Netchex Payroll Integration

Modified on Tue, 11 Feb at 3:42 PM

The Netchex integration with Inn-Flow Labor provides seamless, automated payroll processing, making it easier to manage employee time tracking and payroll without manual data entry. By connecting Inn-Flow to Netchex, you can streamline labor management, ensure payroll accuracy, and save valuable time.

Key Features of the Inn-Flow Netchex Integration

Automated Payroll Data Transfer: Time and attendance data is automatically sent to Netchex when you are ready to export, ensuring accurate and efficient payroll processing.
Field Mapping Flexibility: Customize field mapping for pay codes and rates, your Chart of Accounts, and other necessary information to ensure your payroll data is accurate and properly formatted for Netchex.
Import Employee Demographics: When your employee demographics or employment status changes in Netchex, it is automatically pushed to Inn-Flow, creating new and deactivating former users while ensuring existing users are synced.
Sync Properties: When you connect Inn-Flow to Netchex, if you add or remove properties from your portfolio, they will be automatically synced once Inn-Flow has created an entity for you — automatically sending time and attendance data for your new properties to Netchex.

What the Integration Does

The integration makes Netchex the system of record for all payroll employees and automatically sends demographic info to Inn-Flow. This eliminates the need to manually update user info in both systems, saving time and headaches. The integration also makes Inn-Flow the system of record for rates, time, and attendance. When payroll is exported from Inn-Flow, it is automatically sent into Netchex without the need to download or upload a file. Everything is automated.

Note: If you want to create a new or update an existing user in Inn-Flow, and that user is paid through Netchex, you must manage their profile in Netchex and their information will automatically flow into Inn-Flow. Employees exempt from payroll (i.e. contractors or other non-payroll users) are still managed directly in Inn-Flow.

Below is a list of fields that are synced or mapped between Inn-Flow and Netchex:

Fields Synced or Mapped from Inn-Flow to Netchex During Export

Entity Information
- Includes Company ID or Client ID.
Employee Information
- Netchex Employee Code
- User Mapping ID
Time and Attendance Information
- Includes any relevant time and attendance data.
Pay Rates
- Note that rates are not synced and are exclusively set in Inn-Flow.
- Rates are sent to Netchex when Payroll is exported.

User/Employee Information Synced from Netchex to Inn-Flow

First Name
Last Name
Date of Birth (DOB)
Employee Type
Social Security Number (SSN)
Hire Date
Employee Hire ID (EHID) - This will automatically give the employee access to the corresponding property in Inn-Flow.
Email Address
Phone Number
Payroll ID - The unique ID from Netchex that identifies an employee.

Fields Entered Manually to Ensure Automated Syncing The following fields must be mapped manually in both systems in order for the automation to work properly. Failure to ensure these mappings will result in innacurate payroll, failed payroll export, or users failing to sync.

Pay Codes
- Inn-Flow pay codes can be mapped to corresponding codes in Netchex. You need make sure this mapping is accurate any time you change your codes in Netchex.
Chart of Accounts (COA)
- Make sure your COAs are the same in both systems. Otherwise, payroll will fail to export properly.
- Note that every position must have a unique Chart of Accounts.
Social Security Numbers (SSN)
- During your first sync between Netchex and Inn-Flow, you will need to make sure all Inn-Flow users have a SSN that corresponds to an employee in Netchex. This is how the initial user sync occurs. After that, any new users created in Netchex will automatically send over all info, including SSN.

How to Implement & Configure the Inn-Flow & Netchex Integration

To ensure success, you should give yourself 1-2 weeks lead time to fully configure and test the integration before fully activating it for payroll. Configuration between Inn-Flow and Netchex is easy, but careful attention to detail is needed in order to ensure parts are working accurately. To get started:

