Every shift imported from StaffSavvy includes a description, which is the text an employee sees next to that line on their payslip. You can replace the standard wording with your own, using the details StaffSavvy sends with each shift.
The standard description #
If you do nothing, paiyroll builds the description for you from the date, venue, role, hours and rate:
14/09/2026 Student Union Bar Supervisor 5.5 hrs x 12.40
That description is put together like this:
| {Date} | {ClientName} | {RoleName} | {Hours} | hrs x | {Base} |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/09/2026 | Student Union | Bar Supervisor | 5.5 | hrs x | 12.40 |
No setup is needed for this. Change it only if the standard wording does not suit you.
Setting your own description #
- Go to Setup > Pay definitions and open Shift 1.
- In Display as, type the wording you want. Put anything you want filled in from the shift inside curly brackets, for example: {Date} {RoleShort} {Hours} hrs x {Base}
- Save the pay definition. The new wording applies to shifts imported from then on. Shifts already imported keep the description they were given.
Note: No matter how many shift pay definitions you have, the description is always taken from Shift 1. Changing it on Shift 2 or Shift 3 has no effect.
What you can include #
| Type this | You get | StaffSavvy field |
|---|---|---|
| {Date} | The date worked | start |
| {Hours} | Hours worked | total-paid-mins, converted to hours |
| {Base} | Rate of pay | pay-element-value |
| {ClientName} | Venue name | venue title |
| {ClientShort} | Venue short name | venue short title |
| {RoleName} | Role name | role title |
| {RoleShort} | Role short name | role short title |
| {Code} | Cost codes, joined together | costcode1 to costcode4 |
| {ref_t} | StaffSavvy shift reference | id |
| {row_number} | Position in the import | — |
Anything outside the brackets appears exactly as you type it, so {Hours} hrs x {Base} gives 5.5 hrs x 12.40.
Note: {ClientShort} and {RoleShort} need the shorter titles StaffSavvy began sending on 21 September 2026. Set the short names up in StaffSavvy first, or the description will show an empty space where the name should be.
Use your own names for rate and hours #
This is the step most people trip over. {Base}, {Hours}, {Code} and {Date} are not fixed words. They are the names of the inputs on your own Shift 1 definition, and they can differ from one company to the next.
Open Shift 1 and read the input names down the page. If the first two are called Base and Hours, write {Base} and {Hours}. If yours are named differently, use whatever they say. The other six entries in the table above are the same for everyone.
What will not work #
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| {Rate}, {Units} | Internal column names. Use your own input names, usually {Base} and {Hours} |
| {Role}, {Client} | Not recognised. The full names are {RoleName} and {ClientName} |
| {Works id}, {Worker name} | Employee details rather than shift details. These are rejected when you save |
| {shift_number} | Accepted when you save, but has no value during an import and will stop it |
Errors when you save #
{Role} cannot be found in value… #
The name in brackets is not one paiyroll recognises. Check it against the table above, and check the input names on your own Shift 1 definition. Look for stray spaces inside the brackets.
Pay definition “Shift 1” inputs must be… #
All your shift pay definitions must use the same input names. If you renamed an input on Shift 1 to match a description you were writing, rename it back and change the description instead.
Related #
- Setting up StaffSavvy
- Handling pay run errors