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Sync HRIS Data from Paylocity

Learn how to sync employee data from Paylocity into Culture Amp

Written by Jared Ellis
Updated yesterday

Who can use this feature?

Available on:

  • All Culture Amp subscriptions.

You can sync employee data directly from Paylocity into Culture Amp using a secure, one-way connection. This ensures your employee list and demographics are always up-to-date.
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Data Flow: Employee Data flows from Paylocity into Culture Amp (one-way sync) as a full import. Changes made in Culture Amp will not sync back to your HRIS.

Initial Setup Timeframe: The integration setup may take 1-2 weeks, depending on the complexity of your setup and mapping requirements. We recommend involving suitable technical stakeholders on your end to ensure things run smoothly.

Choosing Your Integration Method

We offer two primary ways to connect your employee data. The table below briefly outlines both and should help with the decision on which is the best approach for your organization:

Method

Type of Import

Best For

Key Difference

Full Native Integration

Full Employee Import

Organizations seeking real-time, daily automation of all employee data that the integration supports.

Data transfer is handled automatically via a secure native integration.

If an employee has an End Date in the HRIS, they will automatically be marked as a former user on that date.

If an existing Culture Amp user is removed entirely from the HRIS report (with no End Date provided), they’ll be marked as a former user upon sync, and their End Date will be set to the day before the import.

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol)

Partial Employee Import

Organizations requiring manual control over file creation or highly unique filtering requirements.

You generate a data file and securely transfer it to Culture Amp at scheduled intervals. Unlike the native integration, users missing from an SFTP file are ignored rather than deactivated, unless an explicit End Date is included in the file.

Integration Checklist

Use this checklist to navigate the Paylocity integration setup. Each step links to a more detailed section below.

  1. Access Requirements — Prerequisites and system logic.

  2. Step 1. Connect Integration — Add your Company ID to Culture Amp

  3. Step 2. Add Additional Company IDs — Optionally add additional Company IDs

  4. Step 3. Demographic Field Mapping — Select the demographics you wish to sync

  5. Step 4. Choose Who to Include — Set up inclusion/exclusion rules

  6. Step 5. Save Settings - Enable daily syncs and email for sync notifications

  7. Step 6. Run Your First Sync — Reviewing and importing employee records

  8. Troubleshooting/FAQs — Solving errors, workarounds, and useful tips

Before You Start: Access Requirements

To set up the connection, ensure you have the correct administrative access on both platforms. Paylocity requires a specific "handshake" via their service team to authorize the data release before the API can be activated.

Platform

Role / Component

Required Access

Rationale

Culture Amp

Admin Role

Account Administrator or Employee Data Administrator

Required to access integration settings and validate the Paylocity Company ID.

Paylocity

Third-Party Authorization

Administrative/ Account Management Consent

Essential: Paylocity requires explicit client consent to release your organization's data to Culture Amp's secure API.

Paylocity

API Web Link

Service Configuration Access

Required to enable the data connection that allows Culture Amp to "read" your employee demographics.

Paylocity

Company ID

Admin Settings View

You must be able to retrieve your unique Paylocity Company ID(s) to authenticate the connection in Culture Amp.

Important Considerations & Data Limitations

  • Integration Authorization (Action Required): Contact Paylocity (usually via your Paylocity Account Manager) to authorize Culture Amp to access your company details via the Paylocity API. Culture Amp cannot do this on your behalf; the integration will fail to validate until Paylocity enables this bridge.

  • Sensitive Information Restrictions: Paylocity does not allow "Sensitive Information" fields, specifically Pay Type and Pay Group, to be shared via the API. If you need these for reporting in Culture Amp, create custom, non-sensitive fields in Paylocity to mirror that data.

  • Full Import Process: Paylocity utilizes a "Full Import" process as your absolute source of truth. Any active employee in Culture Amp who is missing from the Paylocity sync file will be automatically terminated as a Former Employee.

  • Multiple Company IDs: If your organization uses multiple Company IDs in Paylocity, you can add and validate each one within a single integration to ensure all employees are included in the sync.

  • Hierarchy Logic: Hierarchy is built using the Supervisor Employee ID in Paylocity. Ensure this field is populated for all employees except your top-level leader (e.g., CEO) to prevent "Missing Manager" errors.

Step 1: Connect and Authenticate Your Paylocity Account

Once you have contacted Paylocity directly to authorize the integration with Culture Amp, follow these steps to establish the technical connection.

