What this import does

This import creates Un-Invoiced Time and Un-Invoiced Expense entries (Work In Progress) against existing projects in Synergy - essentially backdating or bulk-loading timesheet and expense transactions that haven’t been invoiced yet.

Before you start, make sure these already exist in Synergy:

The Projects, Phases (if used), Stages, and Tasks you’re logging time/expenses against
Staff members, with their Rates (and Overtime Rates, if used) already configured specifically against them - a rate existing in Synergy generally isn’t enough; it must be assigned to that staff member
Expense Types and Tax Rates used on any expense line
Your organisation’s Transaction Lock Date - entries dated on or before it will be rejected

Download and Import the Synergy Excel template.

Download:

From Side Navigation, click your organisation > Organisation Settings > Data Imports > Excel Import
Click on the WIP tab, and click Download.

Fill in the spreadsheet as instructed below, save and Upload.

Warning:

Do not rename, reorder, or delete any columns.
Do not remove or alter the header rows.

Import:

As above, click next to go to the Upload page.
Click Add files.
Find the completed spreadsheet.
- This will automatically start the upload and take you to the preview.
If Errors are found:
- Expand the Errors section.
  - Click on the red error triangle to review the errors.
  - Resolve each error on the spreadsheet.
  - Click re-upload.
Ready to Import:
- If no errors are found, click Import to begin importing the data to Synergy.
- Allow this process to complete before uploading additional data.

The two sheets

Sheet	Purpose
Un-Invoiced Time	Timesheet-style entries - hours worked by a staff member against a task.
Un-Invoiced Expenses	Cash or unit-priced expense entries (e.g. printing, mileage, disbursements).

These two sheets are independent of each other - unlike the Invoices import, there’s no cross-sheet matching required.

Each row stands alone, referencing a project/stage/staff member that must already exist.

Sheet 1: Un-Invoiced Time

Column	Required?	Notes
Staff Member	Yes	Must be existing Staff.
Date	Yes	Must be after your organisation’s Transaction Lock Date. Must be in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Rate Name	Yes	Must exist, and must be a rate specifically configured against that staff member - not just any rate in Synergy.
Overtime Rate	No	If left blank, the staff member’s default overtime rate is used. If provided, it must also be configured against that staff member.
Hours	Yes, > 0	Up to 2 decimal places.
Note	No
Project Number / Project Name	At least one	Must match an existing project that isn’t Unsuccessful, Completed, On Hold, or Pending Invoice.
Phase Name	Only if the project uses phases
Stage Name	Yes	Must exist under the project (and phase, if applicable); can’t be Unsuccessful/Completed/On Hold/Pending Invoice.
Task Name	Yes	Must belong to that Stage, or exist in the global Timesheet Tasks library.

Sheet 2: Un-Invoiced Expenses

Column	Required?	Notes
Staff Member	Yes	Must be existing Staff.
Date	Yes	Must be in DD/MM/YYYY format.
Rate Name	Yes	Must exist in Synergy.
Calculation Type	Yes	Either Lump Sum or Unit-Priced - this determines which of Value/Quantity is used (see below).
Expense Type	Yes	Must be an existing Expense Type.
Tax Rule	Required for Lump Sum only
Value	Required for Lump Sum only, > 0	Up to 2 decimal places. Leave blank for Unit-Priced rows.
Quantity	Required for Unit-Priced only, > 0	Up to 2 decimal places. Leave blank for Lump Sum rows.
Note	Yes	Required for both calculation types.
Project Number / Project Name	At least one	Same project-status rules as the Time sheet.
Phase Name	Only if the project uses phases
Stage Name	Yes	Same existence/status rules as the Time sheet.

Calculation Type, explained

This is the field most people get wrong on the Expenses sheet:

Lump Sum - a single fixed amount (e.g. “$45 for parking”). Fill in Value and Tax Rule; leave Quantity blank.
Unit-Priced - a quantity multiplied by the rate (e.g. “120 km of mileage”). Fill in Quantity; leave Value blank - Synergy calculates the amount from the Rate.
Filling in the field that doesn’t match your Calculation Type won’t cause an error, but it will be ignored - so it’s worth double-checking you’ve used the right one.

Quick troubleshooting checklist

Date rejected - check it isn’t on or before your organisation’s Transaction Lock Date.
“Rate does not exist for staff member” - the rate itself may exist in Synergy, but it must specifically be assigned to that staff member (and for Time entries, to the Staff Rate list) before it can be used here.
“Stage/Project cannot be used” - check the project or stage isn’t Unsuccessful, Completed, On Hold, or Pending Invoice.
Task not found - for Time entries, the task must either belong to the Stage you referenced, or exist in the organisation's Standard Project Tasks list.
Missing Phase Name - only required if the project has phases enabled; leave blank otherwise.
Test with a handful of rows across a couple of staff members and projects before bulk-loading, to confirm your rates and tasks are mapped correctly.

Importing WIP