Configuring Work Types for Shifts and Payroll
This article steps through configuring Work Types in System Preferences. Work Types categorise the work performed in a Shift so that Shift data can be exported correctly to your organisation's payroll system, regardless of which payroll platform you use.
Once configured, Work Types can be assigned to Shifts (covered in a separate article) and will affect how that Shift's data is sent to Employment Hero via API, and is also included in the Detailed Timesheet Batch export.
Privileges: 'Edit System Preferences'
Audience: Authorised Customer Representatives, Finance/Payroll Team, System Administrators.
Important — Available in beta
The ability to configure Work Types in System Preferences is currently available for providers participating in beta testing. Please refer to the How to Send Time Sheets to Employment Hero via API article linked below for further context on the staged rollout.
Summary
The following list summarises the content within this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:
- What are Work Types and how are they used?
- Locating Work Type "ID" in Employment Hero to configure in SupportAbility
- Where are Work Types configured?
What are Work Types and how are they used?
A Work Type is a category of work that affects how a Shift's data is sent to Employment Hero via API, and is also included in the Detailed Timesheet Batch export. Work Types allow your organisation to:
- Distinguish how the hours of a Shift should be classified for payroll (e.g. Active Overnight, Training, Non-Client Facing),
- Generate a separate timesheet line item for an allowance that needs to be paid alongside the Shift (e.g. a Meal Allowance),
- Represent a Shift that is paid as an allowance only, with no base hours (e.g., On-call, or a Sleepover), and
- Generate a separate timesheet entry for finalised Private kilometres recorded against the Shift.
For providers using Employment Hero / KeyPay, Work Types are a key input to Employment Hero's pay conditions engine, which combines the Work Type with the date, time, employee classification and award rules to automatically derive the correct shift conditions, penalty rates and allowances.
For providers using payroll systems without an award-interpretation engine (e.g. MYOB, Xero), Work Type data is included in the Detailed Timesheet Batch export. Your payroll team uses that export to map each Work Type to the relevant Pay Category in your payroll system. The Detailed Timesheet Batch is the export path for non-Employment Hero providers.
The Category you choose for each Work Type determines exactly how it behaves in the export — see the next section for details.
Understanding Work Type Categories
Each Work Type must be assigned a Category. The Category is the most important field on a Work Type because it determines how the Work Type generates timesheet entries when the Shift is exported. There are three Categories to choose from:
- Hours-based
- Allowance
- Kilometres
Hours-based
Examples: Active Overnight, Training, Non-Client Facing.
- Categorises the Shift's existing timesheet entry. It does not create an additional row.
- The entry retains the full finalised Shift hours, with the Work Type attached.
- Suited to payroll systems with an award-interpretation engine (e.g. Employment Hero / KeyPay) that can derive allowances and penalty rates from the Shift's hours and Work Type tag.
- Only one Hours-based Work Type can be assigned to a Shift. A second would conflict with the first because both attempt to categorise the same base entry.
Allowance
Examples: Sleepover Allowance, Meal Allowance.
- Creates an additional timesheet entry alongside the base Shift entry, with hours = 0 and units = 1.
- Multiple Allowance Work Types can be assigned to a single Shift. Each will generate its own additional entry in the export.
- Allowance Work Types include an additional setting, 'Suppress base hours entry', that lets you represent a Shift that is paid only as an allowance. See Suppressing the base hours entry below.
Kilometres
Examples: Kilometres, Schads Kilometres.
- Creates an additional timesheet entry alongside the base Shift entry, with hours = 0 and units equal to the total finalised Private kilometres recorded for that Shift.
- Multiple Kilometres Work Types can be assigned to a single Shift. For example, a provider may use both Kilometres and Schads Kilometres together, each generating its own additional entry.
- Kilometres Work Types include an additional setting, 'Auto-apply when private kilometres entered'. When set to Yes, the Work Type is automatically applied to a Shift the moment Private kilometres are recorded against it.