  1. Sign in to Culture Amp with an account that has Account Administrator or Employee data administrator access.

  2. Navigate to your Settings > Account > Integrations page.

  3. Select the Paylocity tile from the list of integrations.

  4. Enter your Paylocity Company ID

  5. Click Validate Credentials

Step 2: Adding Additional Company IDs (Optional)

If your organization operates across multiple regions or subsidiaries with separate Paylocity instances, you can link them to a single Culture Amp account.

  • How to Add: After validating your primary credentials, go to "Step 2: Optional - Other companies to sync from" and click Add another company ID. Enter the ID and click Validate Companies.

  • Validation Logic: You must repeat this process for every individual Company ID you wish to include. Each ID must be validated successfully to be included in the sync.

  • Sync Behavior: Culture Amp combines data from all validated IDs into a single source of truth.

    • Impact of Full Import: Because the "Full Import" logic applies to the combined data set, an employee must exist in at least one of your validated Paylocity IDs to remain active. If they are missing from all connected IDs, they will be terminated in Culture Amp.

Step 3. Setting Up Demographic Field Mapping

Once authenticated, you will choose which Paylocity fields to sync. You can use Standard Mapping for a quick, automated setup, or Advanced Mapping for custom control.

Option 1: Standard Core Demographic Mapping (Default)

Core demographics are automatically mapped to their Culture Amp equivalents. You do not need to do anything for these fields to sync, provided they exist in Paylocity.

Typical Paylocity UI Label

Culture Amp Field Name (Destination)

Notes

First Name and Last Name

Name

Enter the users full name. Use the format: First Last.

Preferred Name

Preferred Name

Can be used for survey and cycle communications.

Employee ID

Employee ID

Secondary Unique identifier; ID must be different for each employee.

Email Address

Email

Primary Unique identifier; Email must be different for each employee. Used to deliver communications.

The sync looks for a Work Email first; if blank, it will use the Home Email address.

Birth Date

Date of Birth

Unlocks Age banding for survey reports.

Hire Date

Start Date

Unlocks Tenure banding and automated "New Hire" surveys.

Termination Date

End Date

Used to terminate employees. Unlocks automated Exit surveys and attrition reporting.

Supervisor Employee ID

Manager Email

Hierarchy Anchor: Automatically converts the Supervisor’s ID into the Manager Email address to build your org tree

Custom Demographics: Additional Fields

Include any additional demographics (e.g., Department, Division) to filter your data. To unlock full platform functionality, we recommend including the following:

Field Name

Notes

Language

Sets the employee’s preferred platform language Use the appropriate two-letter System Code (e.g., en, es).

Exclude from Culture Amp

We recommend using the employee exclusion filters for bulk exclusions (see step 4). Alternatively, create a custom field called Exclude from Culture Amp in your report; users with this field set to "Yes" will not be imported.

  1. To include more data: Check the boxes under the Additional Fields section in the UI (e.g., Department, Team).

  2. If a field is missing, create a new custom field in Paylocity and refresh the Culture Amp integration page for it to appear.

Option 2: Advanced Mapping (Beta)

Toggle "Advanced Mapping" on to manually define exactly how Paylocity fields feed into Culture Amp.

Note: Manual Mapping Required: While Name, Employee Id, and Email will remain pre-mapped under "Mandatory Fields," all other core demographics (like Start Date, End Date, and Manager Email) are no longer automated when Advanced Mapping is toggled on. You must manually add these as Additional Fields to ensure they sync.

  1. Why use this? Use this if you want to match Paylocity fields to existing Culture Amp demographic labels that use different names. Check your Account Demographics page to see what you have set up.

  2. Identify Fields: The bolded field name is the title in Culture Amp; the blue dropdown shows the corresponding Paylocity field.

  3. Combine Fields: Use the "+ Add field" button to combine multiple Paylocity fields (using "AND" or "OR" logic) into a single demographic.

  4. Rename Labels: Click the pencil (edit) icon next to a demographic name to change its title in Culture Amp (this will be the field name that the Paylocity field feeds into).

  5. Apply Changes: Click Save Integration to finalize your mapping.

Hierarchy Mapping in Advanced Mode

Paylocity hierarchy is driven by a specific ID lookup. To build your organizational structure, you must map the Manager ID field.

  1. Add a New Field: In Advanced Mapping, add the Culture Amp field Manager ID.

  2. Map to Paylocity: In the dropdown below it, select Supervisor Employee Id.

  3. The Result: Culture Amp identifies the manager’s record and automatically populates the "Manager Email" and "Manager Name" demographics for you in the import summary.

