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Transfer Employees to a New Company

Overview

When a client restructures, changes ownership, or creates a new legal entity, you can transfer all employee records, departments, and company settings to a new company code in ProPay. This process copies the database files directly, saving hours of data re-entry while preserving year-to-date information.

Prerequisites

  • Existing company (e.g., A01) set up in ProPay with current data
  • ProPay closed (no users accessing the company being copied)
  • File Explorer access to the ProPay installation folder

Step-by-Step Process

1. Create a New Company

  1. Open ProPay
  2. Go to Client Functions > Add New Client.
  3. Add a new client code (e.g., A02).
  4. Close ProPay before proceeding.

2. Copy Existing Company Files

Each company in ProPay uses 21 database files. You must copy all of them to transfer complete employee and company data.

  1. Open File Explorer
  2. Navigate to C:\PAYSOFT\PROPAY26
  3. Copy the following files to a temporary folder (e.g., `C:\TEMP`):

Company and Employee Data

File Purpose
A01_CO.DBF Company master (name, address, tax IDs, bank info, settings)
A01_MAST.DBF Employee master (demographics, pay rates, tax setup, YTD totals)
A01_DET.DBF Payroll detail records (individual paycheck calculations)
A01_DEPT.DBF Department definitions

Tax and Deduction Data

File Purpose
A01_TAX.DBF Tax records
A01_DED.DBF Employee deduction records
A01_MDED.DBF Master deduction definitions (deduction types and settings)
A01_LIAB.DBF Employer liability records
A01_STCO.DBF Multi-state company tax settings (if the company operates in multiple states)

Rate Tables

File Purpose
A01_RATE.DBF Rate file
A01_CRTS.DBF Company rates
A01_ERTS.DBF Employee rates
A01_PRTS.DBF Pay rates

Job Costing

File Purpose
A01_JOBM.DBF Job master definitions
A01_JOBD.DBF Job detail records

Workers Compensation

File Purpose
A01_WCID.DBF Workers comp class codes
A01_WCCO.DBF Workers comp carrier information
A01_WCPD.DBF Workers comp payment records

Other

File Purpose
A01_DRFT.DBF Draft records
A01_CHGS.DBF Change audit trail (who changed what and when)
A01_SCHD.DBF Schedule dates
A01_TEXT.DBF Web text

> Tip: You can select all files that start with `A01_` in File Explorer to copy them at once. Sort by name to verify you have all 21 files (or 22 if A01_STCO.DBF exists).

3. Rename Copied Files

  1. In the temporary folder, rename every file by changing the company prefix:
    • Change A01_ to A02_ in each filename
    • Example: `A01_CO.DBF` becomes `A02_CO.DBF`

    > Important: Rename all files consistently. Missing or misnamed files will cause errors when opening the new company.

    4. Transfer Renamed Files

    1. Copy the renamed files from the temporary folder
    2. Paste them into the C:\PAYSOFT\PROPAY26 folder
    3. If prompted to overwrite existing files, select Yes (the empty files created in Step 1 will be replaced with your data)

    5. Re-Index and Recalculate

    1. Open ProPay
    2. Go to Client Functions and select the new company (A02).
    3. Go to Payroll Functions to enter the new company.
    4. Go to Utilities > Re-Index Files to rebuild all database indexes.
    5. Go to Utilities > Recalc YTD to recalculate year-to-date totals.

    6. Update Company Information

    After the transfer, update the following fields in the new company to reflect its new identity:

    1. Go to Employer > Employer Setup.
    2. Update the following:
      • Company name and address
      • Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
      • State tax ID numbers
      • SUI account numbers and rates
      • Bank routing and account numbers (if using a different bank account)
      • Any state-specific settings for the new entity
      1. Review employee records to verify the data transferred correctly

      Troubleshooting

      Problem Solution
      "File not found" error when opening new company Verify all 21 files were renamed and copied to `C:\PAYSOFT\PROPAY26`. Check that prefixes match the new company code exactly.
      YTD totals appear incorrect Run Utilities > Recalc YTD again. This recalculates all year-to-date amounts from payroll detail records.
      Index errors or "Record not found" Run Utilities > Re-Index Files. This rebuilds the database indexes for the new company.
      Multi-state settings missing If the original company had multi-state withholding, verify that the A01_STCO.DBF file was included in the transfer.

      If problems persist, contact Paysoft support at [email protected].

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