manual edits after import
For example, you can map one description column to hourly earnings to explain worked hours, and map another description column to reimbursements to describe a specific expense. This helps keep payroll data clear, accurate, and easier to review.

✔️ Manage contractor payments easily

Contractor payments now use the same spreadsheet-style editor as employee earnings.

You can adjust amounts, add reimbursements, and review pay status in one place.

How to run payroll in the beta experience

⚠️ Employee data updates

In this release, changes to team member information, such as tax withholding, payment method, or home address, will not automatically update in an existing payroll draft.

To apply updated information, delete the draft and recreate the payroll.

Good news: an "Employee Sync" button is coming soon. This feature will allow updates to sync automatically without recreating the draft, so keep an eye out in the next few weeks.

Step 1: Earnings and Hours

The Earnings and Hours step is where you review and update everything that affects employee and contractor pay for the current payroll. Think of it as your main workspace.

1. Choose who to review (Employees or Contractors)

At the top left, you’ll see two tabs:

Employees
Contractors

Pick the one you want to work on. Each group has its own table so things stay organized.

2. Understand the spreadsheet layout

Each row represents a team member, and each column represents a type of pay:

Gross Amount
Hourly Hours / Rate / Amount
Salaried Hours
Overtime, PTO, sick leave (or whichever earnings you’ve chosen to show)

You can scroll horizontally to see more columns.

The bottom row shows totals for the entire payroll.

3. Review the "Pay Status" column

Next to each name is a Pay status, which helps you quickly see who is ready to be paid:

Ready – This person has all the required information and their pay can be processed.
Blocked – Something is missing (tax info, bank details, etc.).
- If someone is blocked, select their name → go to their profile → fix the missing info → refresh payroll.

This prevents mistakes before you submit.

4. Expand a team member’s row to see their entries

If a person has multiple jobs or multiple earnings entries, you’ll see a number like (2) next to their name.

Select the arrow (▸) to expand their row. This opens all of their earnings entries for the period. This is helpful for employees working multiple locations or job titles.

5. Compare imported vs. editable entries

Some rows will appear locked and show a small icon with a tooltip like “Workstream time entry”. These are entries imported from:

Workstream Time Tracking
Workstream Time Off
Other connected systems

Imported entries:

Can't be edited directly
Always include a note showing the source
Show exactly what was recorded in your timekeeping system

This keeps your payroll aligned with the data you've already approved.

Fix imported entries

If the imported hours or amounts are wrong, you can add an adjustment:

A positive adjustment increases pay
A negative adjustment reduces pay

This keeps the original (imported) data intact while allowing corrections.

6. Add or edit earnings manually

If your team member didn’t have imported time, or you need to add additional pay, you can enter values directly:

Select the cell you want to change.
Type the hours or amount.
Press Enter.

When adding a new entry, you’ll be asked whether to:

Use the assigned rate (their standard pay rate), or
Enter the amount manually

The system will calculate the missing fields for you.

7. Use spreadsheet tools

Above the spreadsheet, you’ll see helpful tools:

Ask AI ✨	Ask for filtered views like: “Show employees with overtime over 40 hours” “Show minors with more than X hours” AI will automatically filter your table for you.
Team Member (Grouping tool)	Group the table by: Team member Location Job Location + Job Or turn off grouping This can help you quickly review departments or roles.
Columns	Choose which pay types you want visible. You can: Show/hide entire pay categories (Hourly, Salaried, Overtime, PTO, etc.) Customize sub-columns (Hours, Rate, Amount) This is helpful if your payroll includes many pay types.
Download CSV	Export the whole table if you want to audit or review outside the system.
Notes filter	Quickly show: Rows that include notes (e.g., imported entries) Rows without notes This is useful when checking adjustments or verifying imported data.

8. Select “Preview” to continue

You don’t need to save anything. Changes are saved automatically.

Select Preview in the upper right to move to the next step: reviewing gross-to-net calculations.

You can still come back to this page anytime before you approve payroll.

Step 2: Preview

The Preview step is where you double-check your payroll before submitting it.

Nothing is final here, you can still go back and edit anything.

This step helps you confirm:

How each person will be paid
Their total earnings
Any deductions, benefits, or taxes
Your overall payroll cost

1. Start on the "Payments" tab

When Preview opens, you’ll see the Payments tab first.

Each row is a team member, and each column shows key payment details like:

Primary location and job
Employment status
Payment method (Direct deposit or Manual)
Total earnings
Additions & deductions
Optional paystub notes

This view is designed to be quick to scan. Think of it as your “summary list.”

2. Fix any blocking errors (if you see them)

If something prevents payroll from moving forward, you’ll see a View errors button at the top.

This can look intimidating, but don’t worry, the system tells you exactly what to fix.

When you select View errors, a window explains:

What the issue is
Why it matters
How to fix it
A button that takes you directly to the right page

Once errors are fixed, return to Preview and recalculate if needed.

3. Review Locked and Unlocked views

At the top right, you’ll see:

Locked (default)

You can look around without making changes.
Good if you just want to review.

Unlocked (edit mode)

Use this if you want to update:
- Payment method
- Paystub notes
- Deductions
- Benefits
- Contractor payment amounts

4. Use grouping and search to review faster

Preview includes tools to help you quickly spot issues:

Group	Organize the table by: Location Job Payment method No group This helps you check things like: “Are all direct deposit employees correct?” “Is everyone at Location A accounted for?”
Search	Type a name to jump directly to someone.
Download CSV	Export your Preview data if you prefer reviewing offline.

5. Select "Next" to continue

Before moving on, make sure that:

• Totals look correct
• No blocking errors remain
• The preview has recalculated
• You’re confident with the results

Select Next to continue to the final step, Approve & Submit.

You can return to Preview anytime before approval.

Step 3: Approve and Submit

Once everything looks correct, you can submit payroll.

The system will validate entries and flag anything that needs attention before submission.

Run regular payroll in Workstream

Run off-cycle payroll in Workstream

Review your submitted payroll

Finalize and submit payroll

Explore the Payroll report templates