Configure your Bob integration in UK Payroll

Once your Bob integration is set up, you can update additional settings to make your payroll and HR processes smooth and easy.

Before you begin

Ensure that you've set up your integration correctly by following the steps in Connect UK Payroll in Bob.

Note: Once you've made all necessary changes in UK Payroll, click Save at the bottom of the page.

How to configure your HiBob integration

1. Map your UK Payroll fields (shown on the left) to your HiBob fields (shown on the right). You can map any field, including custom fields.

   Note: Custom fields created in Bob will not be created in UK Payroll. If you use custom fields, ensure you map them accurately to the relevant existing UK Payroll field.

2. Field mapping can be edited at any time by scrolling to the end of Bob settings.

Note: Select Do not map for the optional fields you do not wish to sync from HiBob, or if any UK Payroll fields are unavailable in HiBob. Additionally, multi-list fields can't be mapped and won't appear for selection as each UK Payroll field can only accept one value.

How to configure Employee creation settings

1. Toggle on Pause syncing to update data directly in UK Payroll. If you unpause the sync, the data in Bob will overwrite the data in UK Payroll.

   Note: If you pause syncing, it won't affect sending payslips to Bob on payday.

2. Select the radio button to determine when new joiners in Bob should be imported into UK Payroll: Immediately, Monthly, or Monthly with a custom cutoff day. If you select Monthly with a custom cutoff day, use the dropdown menu to select a specific date.

3. Toggle on Exclude employees to exclude employees from the HiBob to UK Payroll sync. To learn more, see Exclude employees from an HRIS sync.

   Note: You must set up the filters for excluded employees before saving any initial settings. Otherwise, UK Payroll imports all employees once connected.

4. Toggle on Sync org structures from Bob to sync your org structures from Bob to UK Payroll.  Then, select the field that you want to sync from Bob from the Choose Bob org structure dropdown menu. To add another org structure, click + Add org structure. You can sync as many org structures as needed. 

   Note: You must first create your organizational structures in UK Payroll. Ensure the names of the fields and values exactly match the fields you want to pull from Bob. Any name that doesn't match won't be synced. To learn more, see Create custom organizational fields.

5. Toggle on Sync tax settings from Bob to sync UK tax settings from Bob to UK Payroll. To learn more, see Enter employee tax details in Bob.

How to configure Compensation settings

1. Toggle on Sync employee salaries from Bob to import employee salaries from Bob into UK Payroll.
2. Toggle on Sync base rates from Bob to import base rates from Bob into UK Payroll.
3. Toggle on Sync work patterns from Bob to import work patterns from Bob into UK Payroll.

How to sync pay items from Bob

You can sync specific types of pay items from Bob into UK Payroll, streamlining your payroll processing. Once you have toggled on the pay items, select a Sync start date. 

Tip: If you have historical data in Bob that you don't want synced to UK Payroll, select a sync start date after these pay items were processed.

How to sync one-off pay items

Sync Actual payments and Variable Pay from Bob as one-off pay items in UK Payroll to easily track additional payments, such as performance bonuses and awards. To learn more, see Enter Actual Payments and Variable Pay in Bob.

1. Toggle on Actual Payments to automatically import actual payments from Bob into UK Payroll.

   Note: Actual payments entered into Bob up to one month prior will sync to UK Payroll.

2. Toggle on Variable Pay to automatically import variable pay from Bob into UK Payroll.

How to sync recurring pay items

Sync employee entitlements and deductions from Bob into UK Payroll to easily track recurring pay items. To learn more, see Enter deductions and entitlements in Bob.

1. Toggle on Entitlements to automatically import employee entitlements from Bob into UK Payroll.
2. Toggle on Deduction to automatically import employee deductions from Bob into UK Payroll.

How to configure Bob settings

Automatically sync any leave entered in Bob to UK Payroll, making leave pay calculations smooth and simple.

1. Toggle on Sync holiday entitlement from Bob to automatically sync holiday balances for terminating employees from Bob.
2. Select your company's holiday policy in the Choose policy from Bob dropdown to have UK Payroll calculate holiday pay. Mark the box next to Make holiday pay pensionable by default for terminated employees if you want termination holiday pay included in pension calculations by default. Don't toggle this on if holiday pay varies by employee.

3. Toggle on Maternity & paternity leave to pull leave dates from Bob and assess employee eligibility. 

   Note: Employee or spouse due dates must be manually entered in the employee's page in UK Payroll. To learn more, see Set up parental pay and leave.

