This article explains how to access, upload, and share documents with employees and payroll admins.

Structure and organisation of files

Open the Files menu in the left-hand navigation. You can switch between two views:

“Employee”: Shows all documents linked to specific employees, similar to a digital personnel directory;
“Payroll”: Shows all documents assigned to specific payroll months;

If a document is assigned to both a payroll month and a person, it appears in both views.

Empty folders are displayed in a lighter shade, while folders containing documents are shown in bold.

Access payroll documents

Email notifications for new documents

Your Payroll Admin provides monthly payroll documents. HR Admins receive an email notification within 24 hours when new documents are available.

The email includes information about:

the relevant payroll period (e.g. “January 2026”)
the number of documents provided

With a clicking on the link in the email you are forwarded to the document overview for the relevant payroll month in the “Payroll” section, e.g., January 2026 in this example.

Access payroll documents via the Files menu

You can also navigate to payroll documents directly within the application. Click Files in the left-hand menu. Then switch to the Payroll tab at the top and select the required payroll month from the list.

Example: If you are looking for the payroll documents for January 2026, select the corresponding folder for that month.

Clicking a monthly folder shows the structure it contains:

individual nested folders, e.g., payslips, payments, or certificates;
files that are stored directly in the main folder for that period

You will also see that you are currently in the “January 2026” folder. By clicking the month bar, you can switch between payroll months.

Typical subfolders and their contents include, for example:

Payslips: Payslips and individual payroll statements per employee;
Payments: Payment files and transfer overviews;
Certificates: For example DEÜV reports, social security certificates, or other reporting documents;

Within this monthly folder, you find all documents assigned to the payroll period (e.g. January 2026), including documents that are also assigned to specific employees.

Example: Finding an employee’s payslip

If you are looking for a payslip for a specific employee, you have two options:

Using the “Payroll” tab:
Open the relevant monthly folder. Then go to the “Payslips” subfolder and look for the employee.

Using the “Employee” tab:
Open the employee’s personnel file. There you will find the same payslip that is also stored in the payroll folder.

Upload payroll-related documents

Upload your own documents

If you want to share documents with your payroll admin that are relevant for payroll processing (e.g. adjustments, manually created certificates), follow these steps:

Open the “Files” menu.
Click the “Upload files” button in the top-right corner.

In the window that opens, provide the required information:

Payroll month: Select the payroll period the document belongs to.
Related employee (optional): Select an employee if the document applies to a single person only. For documents affecting multiple employees, leave this field empty.
Select file: Upload the relevant document.

Before submitting, by default, you agree that your payroll admin will receive an email notification once you upload documents. You can disable this notification if you do not want it to be sent.

View documents uploaded by you or your team

You can view all documents uploaded by you, other HR admins, or employees within a payroll month in just a few steps:

In the “Files” menu, open the “Payroll” tab.
Select the required payroll month.
Open the “Uploaded by you or your team” folder, if available.

This folder contains all documents uploaded by HR admins or employees for the selected period, regardless of employee assignment.

Documents uploaded by employees

Employees can upload documents themselves via the employee portal, for example:

certificates of enrolment (for working students)
work permits
other documents relevant for payroll or HR processes

When an employee uploads a document:

you receive a notification as an HR admin
the document appears in the “Uploaded by you or your team” folder for the relevant payroll period
the document is also visible in the employee’s personnel file under “Files”

Search and find documents

Using the search function

The current document search function is intentionally kept simple:

The search only applies to the current folder or view.
Subfolders are not searched automatically.

Note: Your payroll service has access to all files in the document storage, including deleted files. If you have deleted a document or cannot find it, your payroll service can search for it and restore it if needed.

Understanding folder structure and categories

All folders listed below refer to the same document pool, but filter it using different criteria. These criteria correspond to the category that can be assigned to each document.

To find documents more quickly, it helps to understand how documents are assigned to subfolders. Typically, the following applies:

Folders	Description	Common contents
Reports	Central folder for payroll reports	Reports by cost, departments, or locations Summary lists and statistical overviews If applicable, specialised reports from the payroll system (e.g. “ZV reports”)
Certificates	Contains certificates that are generated or required during payroll processing.	Reports and certificates for social security and tax purposes Certificates for employees (e.g. social security certificates, income certificates) Other employer-issued certificates for employees
Payroll statements	Contains payslips for each employee for the selected payroll month.	Individual payroll statements (payslips) per employee Where applicable, annual payroll statements
Payroll accounting entries	Contains data intended for transfer to financial accounting.	Posting lists or journals from payroll accounting Export files for financial accounting systems (e.g. DATEV posting batches) Account statements and summaries of payroll postings
Income tax certificate	Subfolder for annual tax-related documents	Electronic income tax certificates Where applicable, corrected income tax certificates
Reports	Contains mandatory reports for authorities and social security.	DEÜV reports Registrations, changes, and deregistrations with health insurance providers Other electronic reports generated from payroll processing
Trial payroll runs	Contains test and preliminary payroll runs generated prior to the final payroll process.	Test payroll runs for individual employees Test runs of entire payroll periods for HR review
Uploaded by you or your team		All documents that were manually uploaded by HR admins or employees and assigned to a payroll month For example supporting documents, individual agreements, or manual correction documents
Payments	Contains documents related to payroll payment processing.	Payment lists (e.g. “Payment list January 2026”) SEPA payment files / bank files Overviews of amounts to be paid per employee or in total

Provide and access documents