When you reactivate a previously terminated worker in Xemplo, their profile becomes active again in Xemplo straight away. Any linked payroll record (including in your Xemplo Pay service or another linked service like Employment Hero Payroll), however, does not automatically reactivate - it stays terminated until you take further action.
There are two possible outcomes depending on the path you take:
- Option 1: Keep the worker on their linked payroll record - any history associated with that payroll record (pay runs, leave balances, etc.) can be accessed from the reactivated worker profile.
- Option 2: Create a new KeyPay employee record - onboarding goes through immediately, and a new payroll record is created. Any history linked to any older payroll records for the same worker stays behind on the terminated record and isn't carried over.
This article walks through both, so you can choose the right one for your situation.
Why this happens
Xemplo links each worker to a linked payroll record using an external payroll ID and a worker reference ID. When a worker is terminated, that link and the termination status stay in place in the linked payroll application. Reactivating the worker in Xemplo only updates the Xemplo profile - it doesn't tell the linked payroll to reverse the termination.
Because of this, if you try to re-onboard the worker straight away (for example, by selecting them as an existing worker during a new onboarding), it will fail with an error saying the external ID is already in use by another employee record in KeyPay.
Option 1: Reactivate the worker's existing linked payroll record
This path keeps the worker on their original linked payroll record, preserving their pay history and leave balances.
- Reactivate the employee record directly in your linked payroll system first (if your payroll system, plan and permissions allow this).
- Once the linked payroll record is active again, reactivate the worker in Xemplo via Worker Profile > Enable Worker.
- Confirm the worker's Xemplo profile is still linked to the same payroll record.
We recommend this option whenever continuity of previously linked payroll records - pay history, leave balances, tenure - matters for the worker.
If you're not sure whether your payroll plan or permissions allow reactivating an employee directly, our support team can confirm this for you.
Option 2: Reactivate the worker and create a new linked payroll record
This path is faster and doesn't require making any changes in the linked payroll system directly, but it creates a new employee record in the linked payroll system rather than restoring the old one. The worker's previous payroll history stays attached to the old, terminated record and won't carry over.
- Reactivate the worker in Xemplo via Worker Profile > Reactivate Worker.
- On the worker's profile, remove the Worker Reference ID while leaving the existing linked payroll ID (External Payroll ID) field as is.
- Re-onboard the worker.
- At finalisation of the worker onboarding, a new linked payroll ID will be created and shared with Xemplo automatically.
Before using this option, consider whether starting a new linked payroll record is acceptable for your reporting, leave balances, and pay history needs - since this data won't transfer from the old record automatically.
Need help?
If you hit the duplicate ID error, or you're unsure which option is right for your business, reach out to Customer Support.