1. Collect Info from and Setup Netchex:

Collect all applicable pay codes from Netchex (either through the UI or from your project or account manager). You'll need these for mapping your Inn-Flow pay codes so payroll can export automatically. Examples:
- R = Regular Hours
- OT = Overtime Hours
- ChTips = Cash Tips
- Etc.
Get your Company IDs and Company Codes for every property from Netchex.
- Company IDs are typically 5-digit numbers (i.e. 19555).
- Company Codes are typically 3-digit alpha codes (i.e. ZOA).
Ensure employees have accurate data in Netchex (first names, last names, phone numbers, SSN, etc.) You want this to be accurate because Netchex will overwrite all Inn-Flow user demographic information when it is turned on.
- Some common items to check in Netchex are:
  - Do all "first and name" fields have proper spacing (i.e. Da Silva vs Dasilva)
  - Do all "first last name fields have proper hyphenation or other punctuation (i.e. "Johnson-Smith" vs "Johnsonsmith" or "Anna Christina" vs "Annachristina")
Ensure all Chart of Account (COA) codes match in Inn-Flow and Netchex
Optional: As you set up your properties in Netchex, it is recommended to make the 3-digit property code reflect the Inn-Flow counterpart (or vice versa, depeding on which system is set up first). This will make it easier to understand what data is flowing between Inn-Flow and Netchex.
Optional: If you have employees that are shared between properties and you pay them with a single paycheck our of their home property (instead of individually from each property), you will need to set up Division Codes in Netchex. These codes will allow you to allocate payment back to the home property. In Netchex, Division Codes are a 3-digit alphanumeric shorthand used to represent the properties, similar to the property ID. Inn-Flow recommends you make the property and division codes the same or similar to clarity. If you are an existing Netchex customer and your division codes already exist, you can create new division codes and remap them in Netchex before turning on the Inn-Flow integration.

2. Make a Test Plan:

Once you've secured all the setup information, decide which property you'd like to test. Choose a property that takes advantage of all your pay codes and has accurate, up-to-date employee and punch data. This ensures a robust test.
Determine a test date where you have plenty of time to monitor activity in Inn-Flow and Netchex, ensuring users sync and where you have the ability to export a sample payroll.
Note that you'll need Inn-Flow and Netchex to collaborate with you, and each other, on your test plan.
Open a support ticket or email your Inn-Flow implementation manager and copy your Netchex project or account manager. In the support ticket, inform Inn-Flow and Netchex that you'd like to actiavte the integration for a test property. Provide both parties with the desired test date and tell them you'd like to activate it on that specific date for that specific property. Include:
- Test Propery Name
- Inn-Flow EHID
- Netchex Company ID and Company Code
- Desired test date (please provide 1 week lead time)
- Netchex Pay Codes
After both Inn-Flow and Netchex confirm the testing date, you are ready to begin configuring the integration.
- Note that Inn-Flow will need to add the Company ID to your subscription. Confirm this has been done before proceeding.

Steps to Configure the Inn-Flow and Netchex Integration:

Before you begin, ensure you do not need to export payroll before your test date. If you do, wait until after payroll has been exported before you begin configuration. Otherwise, your payroll export may have issues.

1. Map Fields Between Inn-Flow and Netchex:

In Inn-Flow, navigate to Labor --> Payroll Processor
On the "Payroll Export Recipient" tab, enter or change the Company Code for the properties you'd like to activate for the integration to the Netchex Company Code (not to be confused with the Netchex Company ID).
Change the "Payroll Export Format" to Netchex for the appropriate properties.
Navigate to the "Payroll Export Code Mapping" tab.
Change the "Select Export Format" field to Netchex.
In the "Export Code" column, map the values for your Netchex Pay Codes to the appropriate Inn-Flow Code. This will ensure data collected in Inn-Flow translates to the appropriate fields in Netchex when payroll is exported.
Turn off any codes you do not wish to use by unchecking the box in the "Add to Export" column.
and click on the In the Field Mapping section, map Inn-Flow's time and attendance fields (such as Employee ID, Hours Worked, and Pay Rate) to their corresponding fields in Netchex.
Double check that all codes are entered correctly, with proper capitalization and spacing (ensuring there are no accidential extra spaces at the end)
Your field mappings should save automatically as you enter them. To test that everything saved properly, navigate away from this page and back again. If everything looks good, proceed to the next step.

