Payroll Validation Edit Tool Guide

Overview

This guide walks you through how to run the Earnings Register report—either from the Payroll Validation Dashboard or as an ad hoc report—and how to use the Validation Edit to check payroll accuracy before and after payroll processing.

The Payroll Validation Dashboard is a one-stop resource for Payroll Analysts. It helps you:

Monitor payroll results for accuracy
Access key reports and tools
Review payroll impacts

By combining Workday’s pre- and post-payroll validation tools, this process helps improve accuracy and consistency—making payroll more reliable and efficient than ever before.

Security Role

Initiator: Payroll Analysts
Approver: N/A

Process Considerations

The Validation Edit is an Excel workbook used outside of Workday to review payroll data for the Supervisory Organization you support.
You must have the appropriate security role in Workday to access the Earnings Register report, which is required to use the Validation Edit.
The workbook contains complex formulas and multiple tabs, so you should be comfortable navigating and working in Excel.
This tool helps ensure payroll accuracy by allowing you to review and validate data before and after payroll is processed.

Running the Earnings Register from the Payroll Validation Dashboard

Steps to Navigate the Payroll Validation Dashboard - Earnings Register
Step 1	From the Workday Home Page, click Menu.
Step 2	Click the Payroll Validation app. Note: If you do not see the Payroll Validation app in your menu you can add the app to your main menu by clicking the Add Apps and Edit buttons within the Menu to add, reorder, or delete apps from the list.
Step 3	Once you click on the Payroll Validation App a pop-up window will appear. Enter the payroll period Supervisory Organization Check the box Include Subordinate Organization Click Ok to run.
Step 4	The payroll validation dashboard will load (this can take a few minutes, you can track progress of the report from the blue bar at the bottom of the page). The Earnings Register worklet will be found in the Payroll Tab.
Step 5	Click on the blue number link from the Supervisory Organization Total and # of Payroll Lines column.
Step 6	The blue link will open a new pop up window that will list all the employees with earnings in that supervisory organization. In the top right of the pop up window, click on the export to excel icon.
Resource	Review the Payroll Tab demo for details on the earnings register and how to pull the report in the Payroll Validation Dashboard. TIP: If the Earnings Register worklet in the dashboard does not load then try running the Earnings Register report ad hoc.

Running the Report Ad Hoc

Steps to Run the Earnings Register - Composite Payroll Validation (UW) Report
Step 1	Using the search bar in Workday at the top of the screen search for Earnings Register.
Step 2	Click on Earnings Register – Composite Payroll Validation UW report
Step 3	A pop up window will appear and enter the following information: Enter the payroll period Supervisory organizations Check the box to Include Subordinate Organizations Click OK to run
Step 4	Once the report has loaded click on the blue number link from the Supervisory Organization Total and # of Payroll Lines column.
Step 5	The blue link will open a new pop up window that will list all the employees with earnings in that supervisory organization. In the top right of the pop up window, click on the export to excel icon.

Moving the Earnings Register Report to the Validation Edit

Copy and Paste the Earnings Register Report to the Validation Edit Spreadsheet
Step 1	Once the Earnings Register report has downloaded to Excel, highlight from A2 to W2, to the bottom of the report and from your computer keyboard use Ctrl + C to copy.
Step 2	Open the Validation Edit spreadsheet. Go to A2 on the Edit Tab and from your computer keyboard use Ctrl + V to paste the earnings register report in A2. Note: You should not need to copy and paste the header, unless you have deleted it out of the Validation Edit.

