When uploading a payroll report for your Guideline 401(k) self-service payroll plan, certain errors can prevent your report from uploading. These errors are typically related to formatting or contribution amount issues.
You can review detailed instructions on processing contributions via your Payroll tab here.
Below are common reasons for upload failures and solutions that can help you upload your payroll report successfully.
Unrecognized column headers
Column headers in your payroll report must match the headers provided in our payroll report template. If you adjusted, edited, or deleted any headers, please revert them to match the template provided.
Additional titles or text within the document
Guideline’s system will block the upload if there are unrecognized title rows or text. Please scan the document and delete any additional information within the spreadsheet.
Incorrect pay date format
The entered pay date on your report must follow one of these formats:
2001-01-01 (yyyy-mm-dd)
01/01/2001 (mm/dd/yyyy)
1/1/2001 (m/d/yyyy)
01/01/01 (mm/dd/yy)
Missing information
Our system will process uploaded reports exactly as you’ve reported them. Therefore, it is critical to thoroughly review all information you are providing to verify there are no missing details.
Below are the fields you’ll want to review before uploading and processing your reports:
First Name, Last Name, Pay Date, and Pay Period Gross Pay fields must be included on your report for each employee.
All applicable deduction fields, such as Traditional (Pre-tax), Employer Contribution, Roth (Post-tax), and Loan Repayment, should be reported or updated for each employee. Note that no error will be reported if these fields are left blank. (Whether an employee should have an employer contribution noted in the payroll report depends on the type of employer contribution your plan offers.)
If your plan has an employer match, employees with a pre-tax and/or Roth contribution should have an employer contribution noted in the payroll report, and your payroll records should reflect the same.
If your plan has a non-elective contribution, all eligible employees should have an employer contribution noted in the payroll report, and your payroll records should be consistent.
Unidentifiable employee
New employees hired since your last payroll run must be added to your Guideline roster before you upload a payroll report.
In addition, employee names in your payroll report must match the names in yourGuideline roster exactly and cannot contain any accented letters (e.g., â, î, ô). If an employee changes their name, please remember to also update the name in your Guideline roster.
Unexpected values
Columns that do not apply to your employees must be left blank. For example, if your plan does not have a match, leave the column blank instead of reporting “-” or “N/A.”
Also, exclude negative contribution amounts.
Duplicate row
Each employee should only have one line item for each pay date in the payroll report. If there are multiple contributions for a single employee for the same pay date, consolidate the contributions into a single line item. Similarly, if you run an additional payroll on the same date as another payroll, report the total of all contributions for the employee on that pay date.
Blank rows
Please ensure blank rows are not included on payroll reports.
Template format
Before uploading your report, export or save the template as a CSV file. Guideline’s system will not accept PDF, XLS or TXT file types.
Totals
Do not include a row for grand totals — our system will automatically add up your contributions.
Corrections to processed payroll runs
To learn how to correct processed payroll runs for self-service plans see here.