2. Test the Integration:

There are 3 things you will want to test to ensure proper configuration. 1) Do new users in Netchex sync to Inn-Flow, 2) Do existing users in Netchex update in Inn-Flow, and 3) Does Payroll export successfully from Inn-Flow to Netchex. Follow the steps below to ensure your integration is configured properly.

Align with Inn-Flow & Netchex

Inform Inn-Flow and Netchex that you have mapped hotel EHIDs (from Inn-Flow) to the corresponding Company Code (from Netchex) and updated the Payroll Export Code Mappings.
Inform Inn-Flow and Netchex of the date you want to activate the integration.
- Once Netchex has activated the integration on their side, inform Inn-Flow you are ready for the integration to be actiaved.
Once both parties confirm the integration is activated, you will need to perform a few test to ensure the connection is established and everything is configured correctly.

Test If New Users Sync from Netchex to Inn-Flow

First, create a test employee in Netchex, complete with all demographic information:
1. First Name
2. Last Name
3. Date of Birth
4. Employee Type
5. Social Security Number (do not use a real number)
6. Hire Date
7. Hotels Entities
8. Email Address
9. Phone Number
After a few minutes, log in to Inn-Flow and navigate to Administration -> Users and see if the test user synced. If it did, proceed. If it did not, wait 1 hour and check again. If it still did not sync, open a support ticket with Inn-Flow.
If you see the user, open the user's details by clicking on the user. Then, in the slideout, navigate to the "Labor" tab.
Under "Entity-Wide Settings" you should see entries for each hotel the user is associated with. Open the 3-dot menu next to any entity and click "Edit."
In the "Edit Entity-Wide Setting" pop-up, check that the user has a value in the "Payroll ID" field. If it is there, proceed. If not, open a support ticket with Inn-Flow.
If everything looks good, you can close the pop up and slide out.

Test If Existing Users Sync from Netchex to Inn-Flow

While still on the Labor -> Administration -> Users page, open any other user profile that already existsed in Inn-Flow prior to activating the integration.
- Only select a user that is on payroll. Exempt and Contract users will not be updated by Netchex.
Then, in the slideout, navigate to the "Labor" tab.
Under "Entity-Wide Settings" you should see entries for each hotel the user is associated with. Open the 3-dot menu next to any entity and click "Edit."
In the "Edit Entity-Wide Setting" pop-up, check that the user has a value in the "Payroll ID" field. If it is there, existing users are successfully syncing from Netchex to Inn-Flow. If not, open a support ticket with Inn-Flow.

Test If Payroll Can Be Exported

Next, navigate to Labor -> Payroll in Inn-Flow and choose the test property.
Choose a payroll period with full payroll data to export. It is best if you choose a past payroll that has alredy been exported.
- Note that you may need to Unexport Payroll first. If you are unsure how to do this, contact Inn-Flow.
Ensure you have a corresponding pay period created in Netchex.
- Note that if you do not know how to do this, contact Netchex.
Click "Export Payroll" in Inn-Flow and wait for it to process.
- If everything is configured properly, you'll see a success message.
- If you recieve errors, copy or screenshot the errors and open a support ticket with Inn-Flow.
Check to see if the user synced correctly to the Inn-Flow users section by
Run a test payroll with sample data to ensure that all fields are properly mapped and data transfers correctly to Netchex.
Review any error logs or warnings and adjust your mapping if necessary.

3. Start Using the Integration:

Once the integration is enabled and tested, you may follow the steps to activate any additional properties.
Netchex will automatically create new users, deactivate users, and update their profiles in Inn-Flow.
Inn-Flow will automatically sync employee time and attendance data with Netchex when you Export Payroll after a pay period has ended.
- Note that payroll exempt and contract users users will need to be created in Inn-Flow only. They are not managed by Netchex.
You can review payroll data in Netchex for approval before processing payments.

4. Monitor and Maintain the Integration:

Regularly review your integration settings to ensure data is being transferred correctly.
If you add new employees or make organizational changes, revisit the Field Mapping section to update relevant fields.
For ongoing support, reach out to the Inn-Flow or Netchex support teams.

By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate Netchex with Inn-Flow Labor, ensuring accurate payroll processing and reducing the manual effort associated with labor management.