How to Navigate Through the Validation Edit

Validation Edit Tabs
CALC Tab and BY COST CENTER Tab	CALC Tab This tab is locked for editing, but you can still filter the columns to view the data you need. After you have exported the Earnings Register from the Payroll Validation Dashboard into Excel, this tab is your starting point. Follow the steps here first to begin your payroll review process: Use the "Sort & Filter" feature in Excel and highlight Column A and sort from largest to smallest so the cost center IDs show up in order since the CALC tab will show based on employees in alphabetical order. Review Column H. Note: We do not track earnings for Student Help (formerly Student Hourly) or Grader/Reader positions. Check that the total amount for each Cost Center ID matches with the BY COST CENTER Tab. Example: For Cost Center ID CC002818, the total amount Not Tracked is $765.00. This amount is not tracked because it belongs to a Student Help positions, which is not included on the EMPLOYEE SUMMARY tab. On the BY COST CENTER tab (pictured below), this exclusion is reflected in the totals. BY COST CENTER Tab No further action is needed for the BY COST CENTER tab and it is to confirm that Student Help positions are not tracked.
MISSING EMPL ID Tab and EMPLOYEE SUMMARY Tab	This tab is locked for editing, but you can still filter the columns to view the data you need. In this tab your main action will be to add Missing Employees to the Employee Summary Tab. Follow the steps below: Go to the MISSING EMPL ID tab. In Column H (titled POSITION # ON EMPLOYEE SUMMARY TAB), filter to show only rows with #N/A. To filter highlight Column H, and click Sort & Filter in Excel. Click Filter and a drop down arrow will appear on the bottom right corner of Column H. Click on the arrow and deselect Select All and select #NA and click Ok to filter. Look at the Job Title and Job Category columns. Do not add employees if their job is: Student Help (Student Hourly) or Grader/Reader. Do add employees with other job types, such as Student Assistant. Use the data from the MISSING EMPL ID tab to fill in the EMPLOYEE SUMMARY tab. Add the new employee at the bottom of the list. Fill in the following columns: Column C: Employee Name Column D: Empl ID Column E: Position # (this will auto-fill other formula filled columns) Column G: Job Category Column: H Job Title You will need to login to Workday and navigate to the employee's profile to find the remaining information. Column F: Status Column I: Start Date Column J: End Date Column N: FTE Column O: Comp Rate Important: If the formulas do not auto-fill, check your formulas for errors. After entering the data, sort the Employee Name column (Column C) alphabetically. This will place the new employee in the correct order. Review Column Q: Regular Gross to ensure you have the correct formula for the employees earnings. The formula in Regular Gross is correct based on the information in the following columns: Compensation Basis (Column K): 12 month Pay Rate Type (Column L): Salary or Hourly Exempt/FLSA Status (Column M): Yes or No Regular Gross Formulas Salary: =FTEComp Rate/26 (26 pay periods in the year) Example in spreadsheet: =N303/26 Hourly: =FTEComp Rate80 (80 hours in the pay period) Example in spreadsheet =N203O20380 Hourly Timeclock: =FTEComp Rate80 (80 hours in the pay period) C Basis: =FTEComp Rate/19.5 (19.5 pay periods they get paid) Example in spreadsheet =N1578O1578/19.5

Troubleshooting Payroll Balancing Issues in the Validation Edit

Phase 1: Identify Discrepancies
Start Here	Go to the EMPLOYEE SUMMARY tab. Review Column Y labeled Difference. Focus on rows with negative values highlighted in red. Filter Column Y to show only red values.

Phase 2: Common Reasons for Discrepancies and How to Resolve Them
One-Time Payments (OTP) or Period Activity Pay (PAP)	Review the Earnings Register in Workday to check for any OTP or PAP entries in the current payroll. Click the blue number link to view affected employees and payment amounts. Enter the payment amount in Column S for each employee.
Retroactive Pay	Go to the Payroll Validation Dashboard. Check the Retro Pay Calculation Results for Worker worklet. Enter the retro pay amount in Column S. Add a comment in Column Y explaining the adjustment.
Termination Payouts	Review the Earnings Register in Workday for any termination payouts. Click the blue number link to view affected employees and payment amounts. Enter the payout amount in Column S. Add a comment in Column Z noting that termination payouts were included.
Changes in FTE, Job, or Compensation Rate	Review the employee’s profile in Workday: Navigate to Job > More > Worker History. Use View Worker History by Category for a breakdown of changes. If changes are found, add a comment in the appropriate column. Note: FTE changes will appear in the Earnings Register and flow into the EDIT tab, which updates the EMPLOYEE SUMMARY tab.
Mid-Pay Period Terminations	If an employee was terminated mid-pay period and received only partial pay: Add a comment explaining the short payment. After payroll is finalized, remove the employee from the next Payroll Validation Edit. Consider creating a separate tab to store records of terminated employees.
Unapproved Time Off	If time off was not approved, the employee may appear underpaid. Review time off approvals in Workday.
Unsubmitted Time Worked	If time was worked but not submitted: Check the employee’s timesheet or payroll reports. Follow up to ensure time is submitted before payroll confirmation.

Phase 3: Finalizing Payroll
Post Payroll	After payroll confirmation, create a Post Payroll to verify that all earnings have been paid
Preparing for Next Payroll	Save the file as a new excel document and rename it for the next payroll cycle. Use this new file as your starting point for the next payroll. If you know of upcoming changes, add notes to the comments section to each employee to prepare for the next payroll processing.

Additional Resources

Preparing for Payroll in Workday
Join the Payroll and Benefits CoP for more guidance on the Validation Edit tool.

Questions?

Contact GetHelpUW@support.wisconsin.edu with specific questions about payroll issues (e.g., payslip looks incorrect).

Updated: Jul. 24, 2025
Source URL: https://hr.wisc.edu/hr-guides/for-hr-professionals/payroll-validation-edit-tool-guide/