Note: Do not attempt to map a "Manager Email" field directly from Paylocity. The hierarchy logic is designed to trigger automatically once the Manager ID is mapped to the Supervisor Employee Id.

Step 4: Choose Who to Include in the Sync (Optional)

If you wish to exclude specific individuals (such as contractors or temporary staff) from your sync, you can use Filter Rules or a Custom Exclusion Field.

Option 1. Set Filter Rules in Culture Amp

Use this option to exclude entire groups based on existing Paylocity data (e.g., Employment Type).

  1. Scroll to Step 4: Optional - Create a custom field to exlude specific people

  2. Define your Logic: Select Exclude or Include, then choose the Paylocity field and the specific value (e.g., Exclude when Employment Type is Contractor).

  3. Add Multiple Rules: Click Add Filter if you need to exclude multiple groups.

Option 2. Create a Custom Exclusion Field

Use this option if you need to exclude individuals manually regardless of their department or type.

  1. In Paylocity: Create a custom field titled exactly Exclude from Culture Amp.

  2. Set Values: This field must use "Yes" and "No" values. Anyone marked "Yes" will be skipped by the sync.

  3. In Culture Amp: Ensure this new field is selected in your Additional Fields (Standard Mapping) or mapped in Advanced Mapping.

  4. Save & Sync: On your next sync, anyone with a "Yes" in this field will be excluded. If they already have a profile in Culture Amp, they will be termninated as a Former Employee.

Example, using Advanced Mapping:

Step 5: Set Sync Settings and Save

  1. Under the Sync Settings section, enable Daily Syncs (Optional): If enabled, your data will automatically sync every day between midnight and 4:00 am (International Date Line West). If disabled, you must trigger syncs manually.

    • We recommend leaving this disabled until you have finalized the rest of your setup in the steps to follow.

  2. Select Notification Email: Choose the Email Address to receive prompts regarding blocked syncs and other integration communications (this must belong to an Account Administrator or Employee data administrator).

  3. Click Save Settings > Finish

Step 6: Run Your First Employee Data Sync

Once you've connected your account and finalized your mapping, the Integrations page in Culture Amp will update. Follow these steps to run your first employee data sync:

  1. Click Sync on the Data Integrations page

  2. Review the Import Summary to ensure all users and demographics are accounted for. Carefully examine the review screen, which shows the number of new employees to be created, existing employees to be updated, included demographics, and employees to be deactivated.

  3. Verify Hierarchy: At this stage, you can confirm if your manager data is flowing correctly.

  4. If the data looks correct, click Import Data to pull the data into Culture Amp.

  5. If errors appear, click Cancel to stop the sync and troubleshoot the flagged issues.

Add or Update Your Hierarchy

1. Confirm Your Path

  • Existing Hierarchy (using Manager Email): If your account already uses Manager Email, you can maintain this setup. If using Advanced Mapping, ensure you map Manager ID (Culture Amp) → Supervisor Employee Id (Paylocity). Culture Amp will use the ID to automatically populate Manager Email and Manager Name for your reports.

  • Check your Settings > Employee Data > Demographics page for the hierarchy symbol (three nodes) to verify your current title.

  • Existing hierarchy using a different demographic (e.g. “Leader”)

    • Existing Hierarchy (using a custom label like "Leader"): To automate a hierarchy that currently uses a non-standard label:

      1. Add a standard Manager Email demographic to your Account Demographics page.

      2. Contact Culture Amp Support to switch your hierarchy identifier to Manager Email. (Note: This may impact historical leader-based reports).

      3. Alternatively, keep your custom label for historical data and continue maintaining it via manual CSV imports. The Paylocity sync will not auto-populate custom hierarchy fields.

  • New Hierarchy: If this is your first time setting up a hierarchy:

    1. Complete your first Paylocity sync.

    2. Ensure Manager ID → Supervisor Employee ID mapping is in place, if using Advanced mapping.

    3. Follow How to Add Your Hierarchy to validate your hierarchy using Manager Email.

2. Technical Requirements

  • Include All Managers: Every manager must be included in your Paylocity sync. If a manager is excluded by filters or status rules, their direct reports will appear without a manager in Culture Amp.

  • Identify the Top Leader: Leave the Supervisor Employee Id field blank in Paylocity for your CEO or top-level leader. This defines the "top" of your organizational tree.

