Luna HR Docs

Importing Data

If you're switching from another HR system, Luna HR makes it easy to bring your existing data across. The data import tool supports CSV files for employees, leave records, expenses, assets, and training.

How it works

  1. Go to Admin > Data Import
  2. Select the data type you want to import (employees, leave, expenses, assets, or training)
  3. Upload your CSV file
  4. Map columns — Luna HR will auto-match common column names. You can manually adjust any mappings that weren't matched automatically
  5. Preview and validate — review the data row by row. Errors (like missing required fields or unrecognised employees) are highlighted in red, warnings in amber
  6. Import — once you're happy, click Import to create the records

Supported data types

Employees

Import your employee directory with names, email addresses, job titles, departments, and more.

Required fields: First name, last name, email

Optional fields: Job title, department, start date, employment type (full-time/part-time/contractor), line manager, working pattern

Leave records

Import historical leave bookings so balances are accurate from day one.

Required fields: Employee name, leave type, start date, end date, status

Optional fields: Days taken, notes

Expense reports

Import expense data from your previous system. Each CSV row represents an expense line item. Luna HR will group items into reports automatically.

Required fields: Employee name, expense date, category, amount, status

Optional fields: Report title (used to group items into reports), description, currency, tax rate, payment reference, mileage details

If your CSV includes a Report Title column, items with the same employee and title are grouped into the same expense report. Without it, items are grouped by employee and month.

Assets

Import your IT equipment and company asset register.

Required fields: Name, asset tag, category, status, condition

Optional fields: Serial number, manufacturer, model, assigned employee, purchase date, purchase cost, warranty expiry

Training

Import training records and certifications.

Required fields: Employee name, course name, status

Optional fields: Completion date, expiry date, certificate number

Tips for a smooth import

  • Match employee names exactly — Luna HR resolves employees by email address first, then by full name (first + last). Make sure names match what's in Luna HR
  • Use ISO dates — dates in YYYY-MM-DD format work best. DD/MM/YYYY is also supported
  • Check categories first — expense categories and asset categories need to exist in Luna HR before you import. Create them in the admin area first
  • Start with a small batch — test with 10-20 rows before importing your full dataset
  • Currency symbols are fine — amounts like £87.50 or $1,234.50 are automatically cleaned during import

After importing

Review your imported data in the relevant module to make sure everything looks correct. If something wasn't imported correctly, you can edit individual records or run another import.

Sending login invites

Imported employees are created with "invited" status — they can't log in until they set up their account. After importing, you have two options:

  1. Send login invites immediately — a "Send login invites" button appears after the import completes. Click it to email all imported employees a sign-up link
  2. Send invites later — go to Company Structure > Employees, select the employees you want to invite, and use the bulk "Send login invites" action

When an employee clicks the link and creates their account, Luna HR automatically links their login to their imported employee record. Their status changes from "invited" to "active".

You can also send individual login invites from the employee's row actions menu on the Employees page.