9 things to know about ELMO’s two-way sync between HR and Payroll

Manual processing, re-keying, reconciliations and systems that don’t speak to each other can cause pay runs errors when only critical data like bank details are only updated in your HRIS. 

The good news is two-way sync via the ELMO Integration Console gives you confidence and oversight that your most important data is aligned between systems. Here are 9 key things to know. 

1. Benefits of two-way sync: Why ELMO customers should connect payroll to HR

Before HR and payroll are connected, even a simple update can become a chain of admin. For example, when your employee has switched banks and updated their bank account in their HRIS, HR may then need to get approval, email the change to payroll. If the change is missed or entered incorrectly, the HRIS may show the new account while payroll still holds the old one. 

Two-way sync helps remove some of these manual touchpoints and reduce duplicate data. Instead of updating the same employee information in both systems, your team can enter it once and let the change flow between connected systems, making payroll routine updates easier to manage and track. When a mapped employee field changes in one system, the change flows to the other system too. Intelligent conflict detection flags mismatches for administrator review before they reach a pay run. 

2. How two-way sync works between ELMO HR and a payroll engine

ELMO HR Core is the primary source for employee information, while payroll-owned details, such as deductions, are always maintained in your ELMO-partnered payroll engine. Mapped data categories like employee details and contact info can flow between the systems, keeping records aligned without creating confusion.

If the same record is changed around the same time in both systems and the values do not match, intelligent conflict detection raises this in the ELMO Integration Dashboard for administrator review so you or your team can decide which value is correct. 

3. Can I connect an existing payroll system to ELMO?

Two-way sync is available if your payroll system is part of ELMO’s network of payroll partners. To check if your existing payroll system is part of ELMO’s payroll network, log in to ELMO Help Centre for more information on payroll integrations, or reach out to your Account Manager.

4. What should organisations prepare before implementing payroll software?

Bring together the people who understand employee data, payroll processing, finance reporting and system administration. It is important to agree how your team will review the initial mapped data, who can resolve conflicts and what evidence you will monitor after activation. Then document your current hand-offs. Note where data is entered twice, where spreadsheets are used, which changes are checked before a pay run and who resolves a mismatch. 

5. How are payroll data conflicts detected before a pay run?

A conflict may occur when the same mapped employee data is changed in both HR and Payroll around the same time. The administrator can then review the values and choose which one to retain. When a conflict is detected in a mapped field, it is raised for review in the Integration Dashboard. The administrator can investigate the values, confirm which data should be retained and resolve the issue according to the agreed process.

6. What is the ELMO Integration Dashboard

The ELMO Integration Dashboard provides an in-platform view of sync status, conflicts, skipped sections and errors. It also keeps an audit trail showing who changed what, where and when. The ELMO Integration Console is used to monitor, troubleshoot and fix integration issues. Together, they help teams see what needs attention, investigate the issue and take the right action. 

7. What does two-way payroll sync cover and what it does not cover

Two-way sync covers mapped employee fields shared between your HR and ELMO-partnered payroll software. Mappings differ by payroll provider and may include employee, bank, tax and superannuation details where supported. Payroll-owned fields remain in payroll, and fields outside the mapping remain manually maintained. Confirm the current field scope with your ELMO Account Manager before implementation.

8. What should customers monitor after go-live to confirm HR and payroll data stays aligned?

After go-live, monitor sync status, open conflicts, skipped sections and recurring errors before each pay run. Review whether conflicts are resolved on time and check the audit trail to confirm changes and field ownership are behaving as expected. These checks help teams spot data drift early and maintain confidence in aligned HR and payroll records.

9. How can payroll teams monitor sync issues and resolve conflicts?

After go-live, monitor the sync status, conflicts, skipped sections and errors. Review the audit trail and confirm that field ownership still reflects how HR and payroll work. Use the ELMO Integration Dashboard and Console to review and resolve conflicts, skipped sections and errors before the relevant pay run. Teams should also assign an owner to each issue, so it is clear who will investigate the cause, correct the data in the system and confirm the issue has been resolved.