  • Use the Standard Identifier: For Paylocity-driven hierarchies, use the standard Manager Email demographic. Do not rename this demographic; if you need to use a different label, follow the "Existing Hierarchy" path above or contact Support.

Troubleshooting/FAQs

General Data Integrity & Import Management

The first step when investigating any data issue is to check the Import Summary Screen for your most recent import.

  1. Go to Settings > Employee Data > Import History.

  2. Select your most recent import to view details.

This screen provides information on the state of your integration, any specific errors, or will prompt you to run a manual sync to identify problems.

Common Paylocity Integration Errors

Error/Issue

Potential Cause

Resolution

Hierarchy failing to build

Missing supervisorEmployeeId or Excluded Managers.

1. Verify the Top Leader: Only one person (e.g., the CEO) should have a blank Supervisor field.

2. Check Exclusions: If a manager is excluded from the sync (by status or custom filter), their direct reports will fail to link.

3. API Check: Ensure the departmentPosition block in Paylocity contains the correct ID for every other employee.

Manager Email field is blank

Title Mismatch or Missing Manager ID Mapping.

1. Label Check: Verify that your validated hierarchy demographic in Culture Amp is titled exactly "Manager Email".

2. Mapping Check: If using Advanced Mapping, you must map Manager ID to the Paylocity Supervisor Employee Id to trigger the automatic email conversion.

Missing "Pay Type" or "Pay Group" data

Paylocity API Restrictions.

These are "sensitive information" categories and cannot be synced via API. You must manage this data via a manual CSV import or house it in a "non-sensitive" custom field in Paylocity.

Start/End Dates not updating

Manual Mapping Required in Advanced Mode.

Once Advanced Mapping is enabled, automatic date syncing is disabled. You must manually add "Start Date" and "End Date" as Additional Fields and map them to their Paylocity equivalents.

Switching from CSV or Other Imports

If you are moving from CSV uploads or a different integration, keep the following in mind:

  • Demographic Consistency: When mapping fields, you must map the data to the exact same demographic field you used historically (e.g., mapping to "TEAM" is different from mapping to "TEAM NAME"). Using an incorrect or slightly different title risks discontinuity in your trended survey results.

  • Recommended Action: To avoid confusion, we recommend navigating to Settings > Employee Data Demographics and deleting the old, unused demographics after your first successful sync. (This won't impact any previous survey results.)

Handling Duplicate Employees

Culture Amp uses two fields as unique identifiers for user profiles: Email and Employee ID.

  • As long as at least one of these remains consistent between Paylocity and Culture Amp, the sync will successfully update the existing profile rather than creating a new one.

  • Duplicate Risk: If you change both the Email and the Employee ID simultaneously in Paylocity, the sync will not find a match and will create a duplicate profile.

If you see a duplicate profile error flag during your import, take the following steps:

Scenario

Action to Take

A. Before Changes Are Applied

During the first sync review screen, stop the sync. Update the employee emails in Culture Amp to match those in Paylocity.

  1. Go to the Culture Amp Users page,

  2. Click on the name of the employee you want to update.

  3. Update their email.

  4. Click Save and Exit to update.

  5. Repeat for all duplicated employees.

  6. Then, retry the integration sync.

B. After Changes Are Applied

To clean up the duplicated profiles:

  1. Go to the Culture Amp Users page,

  2. Locate the newest duplicate profile for that user. Click on the name to open up their profile.

  3. Remove existing Email/Employee ID and assign a fake Email or Employee ID to the user and save.

  4. Deactivate this updated profile.

  5. Update the original user profile to match emails in Paylocity. This keeps the history on the existing employee record.

Further Guidance

Check out our dedicated support guide for further information on duplicate employee clean-up.

Sync Blocked to Protect Employee Privacy

Your automated daily sync might be blocked if Culture Amp detects a high-risk change for an employee. You will receive an email notification if this occurs.

  • When It Happens: The sync is blocked if a combination of an employee's Name, Date of Birth, or Email is changed simultaneously.

  • Purpose: This prevents one employee from accidentally getting access to another employee's private information (like performance reviews).

  • Fix: If you've intentionally changed the employee's details, you can run a manual sync to push the change through. Go to Settings > Employee Data > Users, click Import data, and select Sync. Culture Amp will guide you through the rest.

💬 Need help? Please speak with a Product Support Specialist by replying with “Ask a Person” in a Support Conversation

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