Overview

When designing a Paylocity Marketplace Integration, it is crucial to dynamically handle the diverse list and lookup values that underpin the system’s data structure. These standardized codes—including job codes, cost centers, earning codes, deduction codes, tax codes, and many others—act as the backbone for data validation, reporting accuracy, and interoperability between your application and Paylocity. They help translate and synchronize information such as cost allocations, time tracking, organizational hierarchy, demographic data, and payroll processing rules. By mapping text or “readable” labels to these standardized code values, developers can ensure that their integration properly references the database structures at a company level and accurately reflects each client’s unique configurations.

Examples of these codes appear in the scenarios outlined below. By implementing the handling of these lists and lookup values, we create a flexible connector that can adapt to each client’s setup and maintain accuracy across systems. During the promotion review process, you will need to demonstrate that your integration can correctly reference, synchronize, and interpret the relevant company-level list and lookup values.

Definitions

Job Codes

A job code is a unique identifier that categorizes costs and time as it relates to work. It is an important aspect of cost analysis reporting and is often used across HRIS, accounting, and ERP systems to inform functions such as cost allocations, budgeting/forecasting, and invoicing/accounts receivable. A job code may also be used to inform organizational hierarchy in conjunction with cost centers, job titles, and position codes. Job codes are a required aspect of certified payroll, which is generally a requirement for government contracting.

See also; Company Level Information - Job Codes

Cost Centers

A Cost Center represents a distinct unit—often a department or team—used to track expenses within an organization. In an HRIS, it helps categorize employees under the right department or budget, making it simpler to align payroll, benefits, and other workforce-related costs. Assigning employees to cost centers ensures that financial data stays accurate and organized, which aids in budgeting, forecasting, and departmental accountability.

See also; Company Level Information - Cost Centers

Earning Codes

Earning codes are used to categorize the different types of an employee’s pay. For example, regular wages, overtime, bonuses, or shift differentials each receive their own earning code to ensure accuracy in payroll calculations. This categorization makes it easier to track how much each employee earns for specific work activities, maintain internal consistency, and generate detailed reports. Additionally, using distinct earning codes helps with compliance and recordkeeping, as it neatly separates various compensation types for tax and auditing purposes.

See also; Get Earning Codes

Deduction Codes

Deduction codes refer to items that need to be subtracted from an employee’s gross pay, such as health insurance premiums, retirement contributions, union dues, or garnishments. In Paylocity, these codes define how deductions are processed—whether they are taken before or after taxes—and set any limits (such as the maximum contribution allowed). By assigning each deduction a specific code, payroll software ensures accurate withholding and consistent accounting of these amounts, giving both the employer and the employee a clear understanding of what portion of pay is being withheld and for what reason.

See also; Get Deduction Codes

Tax Codes

Tax codes identify the different tax obligations that apply to an employee’s pay, like federal income tax, state income tax, local taxes, and other mandated withholdings. In Paylocity, these codes automate tax withholding calculations based on factors like employee residence, workplace location, and filing status. Proper use of tax codes ensures that the correct amounts are withheld from each paycheck and that the employer’s payroll process remains compliant with government regulations. This also streamlines reporting and remittance to the appropriate tax authorities, reducing the likelihood of errors or penalties.

See also; Get Tax Codes

Calculation Codes

Calculation codes are used to specify how an earning or deduction code is processed within the system. They can define the formula or methodology behind calculations, including percentages, multipliers against a wage-base, and whether an amount is assessed before or after taxes.

This is a field value returned on specific Payroll/HR resources

DET Type

In Paylocity, ‘DET’ stands for Deduction, Earning, or Tax. A DET Type is used to classify payroll components and determine how they are calculated, taxed, and reported. For example, an Earning Type such as “REG” (Regular Pay) or “OT” (Overtime) dictates how wages are computed, while a Deduction Type like “401K” (Pre-Tax Retirement) or “Standard” (After-Tax Deduction) specifies whether amounts are withheld before or after taxes. These codes inform the system’s underlying taxability rules and how the withheld or paid amounts appear on pay statements, as well as on tax form generations.

This is a field value returned on specific Payroll/HR resources

Pay Frequency Codes

A Frequency Code in the system specifies how often an earning, deduction, or agency code is applied during payroll processing, typically aligning with the payroll calendar set up at the company level in Paylocity. Common frequencies with a required gap (or “cooldown period”) between check dates include Daily (D), Weekly (W), Bi-Weekly (BW), and Semi-Monthly (SM). Other frequencies—such as Monthly Last-Week (ML), Quarterly First-Week (Q1W), and Block Week 5 (BL5)—may operate without a cooldown period. When a cooldown period is enforced, it refers to the minimum amount of time that must pass between check dates, for example five days between weekly pay dates, to ensure payroll does not run too frequently and maintains an organized schedule.

