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Guide to Starting Your Payroll Migration from Rippling

Migrating from Rippling? Learn which payroll reports to download and how to submit them so we can migrate your data and get you ready for your first payroll run with us.

Written by Kate Biel

πŸ“ Overview

If you've already paid workers through Rippling this calendar year, we need that payroll data before your first run with us. This guide walks you through how to download and send the reports we need to complete your migration.


⏱️ Before You Begin

Keep your Rippling account active while your payroll data is being transferred. Maintaining access allows you to:

  • Download additional reports if needed

  • Run additional payrolls if necessary

Do not close or cancel your account until we confirm it's safe to do so.


🧠 Why We Need Your Payroll Data

Migrating your historical payroll data ensures that worker tax payments and reporting are accurate. Without it, tax filings and year-end forms could be incorrect, which affects both you and your workers.

This applies to both active and terminated workers who were paid during the current calendar year.


πŸ“Š Data Requirements by Worker Type

Here is what we need from you, broken down by worker type:

W-2 Employees

  • Wages broken down by type (hourly, salary, commissions, etc.)

  • Both employee and employer taxes broken down by type

  • Deductions broken down by type

  • Employer contributions broken down by type

  • Pay period for each check date

  • A year-to-date report for all payrolls run in the calendar year

⚠️ Pay stubs don't always show employer taxes, so they may not be usable for migration purposes. Make sure your reports include employer tax data.

1099 Contractors

  • Check dates and associated pay periods

  • Payment amounts by type (service, commission, tips, etc.)

Download contractor reports as a CSV or PDF.


πŸ› οΈ How to Download Your Payroll Reports

For Rippling, you'll download reports directly and email them to us. The reports you need depend on where you are in the calendar year.

What Reports Are Needed

  • Current quarter: One report per individual payroll run, with a check date that falls within the current quarter

  • Prior quarters: One report showing year-to-date totals for each closed quarter

🧠 Example: Your first payroll with us is planned for 8/30. You've processed payroll in Q3 with check dates of 7/15, 7/31, and 8/15. You'll need a report for each of those dates, plus summary reports for Q1 totals and Q2 totals.

Steps: Download the Journal Report from Rippling

Click the arrow to learn more

  1. Sign in to Rippling Payroll.

  2. Open the Finance sidebar, then navigate to the Payroll app.

  3. Select the Reports tab.

  4. Click the eye icon next to the Journal Report.

  5. Choose the period for which you want to run the report, then click Apply.

  6. Choose the dimension for viewing the data: by company cash requirements, department, or employee/contractor.

  7. Click Download to save the report as a CSV file.

  8. Repeat for each required period, then email all reports to [INSERT EMAIL HERE].

⚠️ You'll need to provide data for all workers per pay period. Make sure your report captures every employee and contractor for the period selected.


πŸ“† Weekly Payroll Employers

If your business runs payroll on a weekly schedule, follow this two-step process:

  1. Submit initial data: Send us all payroll data accumulated so far for the calendar year. This lets us start the migration on our end right away.

  2. Submit final payroll data: After your last weekly payroll with Rippling, send us that final payroll report as soon as possible.

🧠 Example: You run payroll every Monday for a Friday check date. Send us all payroll data except for the current week's run. We'll get started on the migration. Once your final weekly payroll has been run, send us that payroll report no later than Friday so we can complete the migration and have you ready to run your first payroll the following week.


❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.

Click the arrow to view frequently asked questions

Do I need to cancel my Rippling account before starting with you?

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No. Keep your Rippling account active until we confirm the migration is complete and it's safe to close. Closing early can prevent us from accessing the reports we need.

Which dimension should I choose when running the Journal Report?

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You can run the report by company cash requirements, department, or employee/contractor. We need data covering all workers per pay period, so make sure the dimension you select captures every employee and contractor included in that run.

What if I only have 1099 contractors and no W-2 employees?

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If there are no W-2 employee wages to report, just provide the contractor data: check dates, associated pay periods, and payment amounts by type. Download these as a CSV or PDF and email them to [INSERT EMAIL HERE].

Do terminated employees need to be included in the reports?

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Yes. Any employee or contractor who was paid during the current calendar year should be included, even if they are no longer active.

What file format should the report be in?

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Download the Journal Report as a CSV file using the Download option in Rippling. This is the format our team uses to process the migration data.

I'm not sure how many periods to pull. How do I know what to submit?

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You'll need one report per individual payroll run in the current quarter, plus one summary report per closed quarter of the current calendar year. If you're unsure, contact DaySmart Support at [INSERT EMAIL HERE] and we'll help you confirm exactly what's needed.

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