Paylocity Integration Guide: Automate ATS-to-Payroll Transfers

The Paylocity integration for Greenhouse automates the flow of new-hire and employee data from Greenhouse (your applicant tracking system) into Paylocity (your payroll and HRIS platform). It removes manual data entry, reduces the risk of payroll and HR errors, and ensures employee records are available in Paylocity as soon as a candidate is hired. This article explains what the integration does, which organizations should consider it, the technical prerequisites and setup steps, measurable benefits, common pitfalls, and operational best practices to get predictable results from your HR tech stack.

At a high level the integration performs three core functions: automated import of newly hired candidates, field-level data mapping to preserve accuracy, and ongoing synchronization to support onboarding and payroll processes. For HR and payroll teams, that means fewer spreadsheets, fewer corrections, and a faster route from offer acceptance to paycheck eligibility.

Who benefits most from this integration

• High-volume hiring teams Organizations that hire frequently (campuses, retail rollouts, seasonal staff) gain the biggest time savings by eliminating repeated manual entries for each hire.
• Payroll and HR shared-services Teams that manage payroll centrally or across multiple business units use the integration to reduce reconciliation work and avoid conflicting records across systems.
• Companies using Greenhouse as their ATS If Greenhouse is the single source of truth for candidate lifecycle data, automatically pushing hires into Paylocity keeps downstream HR systems current.
• Organisations facing compliance or audit needs Where audit trails and accurate hire dates matter, syncing data systematically creates consistent records for reporting and compliance checks.
• Multi-location employers Businesses with multiple sites or states can standardize employee data, reducing location- or site-specific payroll errors.

Key benefits you can expect

• Automate manual processes New hires flow from Greenhouse to Paylocity without copy-paste or CSV exports, saving HR time and accelerating onboarding.
• Eliminate errors Field-level sync prevents common data-entry mistakes—misspelled names, wrong start dates, or mismatched employee IDs—reducing payroll corrections.
• Faster new-hire setup Employee records are created in Paylocity upon hire, which shortens time-to-pay and ensures benefits and payroll enrollments can be scheduled immediately.
• Consistent data for reporting Synchronized records help create reliable headcount reports and provide accurate inputs for workforce analytics.
• Language and region support Paylocity and the integration support English and Spanish interfaces and are tailored for North American payroll and HR workflows.

Typical Greenhouse → Paylocity field mappings

Prerequisites and technical requirements: before you start, confirm you have administrative access to both Greenhouse and Paylocity, valid API credentials for system-to-system integration, and an agreed data schema for fields that must flow between systems. Identify custom fields used by your organization (e.g., union codes, cost centers, or custom job levels) and plan how they will map to Paylocity. Document who owns each attribute so future updates have a single authoritative source.

Step-by-step setup checklist

• Plan and document List required fields, stakeholders, and any custom mappings or transformation rules (e.g., converting job codes).
• Obtain API credentials Create an integration user in both systems with least-privilege access needed for reads/writes and capture API keys or OAuth tokens.
• Configure field mappings Map Greenhouse fields to Paylocity equivalents, including validation rules for dates, pay rates, and enumerations.
• Test in a sandbox Run test hires to catch mapping or validation errors before touching production payroll data.
• Schedule cutover and training Communicate the go-live window to HR, payroll, and hiring managers; provide quick-reference guides for exceptions.
• Monitor and iterate Track initial syncs, resolve mismatches, and update mappings as new roles or pay components are introduced.

Security and compliance considerations: verify that data in transit is encrypted (TLS) and that both vendors maintain appropriate security certifications and audit controls. For organizations with strict data residency or regulatory needs, confirm where Paylocity stores employee data and whether any localized requirements apply. Maintain an audit log of integration activity and retain change records to support payroll audits and legal inquiries.

Common troubleshooting and maintenance tasks

• Sync failures Often caused by validation errors (missing required fields or invalid formats). Review error logs, correct source data, and retry.
• Duplicate employee records Ensure a consistent unique identifier (email or candidate ID) and deduplication rules to prevent duplicates.
• Permission errors API credential or role changes can break the integration; keep a service account and avoid tying it to a personal user.
• Payroll cutoff mismatches Coordinate cutoffs: decide whether hires after a certain time should be processed in the next payroll cycle and communicate that to recruiters.
• Field drift over time New fields or changes to job structures require periodic mapping reviews and minor updates to the integration.

Measuring ROI and KPIs: track time-to-complete onboarding tasks (forms, benefits enrollment), number of payroll corrections tied to new hires, time saved per hire by eliminating manual entry, and the percentage of hires that successfully sync on the first attempt. These metrics quantify savings and help prioritize further automation opportunities across HR processes.

Company size, expected benefits, and implementation complexity

Frequently asked questions

Best practices: use a sandbox environment for validation, version-control your mapping documentation, assign a single integration owner, and run regular reconciliation reports between Greenhouse and Paylocity. Establish a change control process so any update to job codes, departments, or pay components includes a mapping review and test case.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Skipping end-to-end testing Not testing with real-life scenarios (contractors, rehires, internal transfers) leads to surprises at production cutover.
• Not defining a single source of truth If both systems are updated independently, synchronization conflicts and manual reconciliation will grow over time.
• Overlooking custom field mappings Assuming out-of-the-box fields are sufficient can break workflows that depend on cost centers, union codes, or local payroll attributes.
• Tying the integration to a personal account Using an individual’s credentials creates a maintenance risk when staff change roles. Use a service account instead.
• Neglecting stakeholder communication Failing to inform payroll, benefits, and hiring managers about timing or exceptions results in operational friction.

Conclusion: The Paylocity integration for Greenhouse is a practical automation that shortens onboarding, improves payroll accuracy, and reduces manual HR effort. Organizations that hire regularly, manage payroll centrally, or operate across multiple locations will see the clearest benefits. Plan carefully, test thoroughly, and apply governance to maintain reliable data flow between systems.