Historical Payrolls
Used primarily during mid-year payroll system migration, you can use this feature to record payroll information that was processed in your previous payroll system before your first payroll in Collage. It allows you to enter previous earnings, deductions, taxes, and statutory contributions so employee year-to-date balances remain accurate after transitioning payroll systems.
These entries update reporting balances only -- they do not process payroll payments or remittances.
Items to include in Historical Payrolls:
Gross earnings
Taxable benefits and allowances
Employee and employer statutory contributions
Federal and Provincial income tax deductions
Other payroll deductions, including union dues or garnishments
Vacation accrual balances
The system treats these amounts as already processed and includes them in year-to-date reporting totals. For YTD, be sure to include data for any employee (active, on leave or terminated) with reportable amounts in the tax year.
Historical Payrolls do not:
Issue employee payments
Generate remittances
Create a standard payroll run
Transfer or move funds
When Historical Payrolls are processed:
Future payroll calculations will use the updated YTD values
Statutory limits, exemptions, and thresholds will calculate correctly
Year-end forms and reporting will reflect the employee’s full payroll history for the calendar year
Important Considerations
Historical balances should typically be entered prior to processing the first live payroll in the system
Entered amounts should align with records from the previous payroll provider
Updating historical values after payroll processing has begun may affect tax calculations and reporting
Accurate entries are essential to avoid incorrect remittances or year-end slips
How to prepare a Historical Payroll
From your payroll dashboard, click on Historical --> Create Historical Payroll:
Input the most appropriate date range and pay date for the historical payroll, as well a note for your refernce, if desired:
Choose between Upload CSV or Add employees manually:
Download a YTD CSV template, complete it with the appropriate year-to-date payroll values, then upload the file
Manually select the employees you would like to manually input YTD information for
Upload CSV option:
Once created, click Run
Download Template --> choose between All Line items or Presets only
Input data in template and Upload and proceed through payroll screens:
Add Employee option:
Enter earnings, benefits, deductions and statutory deductions, as required, and proceed through the payroll screens.
Approve Payroll:
If you require additional support, please reach out to payroll@collage.co.