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      How to have a successful Team Import in GoCo

      Team Imports can be tedious & if you do not import items correctly, you will be hit with errors. Check out this list for some tips & tricks to avoid common mistakes made on team imports. Be sure to use the links below to skip ahead.

      General Tips

      1. Read the instructions on the import file. These instructions go over a few basics that you should know before getting started, like what fields are required & descriptions for each template field.
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      2. Only use the columns that are generated on the import file from GoCo. Do not add new columns as GoCo will not be able to read these.
      3. When you download the import file from GoCo, please DO NOT edit any formatting options of the cells as this may cause errors.
      4. To avoid errors, always pay attention to the column headers to know what will be accepted by GoCo.
        For example, for legal sex, only "male" or "female" will be accepted - "m" or "f" will result in an error message. The same rule applies to date formats.
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      5. If you are updating existing employees information, NEVER delete your employee's internal ID number (column #1). This will cause your import to error. 
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      6. Please note that your import file is case-insensitive, meaning however you input your data is how it will display in GoCo.

        Ex. You type "SPONGEBOB SquarePants" on your import file, this is exactly how this information will appear in GoCo on the employee's profile & anywhere else in GoCo.
      7. When updating custom fields for existing employees, remember that you must first create the custom field in GoCo before downloading the most recent import file & then uploading. GoCo will not allow you to create custom fields via import. Check out this article for more details! 
      8. If you are inputting more that one emergency contact, ensure that the primary contact columns are fully input with phone numbers before a second contact will be accepted. 
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      Tips for Importing New Employees 

      1. When importing new team members, although email & social security are required fields, you can successfully complete your import with just one of these fields filled out. This will not work when updating existing team members.
      2. When importing new team members, ALWAYS put "Everyone" into the field for Company Class & "Default" into the field for Payroll Scheudle.

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      3. When importing new employees, if you do not have the employee's direct deposit information on hand, simply leave ALL direct deposit information blank in order to not run into any error messages. Your employees can update this during onboarding or in their employee profiles any time afterwards. Send this article to your team members to show them how to do this!
      4. When importing new employees, if you do not fill out the field for "Start Hiring Workflow" with the name of your hiring workflow, your employees will import incorrectly & will not be able to complete onboarding.
        1. To fix this, you will have to download an import file for existing employees with the field for Hiring Workflows included, input your correct Hiring Workflow names, & then reimport. 
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      Tips for Inputting Wages & Tax Information

      1. When imputing wage information, the import does not require $ or any other symbols. 
      2. When updating employee bank account information, if an employee has 2 bank accounts & wishes to split their wages, you do not need to specify the deposit amount for the 2nd account. GoCo will automatically fill out this for you. This also applies for a 3rd bank account, only the first 2 accounts need deposit amounts & GoCo will automatically fill in the remaining amount as the 3rd bank acount amount.Screen Shot 2023-01-24 at 3.34.29 PM
      3. When inputting tax information into your import file, if you input anything into the column labeled "pre-2020", you cannot input deductions into the other tax columns or you will receive errors. 

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      We hope this guide serves you well!

      If you have any additional questions reach out to you GoCo Client Success Team or email us at help@goco.io. 

      Happy Importing! 🤓