Switching from SimplePBJ to EasyPBJ, step by step.

1. Export what you will need later. Save filed PBJ XML, the CMS validation reports, employee ID crosswalks, and any notes behind corrections. Check your SimplePBJ contract for notice periods and how long your data stays available.
2. Confirm who submits. SimplePBJ’s iQIES guidance describes approving it to submit for your facility. With EasyPBJ, your own authorized submitter uploads in iQIES, so that person needs a working HARP account and facility access first. See how to set up the new PBJ login.
3. Pick a quiet quarter to start. Switch with time to spare before the filing deadline, not in the last week.

Download the switching checklist (CSV) to track each item.

EasyPBJ works from the same exports SimplePBJ read: your payroll or time system, plus any agency and contract staffing files. For one full quarter, collect files with employee ID, work date, hours, job title, and pay type. Column names can differ; you confirm what each one means during import.

Not sure your export has what it needs? Compare it with the import template (CSV) and the supported file layouts.

Create your facility, choose the quarter, and drop in the payroll and agency files. Before anything is added, EasyPBJ shows the employees, records, dates, and hours it found, plus the CMS role it proposes for each job title. You confirm the preview; nothing is added silently.

Each filing asks the questions a careful reviewer would, such as: are all payroll periods included, are agency hours in, were unpaid meals removed exactly once, and do the control totals match. Your answer and evidence stay with the filing for the next audit question.

Data problems appear as a short list. Errors must be corrected in the data; items that need review take a documented decision. Each finding names the employee, date, and records involved so you can check the original file.

Before you upload, compare total hours by employee, job category, and month against the SimplePBJ filing for the same quarter. Treat the old total as a comparison point, not the answer.

Example: if EasyPBJ shows eight more hours, find the employee and date first. It could be a duplicated agency shift, or hours the earlier filing missed. Close each difference with evidence, never with an adjustment made just to match. For a second opinion, the $49 consultant review gives written findings and one follow-up check.

The download contains the CMS PBJ XML, a review workbook, and the audit record. Your submitter uploads the XML in iQIES, then reads the Final Validation Report. A downloaded file is not proof of CMS acceptance. The report shows whether each record was accepted; correct and resubmit any rejected records before the deadline.

Save your column setup as a template during import, and next quarter’s files from the same system start from it. Read the iQIES submission guide for the upload itself.