> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paypunch.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Importing Employees > Bulk-import employees from a CSV or Excel file with validation, review, and an import history. When you're onboarding a whole company at once, **Bulk Employee Import** lets you load many employees from a single CSV or Excel file. PayPunch validates every row before anything is created, so you can fix errors first and import with confidence. Bulk employee import ## Open the importer From the **Employees** page, click **Bulk Import**. The importer walks through five steps shown across the top: **upload → validate → review → import → complete**. ## Step 1 — Download the template Click **Download Template** to get a correctly-formatted CSV to fill in. The template includes the standard employee columns (such as first name, last name, email, phone, employee number, job title, department, hire date, pay rate, pay type, and PIN). The template comes in a few variants — a **minimal** set of required columns, a **complete** set, and an **example** with sample rows. Start from the example if you're unsure which columns to fill in. ## Step 2 — Upload and validate Pick the client company the new employees belong to. Drop in your filled-out CSV or Excel file. PayPunch shows a **Preview** with the detected row count and column headers. Click **Validate Data**. Every row is checked and sorted into **valid** and **invalid**, with a summary of total / valid / invalid rows and any warnings. ## Step 3 — Review results The **Validation Results** panel lists each error and warning by row and field so you know exactly what to fix. If rows are invalid, click **Start Over** to upload a corrected file, or proceed and import only the valid rows. ## Step 4 — Import Click **Import {N} Employees** to create the valid records. An **Import Progress** bar shows how many of the total have been created. By default the importer: * **Skips invalid rows** rather than failing the whole import, * **Generates PINs** for employees automatically, and * can optionally **send welcome emails**. ## Step 5 — Complete When the run finishes you'll see **Import Complete!** with a count of how many employees were imported. From here choose **Import More** to run another file, or **View Employees** to return to the roster. ## Import history Every import is recorded as a job with its **filename**, **status** (Importing, Completed, or Failed), row counts, and any per-row errors — so you can audit what was loaded and when, and re-check a run that reported failures. Validation prevents bad data, but it can't catch a wrong **company** selection. Double-check you've chosen the right client company before you import.