Export shifts to CSV or ICS for payroll or managers: sample CSV + reusable export checklist

Who this helps and what the exports contain

This article is for workers, planners and managers who use a shift work calendar creator and need a reliable, human-readable export for payroll review or manager handoff. You’ll learn how to export a calendar as CSV or ICS, what fields to include so payroll can read your shifts easily, and how to verify overtime, night and weekend allowances before sharing.

Note: functionality verified for the calendar tool includes building individual shifts, preset rotations, custom day-based rotations, tracking regular and overtime hours, estimating gross pay, and exporting CSV or ICS. During an active Pro trial or paid Pro subscription, you can also configure overtime thresholds and automatic allowances (night-window, weekend, public-holiday) as flat amounts, per-hour amounts or percentages. Where pay rules vary by country or collective agreement, treat the exported numbers as inputs to payroll rather than final legal calculations.

Step-by-step: prepare your calendar for export

1) Confirm the month or date range you need to export. Open the calendar and set the view to the start and end dates that match the payroll period or manager review window.

2) Review shifts and assignments. If you manage a team, make sure published team shifts, assigned names and any recorded absences (vacation, sick leave, time off in lieu) are correct. Personal pay settings, private shift notes and medical details are not shared in team calendars.

3) If you use Pro allowance features, verify your daily/weekly overtime thresholds and night/window, weekend or public-holiday allowances are set correctly for the period you plan to export. Remember these configurations are available only during an active free Pro trial or a paid Pro subscription.

4) If you’ve imported shifts from a rota PDF or image using the one-time AI extraction, confirm you approved the imported shifts before exporting. The app supports that one-time extraction and approval flow.

How to export: CSV for payroll or ICS for manager calendars

CSV export (recommended for payroll): Choose Export > CSV (or similar menu in your calendar app). When prompted, select the date range you prepared. The CSV should include at minimum: Date, Start time, End time, Total hours, Worker name, Shift notes, and allowance columns (if used). Save the file with a clear name such as “PayPeriod_2026-04_employeeName.csv”.

ICS export (recommended for manager handoff and calendar subscriptions): Choose Export > ICS or create a private read-only calendar subscription. A private calendar subscription can be used for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. Subscriptions refresh from the calendar creator but are read-only, so managers can view shifts without altering them. Use ICS when managers want a quick visual review rather than a payroll-ready table.

Tip: If you need both, export CSV for payroll and provide an ICS subscription link to managers for an auto-refreshing, read-only view.

Sample CSV (text) and column explanations

Use this sample as a template you can paste into a spreadsheet editor before exporting or to check your exported file structure. All times use 24-hour format and TotalHours is a decimal.

Sample CSV content (one row per shift):

Date,StartTime,EndTime,TotalHours,WorkerName,Role,Location,ShiftNotes,RegularHours,OvertimeHours,NightAllowance,WeekendAllowance,PublicHolidayAllowance,GrossEstimate

2026-04-01,07:00,15:00,8.00,Alex Morgan,Barista,Cafe Downtown,Morning shift,8.00,0.00,0.00,0.00,0.00,80.00

Column explanations (what payroll or a manager needs)

Date — ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD) avoids confusion across locales.

StartTime / EndTime — 24-hour times (HH:MM). Include timezone if shifts cross zones.

TotalHours — decimal hours (e.g., 7.50). Use a consistent rounding rule (e.g., two decimal places).

WorkerName — full name for payroll identification. Team exports include visible profile names only; personal pay settings remain private and are not included unless relevant to the shift record itself. Role / Location — optional but helpful for cost-centre allocation and manager review. ShiftNotes — brief note for manager context (e.g., training, early finish). Avoid private medical details or personal pay settings in notes. RegularHours / OvertimeHours — separate columns to make payroll calculations clear. The calendar creator tracks regular and overtime hours if configured; include both values in the export. NightAllowance / WeekendAllowance / PublicHolidayAllowance — include the allowance amounts recorded for the shift when using Pro features that configure these allowances as flat amounts, per-hour amounts or percentages. Label each column with the currency or percentage symbol as appropriate. GrossEstimate — an optional column containing the calendar tool’s gross pay estimate for the shift. Treat this as an estimate for review; payroll teams should apply their tax and legal rules.

Common export issues and how to avoid them

Mismatched date ranges: double-check you exported the same start and end dates that payroll expects. Off-by-one errors are common at month boundaries.

Missing allowance columns: if you configured night/weekend/public-holiday allowances but don’t see them in the CSV, confirm you were on an active Pro trial or paid Pro subscription when creating the shifts.

Unassigned team shifts: team members can leave shifts unassigned. If payroll needs a name, either assign the shift or add a placeholder (e.g., “Unassigned”) and communicate that to payroll.

Private data leakage: personal pay settings and medical details are not shared. Remove sensitive notes manually before sending if you used a public or shared device to edit shift notes.

Practical verification before you share

Open the exported CSV in a spreadsheet and filter by worker name to match the calendar view. Compare TotalHours and Regular/Overtime columns against the calendar for at least three random shifts, plus any long or split shifts.

If you used allowances, confirm each allowance column lines up with the shift date (weekend or public holiday). Remember that definitions of weekend and public holiday vary by country and agreement — verify your calendar’s settings match your local rules before exporting.

For managers receiving an ICS subscription, check that published updates flow through after you make a change to the owner’s calendar. Subscriptions refresh but are read-only, so confirm the owner’s later updates propagate as expected.

Practical checklist

• Set export date range to match the payroll period
• Verify all published shifts and assignments for the range (including absences and approved overtime)
• Confirm Pro settings for daily/weekly overtime thresholds and allowances are correct if applicable
• Export CSV for payroll (or ICS for manager calendar subscription), and save with a clear filename
• Open the CSV in a spreadsheet and confirm columns: Date, StartTime, EndTime, TotalHours, WorkerName, RegularHours, OvertimeHours, NightAllowance, WeekendAllowance, PublicHolidayAllowance, GrossEstimate
• Spot-check at least 3 shifts against the calendar (start/end times and hours)
• Check allowance rows against known weekend/public-holiday dates for the period
• Remove or redact any private notes that should not be shared (personal pay settings and medical details are not included by default but check shift notes manually if used)

Frequently asked questions

Can I export allowances like weekend pay or night differentials?

Yes — during an active free Pro trial or a paid Pro subscription you can configure night-window, weekend and public-holiday allowances as flat amounts, per-hour amounts or percentages. If those allowances were enabled for the exported shifts, include the corresponding allowance columns in the CSV. Treat exported allowance values as inputs for payroll review; local rules and payroll processes may adjust them further.

Will the ICS subscription allow managers to edit shifts?

No. The private read-only calendar subscription refreshes from the shift work calendar creator but is not two-way editing. Managers can view changes; only the calendar owner or planner can publish or modify shifts.

Does the calendar app calculate taxes or produce a payroll-ready pay run?

No. The verified capabilities include estimating gross pay for review, but the app does not calculate taxes or guarantee payroll accuracy. Always provide exported data to your payroll team to apply local tax and legal rules.

What if my exported CSV doesn’t match the payroll team’s import format?

Start with the sample CSV columns in this article and coordinate with payroll on required field names and order. The CSV is a simple transport format — you can reformat column headers, add or remove columns, or save as Excel if required by payroll tools.

Do team absences and vacation requests appear in exports?

Yes. Team members can submit vacation requests, and planners approve or reject them. Recorded absences (vacation, leave, time off in lieu, sick days) that are visible in the team calendar should appear in the exported range. Personal pay settings and private medical details are not exported.