---
title: "Bulk import"
slug: "bulk-import"
updated: 2026-08-12T15:33:21Z
published: 2026-08-26T08:00:02Z
canonical: "help.cintra.co.uk/bulk-import"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.cintra.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bulk import

Bulk import lets you add or update payroll data for multiple employees in a single file, rather than working record by record.

### Accessing bulk import

You can access the bulk import tool in two places:

- In the side menu, click **Bulk Import**.
- Open a payroll, then depending on what you want to import:
  - Select **Bulk import employees**.
  - Select the **One-off payments & deductions tile**, then **Bulk Import One-off Payments**.
  - Select the **Salary & Allowances** tile, then **Add Salary & Allowances**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-RJ49E03H.png)

### **Bulk import screen**

From here, you can select which data you want to import, or view previous imports.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-B9BW1J0E.png)

### **Uploading your file**

Once you’ve select which type of import you want to choose, you will need to select one of the following:

- **Employer & payroll**: Select an employer (if you have access to multiple employers) and then a payroll (if you have access to multiple payrolls).
  - You will NOT be able to import data into a payroll if it’s currently locked for processing.
- **Group**: If you use Cintra Groups, you can import one-off payments and deductions OR salary and allowances (but not employees) into any group you have permission to access.

You can either use the default template by clicking Download template, or you can use your own **.csv** or **.xlsx** file. Upload the file by dragging it into the page or browsing for it on your device, then click **Continue**.

Regardless of whether your file has one row per employee per payment, or one row per employee with payments spread across columns, the bulk import feature detects the layout and pre-fills the column headings accordingly.

### **Mapping columns**

- If the column name in your upload file matches the field name in Cintra People, its status will be “Auto-mapped”.
- If the column name is close to the field name, it will be matched with a status of “Needs review”.
- If no matching field is found for your column, its status will be “Not mapped”.

For each column heading, you can select/change the matching field in Cintra. You must match all required fields (marked with *), but you can click the Ignore symbol![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-Q7M27FKU.png)in any row that you don’t want to import.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-A87XLZ2M.png)

Click **Continue** to progress to the review stage.

#### **Fixing errors**

If any rows fail validation, they will be displayed in red in the list below. You can also filter this list to **show errors only**.

To fix the errors, click in the relevant field(s) and enter a value which fixes the problem described in the Errors / reason column. When you’re finished fixing the errors, click **Revalidate**, then when all errors are fixed, click **Import**.

Alternatively, click **Back** to return to the previous screen and upload the file again.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-YY8B9AB8.png)

The import file will then appear in the list of recent imports with a status of “In progress”.

### **Recent imports**

A table of your most recent imports shows the file name, import type, payroll, status, and outcome. You'll only see imports you have permission to see. You can download any import file by clicking its ![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-MEYJYS6A.png) icon.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/fc2cda72-4645-4b36-96bf-60439ec11f11/Images/Documentation/image-840OUCFE.png)