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PaylocityActive Directory

Connect Paylocity to Active Directory

Turn Paylocity hires, changes and departures into account updates in Active Directory. Follow the setup steps, preview changes with a dry run, then go live.

Paylocity fields mapped
13
Steps to go live
9
Employee records stored in our cloud
0

Joiners, movers and leavers

How Paylocity updates Active Directory

HR updates Paylocity. ezOnboard updates accounts based on your rules.

Joiner

An account before day one

A new hire is added to Paylocity with a hire date and Active status.

  • Account created in the role’s OU, disabled until the start date
  • Name, email and attributes set from Paylocity
  • Department and site groups added
  • Account enabled on the start date; password change required at first sign-in

Mover

Access for the new role

A job title, cost center, work location or supervisor changes in Paylocity’s Position section.

  • Title, department, office and manager updated
  • Account moved to the OU your rules specify
  • Groups added and removed to match the new role

Leaver

Offboarding on schedule

A termination date is set in Paylocity, or the employee status changes to Terminated.

  • Account disabled on the termination date, never deleted
  • Groups removed and the account moved to the disabled OU
  • Mail forwarded and licenses recovered with connected Exchange and Microsoft 365 services

Before you start

What to have ready

Work with a Paylocity admin and a directory admin to complete the setup.

In Paylocity
  • Paylocity admin access and authorization to request Web Services API access
  • A work email or employee ID for each person in Paylocity to match them to their account
In Active Directory
  • A domain-joined server running Windows Server 2019 or later
  • A group managed service account or service account to run the agent
  • Outbound HTTPS to the HR system and ezOnboard; no inbound access required
  • OUs for staff accounts, disabled accounts and the groups ezOnboard will manage

Step by step

Set up Paylocity with Active Directory

Start in Paylocity and on your server. Then finish in the ezOnboard portal with our implementation team.

  1. 01

    Paylocity

    Request Web Services API access

    Web Services Access Request Form → Open API Access → Get Employee (Restricted)

    An authorized Paylocity contact must submit the Web Services Access Request Form. Select New Access and Production, then enter the credential recipient and renewal email address. Under Open API Access, select Get Employee (Restricted) only. Leave other endpoints and Webhook Push Notifications unselected.

    For ezOnboard’s partner application, enter ezOnboard under Vendor/Third-Party Contact Information. For your own credentials, name your team as the recipient. Email the form to webservices@paylocity.com with the subject API Access. Paylocity may charge for access.

    • Request Type: New Access, Production
    • Open API Access: Get Employee, Restricted
    • Webhook Push Notifications: none

    Access request form. Select Get Employee (Restricted) only and leave webhooks blank.

  2. 02

    Paylocity

    Save the Company ID and credentials

    Dashboard → Company ID

    Paylocity emails the client ID and secret to the recipient on the form. Store them securely. The secret expires after 12 months; Paylocity sends a renewal notice beforehand. You don’t need your own credentials when using ezOnboard’s partner application.

    Note the Company ID in the upper left of the Paylocity dashboard, such as B6001. Enter it exactly as shown; it is case-sensitive. You’ll need it and any client credentials in step 5.

    Company ID and credentials. The Company ID is in the upper left of the dashboard.

  3. 03

    Your server

    Install the ezOnboard agent

    The agent runs as a Windows service on a domain-joined server with Windows Server 2019 or later. It connects to Paylocity and ezOnboard over outbound HTTPS. No inbound firewall rules are needed.

    Download the signed MSI and enrollment bundle from the portal. Save the install code. The portal shows it only once. Run the MSI, enter the code and choose a service account, preferably a group managed service account. The installer checks the domain connection, LDAP access, outbound access and clock before making changes.

    Installer screen with the setup requirements.

  4. 04

    Active Directory

    Delegate the OUs the agent will manage

    Run the installer’s delegation script once as a domain administrator. It lets the agent’s service account create, update and disable accounts only in the OUs you choose. The agent doesn’t need Domain Admin rights.

    Include the OUs for staff accounts, disabled accounts and managed groups. The agent blocks changes outside these OUs, even if a rule requests them.

    PS C:\> & 'C:\ProgramData\ezOnboard\northwind\ou-delegation.ps1'
    Delegated NORTHWIND\svc-ezonboard$ on OU=Staff,DC=northwind,DC=com
    Delegated NORTHWIND\svc-ezonboard$ on OU=Disabled,DC=northwind,DC=com
    Delegated NORTHWIND\svc-ezonboard$ on OU=Groups,DC=northwind,DC=com
    Done

    Run the installer’s delegation script once on a domain controller.

  5. 05

    ezOnboard portal

    Add Paylocity as an HR source

    In the portal, add Paylocity as an HR source using the Company ID and client credentials. Your credentials are encrypted with your organization’s key and sent to your agent. The agent reads Paylocity from your network. Nobody at ezOnboard can read the credentials.

    Choose a field to match people across both systems, usually work email or employee ID. The agent checks Paylocity every five minutes and catches up on any missed changes.

    HR source. Your agent uses these credentials to read Paylocity.

  6. 06

    ezOnboard portal

    Map Paylocity fields to Active Directory attributes

    Choose which Paylocity fields update each directory attribute. Start with the defaults below, add custom fields or combine values. For example, build a display name from first and last names, format a job title or look up an office address by site.