Suppressing the base hours entry (allowance-only shifts)
Allowance Work Types have an additional Suppress base hours entry setting (Yes/No, default No). This setting lets you represent a Shift that is paid only as an allowance, using a single Work Type.
- Suppress base hours entry = No (default): The base Shift entry is produced as normal with the Shift's hours, and the Allowance Work Type creates its own additional entry (0 hours, units = 1). Example: Meal Allowance.
- Suppress base hours entry = Yes: The base Shift's hours entry is suppressed. No base row is produced for the Shift in the Detailed Timesheet Batch, and no base entry is sent to the Employment Hero API. The Allowance Work Type still creates its own entry (0 hours, units = 1). Any other Allowance or Kilometres Work Types on the Shift still produce their own entries as normal. Example: On Call, Sleepover.
Important rules:
- An Allowance Work Type configured with the Suppress base hours entry set to Yes cannot be assigned to a Shift that already has an Hours-based Work Type assigned, and vice versa. SupportAbility will display an inline message at assignment time explaining why.
- Where a Shift has more than one Allowance Work Type assigned and any one of them has Suppress base hours entry = Yes, the base hours entry is suppressed for the Shift.
Multi-assignment rules — how many Work Types can be assigned to a Shift?
The Category determines how many Work Types of that type can be assigned to a single Shift. There is no separate per-Work-Type setting for this. The rule is inherent to the Category:
| Category | Multiple per Shift? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Hours-based | No, one per Shift | The Work Type categorises the base entry; a second would conflict |
| Allowance | Yes | Each generates its own additional entry |
| Kilometres | Yes | Each generates its own additional entry |
A single Shift can have Work Types from different Categories at the same time. For example, one Hours-based Work Type, one or more Allowance Work Types, and one or more Kilometres Work Types. The one-per-Shift restriction only applies within the Hours-based Category.
There is one exception to mixing Categories: an Allowance Work Type with Suppress base hours entry = Yes cannot be combined with an Hours-based Work Type on the same Shift (see Suppressing the base hours entry above).
If a Staff Member or Team Leader attempts to add a second Hours-based Work Type to a Shift, or a combination that is not permitted, SupportAbility will display a validation message explaining why.
Locating Work Type "ID" in Employment Hero to configure in SupportAbility
If your organisation uses Employment Hero / KeyPay, each Work Type configured in Employment Hero has its own specific ID that needs to be entered into the corresponding Work Type in SupportAbility. This ensures the Timesheet Batch sent to Employment Hero is matched to the correct Work Type at the Employment Hero end.
Important - this is not the External ID that can be viewed in Employment Hero. It is an ID that is only viewable by following these instructions.
The list of Work Types and their IDs can be retrieved directly from Employment Hero using the following URL pattern, where {businessUnitId} is your organisation's Business Unit ID — the same value entered into your API Configuration in System Preferences:
api/v2/business/{businessUnitId}/worktype
To use this:
- Locate your organisation's Business Unit ID in System Preferences » API Configuration.
- Append the path above to your Employment Hero / KeyPay payroll URL.
For example, the final URL for an organisation using Turnpoint Pay with a Business Unit ID of 242417 would be:
https://turnpointsoftware.yourpayroll.com.au/api/v2/business/242417/worktype
Open the resulting URL in a browser while signed in to Employment Hero. The response will list all Work Types configured in Employment Hero, each with its associated ID:
It is important to ensure you copy the "id" value highlighted above and paste it into the 'Integrated System ID' when configuring the matching Work Types in SupportAbility.
Where are Work Types configured?
Work Types are configured in the new 'Work Types' tab in System Preferences. This tab sits between the existing 'API Configuration' and 'Payroll Time Type Codes' tabs:
When opened for the first time, the Work Types list will be empty. Your organisation must add the Work Types relevant to your service mix and payroll system. There are no defaults provided.
How to add a Work Type
To add a Work Type:
- Navigate to System Preferences from the Main Menu on the Dashboard.
