What accurate payroll data gets you

When the hours going into payroll are right first time, everything after it gets easier. We have written more about why payroll export matters.

Faster pay runs

Approved hours are ready to hand over, so the pay run starts with a file rather than a fortnight of collecting timesheets.

Problems found before payday

A missed clocking or an unapproved absence is flagged when it happens, not discovered by payroll the week after someone has been paid wrong.

Less admin

No spreadsheet in the middle, with absence and overtime already accounted for rather than added on at the end.

A record behind every figure

If someone questions their pay, the time and attendance record shows what was worked and what was amended, with an audit trail behind it.

How your data reaches payroll

Three steps take you from a clocking to figures your payroll team can run with.

  1. Staff clock in

    Hours, overtime and absence are recorded as people work, from a terminal or the mobile app.

  2. Managers approve

    Anything that looks wrong is flagged for a decision, so what moves forward has been checked by someone rather than assumed.

  3. Sent to payroll

    Approved figures go across as a file your payroll software imports, or directly into Sage on Realtime.

We integrate directly with Sage Payroll on Realtime, and export approved hours ready for Sage, Pegasus and QuickBooks from both our systems. If you run something else, tell us what it is and we will confirm whether the export format suits it before you commit to anything.

Why accurate payroll data matters

Most payroll problems start with the data going in. Get the hours right at source and the errors, costs and admin downstream fall away.

£5.8m

recovered by HMRC for more than 25,200 underpaid UK workers in a single year

HMRC, 2024 to 2025

25%

of UK employees have been paid the wrong amount at least once

Global Payroll Association

£20,000

maximum HMRC penalty per worker for underpaying the minimum wage

HMRC, National Minimum Wage Act

The payroll body CIPP names unpaid working time as one of the most common causes of underpayment, and it is rarely deliberate. It is the ten minutes before a shift starts, the handover that runs over, the training session nobody logged. Recording the hours as they happen is the simplest way to know what people are actually owed. See how time and attendance captures it.

What we send to payroll, and what it works with

Computime turns approved attendance into a payroll file, with direct Sage Payroll integration on Realtime and standard exports from both our systems.

What we send to payroll

  • Total hours worked, calculated from clock in and clock out
  • Overtime, calculated against your own rules and rates
  • Holiday and absence, so paid and unpaid leave is reflected correctly
  • Shift premiums and bank holiday rates
  • Cost centre and department splits for accurate allocation

How it reaches your payroll software

Sage Payroll · direct integration on Realtime, so approved hours pass across without a file in between

Pegasus and QuickBooks · export files produced in the format each expects, from Realtime and Syncro Connect

Running something else? Most payroll packages import a standard file, and in practice the question is whether the format matches what yours expects. Tell us which system you use and we will check before you commit to anything, rather than after.

Worth knowing: we handle the hours, not the pay itself. Payslips, P60s, tax and pension deductions all stay with your payroll software.

Not sure whether we work with your payroll software? Talk to our team and we will confirm.

Why choose Computime?

For over 35 years, since 1989, we have helped UK businesses turn time and attendance records into figures payroll can use, which removes the commonest source of pay errors: someone reading a number off one system and typing it into another.

Direct Sage Payroll integration comes with Realtime, and both our systems export for Sage, Pegasus and QuickBooks. If you run something else, ask us and we will check the format rather than assuming it fits.

The software is built and supported by our own team in Leeds, with no minimum headcount and room to scale to 5,000 employees. When you call, you speak to someone here.

800+

UK businesses trust Computime systems

35+

years of UK workforce experience since 1989

4.5

average from 41 Google reviews

UK

based support team on hand when you need them

What our customers say

“

We are really pleased with our Computime solution. Introducing this system means that payroll is now processed accurately and efficiently, helping to boost morale both for our head office staff and our field teams. Real time data means we know where our employees are, allowing us to operate more efficiently.

James Dunlop

Financial Manager, Landworth Electrics

“

We are very pleased with the smooth implementation. Computime worked very hard to make sure installation was completed within the time frame and with minimum disruption. The in-depth training allowed us to focus on production and keeping our employees safe at work while ensuring efficiency.

Clare Barker

HR Manager, Wholebake Limited

“

I was tasked with sourcing a computerised time and attendance solution to replace our manual clocking system. The Computime website contained all the information I needed, making the decision straightforward. The software proved easy to use and the helpdesk was very helpful and friendly. Computime have exceeded all of our expectations and objectives. I would definitely recommend them.

Purchasing Manager

BSK Laminating

Payroll export FAQs

What businesses ask about getting hours into payroll. If yours is not here, call the Leeds team on 0113 350 9043.

Does Computime handle payslips, tax or RTI?
No, and it is worth being plain about it. Your payroll package does the pay: payslips, P60s, tax codes, National Insurance, pensions and RTI submissions to HMRC. We do the hours that go into it. If you are looking for payroll software itself, we are not that, and we will tell you so rather than take you through a demo first.
Which payroll packages does it work with?
Sage, Pegasus, QuickBooks, BrightPay, Xero, IRIS and ADP are all set up and tested. It is one export engine configured to produce the layout each package expects, rather than a generic file somebody has to rework at the other end. If you run something not on that list, tell us what it is and we will look at whether we can set it up rather than guessing.
What is the difference between an export and an integration?
An export means we produce a file in the format your payroll expects and somebody imports it, which takes a minute and works perfectly well. Direct integration means the systems talk to each other and nobody handles a file. We offer direct integration with Sage Payroll on Realtime as a paid module; everything else is an export, and the export is included. Plenty of suppliers describe the first as the second, so it is worth asking whether a person is in the middle.
Does it calculate overtime before it reaches payroll?
Yes, against your own rules. You set when overtime starts, what rate applies, and how evenings, weekends and bank holidays are treated. Those rules are applied to the recorded hours, so payroll receives overtime already split by rate rather than a total someone has to unpick.
Can hours be split by department or cost centre?
Yes, if your payroll setup uses them. Hours can be attributed to departments or cost centres and carried across, so labour cost lands where it belongs rather than in one total. If you need cost against individual jobs rather than departments, that is job costing, which is a Realtime feature.
Can we check the figures before they go to payroll?
Yes, and you should. Nothing goes across until a manager has approved it, and exceptions like missed clockings or unbooked absence are flagged for a decision first. Automation removes the typing, not the checking.
How long does it take to set up?
The export itself is quick. The work is mapping your pay elements to ours and agreeing the rules: overtime thresholds, premium rates, rounding, bank holiday treatment. That is a conversation with whoever runs your payroll, and it is worth doing carefully, because rules set wrongly at the start produce figures that look plausible and are not.
What if we change payroll systems later?
Your time and attendance records stay with us and are not tied to any one payroll package. If you move, the hours export in a different format instead, and we would help you set that up. You are not locking your attendance data inside a payroll decision.

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