See also; Get Pay Frequency Codes

Common pay frequency codes used by Paylocity clients:

Pay Grades

Pay grades are generally an optional feature within the HRIS database but can be used to enhance reporting capabilities, such as Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Reports and custom reports. They can be tied to the primary pay rate setup in an employee’s record, outlining the minimum, midpoint, and maximum pay scale for a given position. This structure supports detailed compensation analyses, such as compa-ratio and range penetration reporting, by allowing organizations to benchmark and monitor how individual salaries align across their organization.

See also; Get Pay Grades

Position Codes & Job Titles

A Position Code is a unique identifier that helps administrators classify employee records for hierarchy and reporting purposes. It can automatically populate details such as a job description, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) classifications, and workers’ compensation codes across various modules and reports. By assigning a single Position Code (for example, “Sales Manager”) to multiple employees, a company can maintain consistent data entry for classification and reporting, making it easier to manage compliance and produce accurate reports.

In contrast, a Job Title serves as an optional label for the employee’s role and does not auto-populate additional fields. For instance, an employee might have the Position Code “Sales Manager” while their Job Title is customized to “Sales Manager – Chicagoland Area” to reflect their specific region. This approach ensures the Position Code drives organizational structure and reporting, while the Job Title adds clarity or context for the employee’s unique responsibilities.

See also; Get Position Codes

Rate Codes

Rate Codes are unique code values that are set up at the Company Level. They are commonly used for Additional Pay Rate setups on the employee record and for reporting purposes.

See also; Get Rate Codes

Work Locations

Work locations, sometimes referred to as geographic or location codes, are designations that organizations use to identify the physical or geographic sites where employees work. These codes play a vital role in reporting and operations management by ensuring that each employee is assigned a specific work location for accurate tax verification (SUI State) and recordkeeping. They also factor into recruiting processes, as these designated work locations appear in Paylocity’s Recruiting platform for new job postings. Work locations are often used in conjunction with cost center coding to inform the organization’s physical structure.

See also; Get Work Locations

Worker Compensation Codes

Workers' Compensation Codes (also known as workers’ compensation class codes or class codes) are standardized numeric or alphanumeric identifiers that categorize different types of work or job duties within the workers' compensation insurance system. By assigning each position or employee a specific code, organizations can properly manage insurance premiums, assess risk, and ensure accurate reporting for compliance. These codes serve as a foundational element in determining how claims and coverage are handled across various industries.

See also Get Worker Compensation Codes

Employee Status & Status Types

Employee Status & Status Type in Paylocity provide a flexible way to classify workforce data. The “Employee Status” is a customizable code that clients can create at the company level, often used for reporting and recordkeeping. In contrast, the “Status Type” is a set of predefined database values (A for Active, L for Leave, T for Termination) that represents the actual employment condition of an individual. Admins can map the custom Employee Status codes to the corresponding Status Type to align the organization’s specific needs, workflows, and reporting requirements with Paylocity’s underlying system structure.

Further details may be found in the Employee Status key concepts guide.

Employment Type

Employment Types in Paylocity are a critical aspect of the employee record. Often used in conjunction with the Employee Status & Type to help delineate sub-groups of employees. Employment Types are important for ACA reporting requirements to calculate the FTE (Full Time Equivalent).

This is a field value returned on the Employees resources.

Paylocity has a default subset of Employment Types:

Client Admins are also able to add additional employment types at their discretion, Ex: “INT-FT” could represent an International Full-Time employee.

Change Reasons

Depending on the employment event you are interacting with (Employee Status, Pay Rates, or Department/Position) there will be varying change reason codes involved. Department/Position events include Cost Center, Job, Reviewer, Supervisor, New Hire, and Union. Companies can create custom change reasons.

Marital Status

Marital Status codes & descriptions are defined at the company level in Paylocity. Marital Status is commonly used to indicate the legal relationship status of an employee, such as single, married, or domestic partnership to assist in managing administrative tasks and benefits.

This is a field value returned on the Employees resources.

Commonly used codes include

Ethnicity & Gender

The Ethnicity Code and Description are commonly used for reporting and (EEO) Equal Employment Opportunity, (D&I) Diversity & Inclusion, & (EPR) Equal Pay Rate reporting and compliance.

This is a field value returned on the Employees resources.

Valid federal gender values are M – Male and F – Female.

Valid Ethnicity Codes are:

Additional customization options are available to admins at the company level

Shift Code

A shift code is a unique identifier that is commonly used within the Time and Labor module to define and delineate shifts, which are segments of pre-defined time-ranges that may or may not have additional correlations with Cost Centers, Job Code, or other Labor Levels that specify qualifications an employee record must meet before being able to work a given shift. Shifts can have pay modifications and overrides, such as additional wages per hour worked or a multiplier/pay factor.

This is a field value returned on specific Payroll/HR resources

Punch Type

A punch type is used to define the type of punch behavior happening within the Time and Labor module as it relates to punches in and out of work. Punch Types are usually associated with a type of activity. Valid Punch Types are set up at the company level within the Time and Labor module and also correlate to the Punch Map that is set up to translate imports via SFTP or API. Pay Types may or may not be associated with a Punch, such as “TIME OFF” or “OVERTIME”

Common examples include:

Test-case scenarios