    Blank Paylocity fields leave directory values unchanged unless you configure the mapping to clear them.

    Field mapping. See the full list of defaults below.

  7. 07

    ezOnboard portal

    Set rules for accounts, OUs and groups

    Rules define who gets an account, which OU it belongs in, how it’s named and which groups it joins. They also control offboarding. Use Paylocity fields, such as department and site, to make those choices.

    Our implementation team helps you write the rules. With approvals enabled, your team must approve each rule change before the agent uses it.

    Rules page with the placement rule open.

  8. 08

    ezOnboard portal

    Preview changes with a dry run

    Run a dry run for your whole workforce. The agent matches Paylocity records to existing accounts by employee ID, then work email, and previews changes without applying them. If two accounts match one person, that action stops for review.

    Review the planned changes and the rules behind them in the portal. Adjust your rules and repeat the dry run until the results match your expectations.

    Dry run. No changes are applied while dry run is on.

  9. 09

    ezOnboard portal

    Go live

    Turn off dry run to apply changes. If a run would disable or move more accounts than your safety limits allow, it stops and alerts your team before making changes. We review the first runs with you.

    HR continues working in Paylocity. Your rules handle new accounts, updates and offboarding on schedule. Get alerts by email, in the portal or by webhook when a run stops, the HR feed stops updating or the agent stops reporting. An inactive feed never triggers offboarding.

    Reports with account activity, tickets avoided and agent uptime.

Field mapping

Paylocity fields and Active Directory attributes

Start with these defaults and adjust any mapping. Dates and lifecycle status control when accounts are created, enabled or disabled.

Paylocity fieldActive Directory attributeHow it’s used
First NameDemographicsgivenNameSets the first name at account creation and keeps it up to date.
Last NameDemographicssnKeeps the last name up to date. Also updates the logon name if your naming rule uses it.
Preferred NameDemographicsdisplayNameUses the preferred name for the display name and email. Uses the first name if blank.
Work EmailDemographicsmail, userPrincipalNameSets the email address and sign-in name. A mail rule can also generate them from the person’s name.
Employee IDDemographicsemployeeIDAdded to new accounts and used first to match existing accounts.
Job TitleEmployment › PositiontitleKeeps the job title up to date and sets groups based on your rules.
Cost Center 1Employment › PositiondepartmentKeeps the department up to date from your first cost center level. Rules can use it to choose account placement and groups.
Work LocationEmployment › PositionphysicalDeliveryOfficeNameKeeps the office up to date. A lookup table can also fill in the street, city and country.
SupervisorEmployment › PositionmanagerLinks to the supervisor’s account to keep approvals and org charts in sync with Paylocity.
Employee TypeEmployment › PositionuserAccountControlRules can use Full Time, Part Time or Contractor to choose groups and licenses.
Hire DateEmployment › StatususerAccountControlSets when the account is created and enabled. You choose how many days before the hire date to create it.
Employee StatusEmployment › StatususerAccountControlActive keeps the account enabled. Terminated disables it when no other record keeps the person active.
Termination DateEmployment › StatususerAccountControlSets the date for disabling the account and starting offboarding. Your rules set the time.

Frequently asked questions

Does ezOnboard write to Paylocity?
No. ezOnboard only reads Paylocity, so request Get Employee access only. It never uses the New Hire or Employee Update endpoints. Make any corrections in Paylocity.
Which Paylocity permissions does the integration need?
Request Get Employee (Restricted), which excludes pay rates and Social Security numbers. No other endpoints or webhooks are needed. Paylocity authorizes access for your Company ID.
Do we need Paylocity’s Entra ID integration or SCIM?
No. ezOnboard reads Paylocity’s API and uses your rules to manage accounts in Active Directory or Entra ID. Its agent runs on your network and can also manage Exchange.
Do we need a server for the agent?
Yes. Use a domain-joined Windows Server with LDAP access to a domain controller and outbound HTTPS to Paylocity and ezOnboard. The agent needs no inbound firewall rules or Domain Admin rights. The delegation script grants access only to the OUs it manages.
How quickly does a Paylocity change reach Active Directory?
The agent checks Paylocity every five minutes and usually applies changes within seconds of finding them. Scheduled changes follow your rules: accounts are created before the start date, enabled on that date and disabled on the termination date at the time you choose.
How does Paylocity trigger offboarding in Active Directory?
On the termination date, the account is disabled, removed from its groups and moved to your disabled-accounts OU. It is never deleted. With Exchange and Microsoft 365 connected, your rules also schedule mail forwarding and license recovery. Every step is recorded for audit.
Where does our employee data go?
The agent reads Paylocity and updates Active Directory from your server. Names, emails and HR records stay on your network, where your team can view them on a local status page. The portal receives events with pseudonymous IDs, the rule used and the result.
Can ezOnboard also connect Paylocity to Entra ID?
Yes. One agent and one set of rules can manage Active Directory, Entra ID and Exchange from Paylocity. For accounts synced from Active Directory, the agent updates the on-premises account and assigns licenses and mailboxes in the cloud.

Get a demo

See Paylocity connected to Active Directory

Get a demo for your Paylocity and Active Directory setup. For questions, email sales@ezonboard.io.

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