Our recommendation
A payroll or timekeeping PBJ export is a good start, but it only contains the hours that system recorded. Before uploading it, add agency and contract hours, confirm job title mappings and overnight shifts, and check paid versus worked hours. If those come from several files, a review workspace such as EasyPBJ combines them with evidence for each hour. It is free to prepare and free to download up to 25 employees.
What payroll PBJ exports cover
Some workforce systems generate PBJ files. UKG Pro Workforce Management documents an Export Payroll Based Journal integration that is set up with a PBJ export dataview, connection settings, and cross-reference tables. Netchex says its PBJ submissions generate from its time and attendance data, and states that most payroll platforms do not generate PBJ natively.
Where an export exists, its accuracy depends on that setup. A cross-reference table that maps an internal job code to the wrong CMS job title code repeats the mistake every quarter.
What a payroll export can miss
| Gap | Why it happens | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Agency and contract hours | Agency staff are paid by invoice, not through payroll | Each agency’s daily hours by person, without duplicating payroll |
| Job title codes | Internal job codes are mapped once and rarely revisited | Every code’s CMS job title, especially new roles |
| Paid versus worked time | Payroll records leave and other paid time | Earnings codes against the CMS policy manual |
| Overnight shifts | Shifts crossing midnight may post to one date | How the system assigns hours to work dates |
| Employee IDs | IDs can change after a payroll conversion | The same person keeps one ID across the quarter |
See how the review works.
Follow example records through the EasyPBJ sample.
Three workable approaches
- Payroll export only. Fits a facility with no agency staff and a clean job mapping. Run every file through the free XML checker and read the CMS validation report.
- Payroll export plus a review workspace. Export payroll as CSV or Excel, import it into EasyPBJ beside your agency spreadsheets, confirm mappings, and reconcile by employee, date, and role. EasyPBJ creates the 4.10.0 XML with an audit package.
- A workforce suite. Systems such as OnShift collect hours through their own integrations. They fit when you already run scheduling there. See PBJ software options compared.
Reconcile one quarter before trusting any export
Pick one completed quarter. Compare the payroll PBJ file’s hours by employee and date with the payroll register and agency invoices. Matching grand totals are not enough: an extra eight-hour row and a missing one cancel out.
EasyPBJ’s free sample shows that comparison with example data, from source row to review finding to filing package. Then read the PBJ reporting requirements guide to confirm what must be reported.
Common questions
Can I upload my payroll system’s PBJ file directly to iQIES?
Yes, if it uses fileSpecVersion 4.10.0 and contains every reportable hour. CMS rejects other versions from April 1, 2026, including files from third-party vendors. Check it with the free PBJ XML checker first.
How do I add agency hours to a payroll PBJ file?
Combine the sources before the file is generated: through your payroll vendor’s agency import if it has one, or in a workspace like EasyPBJ that imports the payroll export and the agency spreadsheet side by side and reconciles them.
Is EasyPBJ a payroll integration?
No. EasyPBJ imports CSV, TSV, XLSX, and XLS exports from your payroll and agency sources. It does not connect to a payroll system directly. See the supported file layouts.
Does my payroll system generate PBJ?
Ask your vendor. Some do: UKG Pro Workforce Management documents a PBJ export integration, and Netchex says it generates PBJ natively. Netchex also says most payroll platforms do not.
Sources and comparison notes
Prepared with AI assistance from the linked public sources and EasyPBJ’s current workflow. Prices, features, and availability can change; confirm current terms with each provider. EasyPBJ is not endorsed by CMS or by the other companies named here.
- UKG Pro Workforce Management help: Export Payroll Based Journal
Documents a PBJ export integration with a PBJ Export dataview, connection settings, process properties, and cross-reference tables to configure. Checked October 17, 2026.
- Netchex: nursing home payroll software
States that PBJ submissions generate from Netchex time and attendance data and that “most payroll platforms don’t generate PBJ natively.” Vendor claim; checked October 17, 2026.
- OnShift: Payroll-Based Journal reporting product brief
Describes time and attendance and HRIS integrations, agency and contractor imports via XML, CSV, or Excel, a daily check-in app, and exportable CMS reports. Brief revised 2020; read October 17, 2026.
- CMS: Staffing Data Submission (PBJ)
Lists the PBJ Excel to XML Template v4.10.0 and data specifications, and states that files with versions other than 4.10.0 are rejected from April 1, 2026. Checked October 17, 2026.
- CMS PBJ Policy Manual
Official definitions of reportable staff, hours, and pay types. Checked October 17, 2026.
- EasyPBJ: supported payroll file layouts
CSV, TSV, XLSX, and XLS imports with confirmed mappings. File import, not a direct payroll connection. Checked October 17, 2026.
- EasyPBJ: free PBJ XML checker
Checks a PBJ XML file in the browser against record rules and the 4.10.0 structure. The file is not uploaded. A clean result is not iQIES acceptance. Checked October 17, 2026.
- EasyPBJ: pricing and free download allowance
Free preparation, free downloads for quarters with up to 25 unique employees per facility, and $149 per facility per quarter above that. Checked October 17, 2026.
Make the comparison with a filing in front of you.
Prepare and review your quarter in EasyPBJ free. Downloads are free up to 25 employees per facility per quarter; larger quarters are $149 every three months. Import payroll, review the details, and prepare your filing package.
Want a professional second check? Add a $49 PBJ consultant review for one facility’s quarterly filing, written findings, and one follow-up check of corrections. Your team confirms timing and payment with us before the review starts.