- Select the 'Work Types' tab.
- Click '+ Add Work Type'.
A dialogue will appear with the following fields:
- Work Type Name (required) — Free text. The name must be unique across all Work Types in your organisation, including any deactivated Work Types. This is the name that will appear when assigning a Work Type to a Shift.
- Integrated System ID (required) — Free text. This is the identifier used by your organisation's payroll platform to match the Work Type. For example:
- Employment Hero providers should enter the corresponding ID as outlined in the instructions above, noting that this is not the External ID.
- MYOB or Xero providers may enter the relevant code (e.g.
SLP-01). - Providers who only use the Detailed Timesheet Batch export and map Work Types by name in payroll can leave this blank.
- Category (required) — Dropdown with three options: Hours-based, Allowance, or Kilometres. The list is blank by default. See Understanding Work Type Categories above for guidance on choosing the right Category.
- Suppress base hours entry (only visible when Category = Allowance) — Dropdown with Yes or No, defaulting to No. When set to Yes, assigning this Allowance to a Shift will suppress the Shift's base hours entry on export. Use for Shifts paid as an allowance only (e.g. on-call, sleepover). See Suppressing the base hours entry above.
- Auto-apply when private kilometres entered (only visible when Category = Kilometres) — Dropdown with Yes or No, defaulting to No. When set to Yes, this Work Type will be automatically applied to a Shift as soon as Private kilometres are recorded against it.
- Notes (optional) — Free text. Use this field to record any platform-specific configuration notes for your organisation's reference, e.g. "Maps to Pay Category 'Sleepover Allowance' in Employment Hero" or "Use code SLP-01 in MYOB import". The Notes field is for your internal reference only — it does not appear in any export.
Once the fields are completed, click 'Save'. The new Work Type will appear in the Work Types list:
How to edit a Work Type
Work Types can be edited at any time by clicking the row in the Work Types list:
The fields available for editing depend on whether the Work Type has been used yet.
The following fields can be edited regardless of whether the Work Type has been assigned to any Shifts:
- Work Type Name
- Integrated System ID
- Notes
- Auto-apply when private kilometres entered (for Kilometres Work Types)
Fields locked once included in a Signed-off Activity
The Category field is editable until the Work Type has been assigned and is included in a Signed-off Activity. This is because the Category determines how timesheet entries are generated, and timesheets can only be generated from signed-off Shifts.
The Suppress base hours entry field (on Allowance Work Types) follows the same rule. It is editable until the Allowance Work Type has been assigned to a signed-off Shift, after which it becomes read-only.
Once a signed-off Activity exists with this Work Type assigned, the locked fields are displayed as read-only.
If your organisation needs to change the Category, or the Suppress base hours entry setting, of a Work Type after it has been used on a signed-off Shift, the recommended approach is to:
- Deactivate the existing Work Type (see below), and
- Create a new Work Type with the required configuration.
This preserves the historical record of how the existing Shifts were categorised at the time they were signed off.
How to deactivate (or reactivate) a Work Type
Work Types are not deleted from SupportAbility — they are deactivated. This preserves the historical record of any Shifts that have the Work Type assigned.
To deactivate a Work Type, open the Work Type and toggle the Active status to off (or use the equivalent control on the Work Types list).
A deactivated Work Type will appear in the list as such:
To reactivate an Inactive Work Type, select 'Edit' and tick 'Active' again:
This will be reactivated and ready to use again:
Deactivation rules
- You cannot deactivate a Work Type if it is assigned to any future (not yet finalised) Shifts. SupportAbility will prevent the change and indicate which Shifts must be updated first.
- If a Work Type is deactivated, it will continue to appear as a read-only label on any historical or current Shifts that have it assigned — it is not stripped from existing data.
- Deactivated Work Types do not appear in the selection list when assigning Work Types to new or future Shifts.
A deactivated Work Type can be reactivated at any time by toggling its status back to Active.