4. Toggle on Sync holiday leave absences from Bob. Then, click the plus icon to the right of Absences and select which leave types you want to sync from your leave policies in Bob. Any necessary deductions will be calculated automatically and will appear on employee payslips.
5. Toggle on Sync other leave absences from Bob. Then, click the plus icon to the right of Absences and select which leave types you want to sync from your leave policies in Bob. This includes unpaid leave. Any necessary deductions will be calculated automatically and will appear on employee payslips.

How to configure Financial settings

1. Toggle on Sync bank account types from Bob to specify which bank account type will be imported for all employees (Checking or Savings). 
2. Map the matching fields for Sort code and Account number. 

How to configure Documents

UK Payroll can automatically send relevant documents to Bob. Once enabled, these documents will appear in employees' Shared folders in Bob.

1. Toggle on Payslip to send employee payslips to Bob at the end of the payroll period.
2. Toggle on P11D to send P11Ds submitted through UK Payroll to Bob at the end of the tax year.
3. Toggle on P60s to send P60s to Bob at the end of the tax year.
4. Toggle on P45 to send P45s to Bob when a terminated employee is sent their final payslip.
5. Toggle on Pension letters to send pension enrollment and postponement letters to Bob when generated.

FAQs

How does field mapping work?
Field mapping allows data to sync from Bob to UK Payroll. You can map any field from Bob to UK Payroll, including custom fields.

Note: You can select Do not map for the optional fields that you don't want synced from Bob. This can also be used if any of the UK Payroll fields are unavailable in Bob.

How do I add a new starter?
New employees should be added to Bob using a unique and previously unused Employee ID. Once you have added them in Bob, a new employee record will be created for them in UK Payroll as long as the Employee ID is not present on any record in UK Payroll. For more information, see Add a new hire.

Why can't I select my preferred holiday policy?
You can only select holiday policies that are calculated in days. Holiday policies calculated in hours will not be available to select.

How does the holiday entitlement sync for terminated employees work?
Bob calculates the accrued holiday balance for terminated employees, including rounded days and carryover days. Once you have enabled the feature in System Settings > Integrations > Bob, you can choose the relevant holiday policy that should be used for the calculation. You can also decide whether holiday pay is pensionable by default (this can be changed for individual employees).

Note: To enable holiday entitlement sync, ensure that the service user has access to See company's time-off in HiBob.

How does the parental leave sync work?

In Bob, assign parental leave to an employee. For detailed instructions, see Set up a leave or termination flow. Once synced, the leave details can only be edited in Bob and will appear greyed out in UK Payroll in the Parental leave section of an employee's profile. To learn more, see Set up parental pay and leave.

Note: Only new parental leaves will be synced. Any previous leaves will need to be manually updated.

I've added a variable pay item to a terminated employee. Why isn't it syncing?
Once an employee has been terminated and they have received their final payslip, UK Payslip doesn't generate payslips for the employee. Instead, see Process a Payment After Leaving.

A pay item that needs to be added to payroll isn't in HiBob yet. What should I do?
Input the data in HiBob and let it sync automatically.

If you decide to manually add the pay item directly into UK Payroll and then update it later in HiBob, delay adding it to HiBob or delete the pay item in the following pay period. This is because the pay item will automatically sync through as a backdated payment in the next payment period.

If you've already confirmed payroll and want to sync this change only, update Bob. Pause the sync, un-confirm payroll, and then select Sync Now in the relevant employee's profile. Once the desired changes are synced, confirm payroll again and unpause Bob's sync.

What happens in UK Payroll when a pay item is deleted in Bob?
The pay item will also be deleted in UK Payroll if the payroll isn't confirmed. Once payroll is confirmed, no changes will be made to payroll.

I deleted a pay item in UK Payroll, and it isn't syncing back from HiBob.
If you delete a pay item in UK Payroll, the pay item will only re-sync if it's updated in Bob.

Can I link standard one-off pay items from Bob, such as Shared parental pay?
No. Standard one-off pay items can't be linked to Bob variable pay items, as you wouldn't be able to unlink them if you needed to delete or edit the pay item.

If I enter a previous salary change in Bob, will it sync to UK Payroll and backdate the salary?
Yes, if the salary change was entered up to one month before. For example, if you update a salary on November 1st with the effective date of October 1st, UK Payroll will automatically backdate the pay.

How can I enable Pay details?
Pay details availability is controlled by the Pay details toggle in Bob. To learn more, see Enable and manage Pay details.