Moving your HR software sounds like a big job, and the worry is always the same. Will employee records come across correctly? Will leave balances match? Will the first payroll in the new system be right?
The good news is that most of the risk comes from rushing, not from the move itself. If you know what data you have, clean it before you move it, and check payroll before you go live, switching from Keka to Niyuk HR does not have to disturb your HR team's month.
This guide walks you through the whole move: what to plan, what data to bring across, the steps in order, the mistakes to avoid, and what to check after you go live. If you are still deciding between the two products, start with our Niyuk HR vs Keka comparison.
When Is It Time to Move Away from Keka?
Nobody changes HR software for fun. Teams usually start looking when small daily problems keep adding up. These are the most common ones.
Your company has outgrown its setup
A setup that worked for 30 people can feel tight at 200. New branches, new shifts and extra approval levels change what HR needs from its software every day.
HR keeps fixing things by hand
If attendance is corrected in a spreadsheet before every payroll run, or leave is approved over chat and entered later, the software is not doing the job you bought it for.
The cost no longer adds up
As headcount grows, so does the bill. Many companies review their HRMS when they realise they are paying for modules nobody uses.
You want everything in one place
Separate tools for attendance, payroll, documents and reports mean the same data is typed in more than once. One HRMS for all of it cuts that repeat work.
If one or more of these sounds familiar, the rest of this guide shows you how to plan the move properly.
What Data Moves from Keka to Niyuk HR?
Before you start, list everything your team keeps in Keka today. Most companies bring across the records below. The second column is what to check before each one moves.
| Data | What to check before you move it |
|---|---|
| Employee master data | Names, employee IDs, joining dates, departments, designations and reporting managers are complete and up to date |
| Employee documents | Offer letters, ID proofs and contracts are saved against the right employee |
| Leave balances | Balances are correct on the cut-off date, including carry forward |
| Leave and holiday policies | Leave types, rules and holiday calendars for every location are written down |
| Attendance and shifts | Shift timings, weekly offs and attendance rules are listed, along with any pending corrections |
| Salary structures | Every salary component, allowance and deduction is listed for each employee |
| Payroll history | Past payroll runs are final and match what was paid |
| Statutory details | PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS details are correct for each employee |
| Approval workflows | Who approves leave, attendance corrections and other requests is noted down |
Confirm with the Niyuk team which records will be imported and which will be set up fresh in Niyuk HR, so nothing falls between the two.
How Niyuk Helps You Move
You do not have to do the move on your own. Every Niyuk HR customer gets a dedicated onboarding specialist who handles the technical setup.
- Employee data import: our team brings your employee records into Niyuk HR.
- Policy setup: leave, attendance and payroll policies are configured the way your company works.
- Integration setup: the tools you connect to your HRMS are set up again in Niyuk HR.
- Training: your HR team and managers are shown how to use the new system.
Your part is to share clean data, tell us how your policies work, and check the results before you go live. The steps below show how that fits together.
Plan the Move Before You Start
A little planning saves a lot of fixing later. Settle these four things first.
Pick the right date
Move between payroll cycles, not in the middle of one. The start of a month works well, and the start of a quarter or financial year is even easier for statutory records.
Decide who owns the move
Name one person from HR and one from finance or payroll. They answer questions, check the data and sign off before go-live.
Keep a full backup
Download and save all your Keka records before you change anything. You will need them to check the new system, and you may need them later for audits.
Tell your employees
Let people know when the switch will happen, how they will log in to Niyuk HR, and where to go if something looks wrong.
How to Migrate from Keka to Niyuk HR: Step by Step
Step 1: Review your current HR setup
List what your team does in Keka today: attendance, leave approvals, payroll, onboarding, exits and reports. This tells you what has to work in Niyuk HR from day one.
Step 2: Export your data from Keka
Download the records you listed earlier:
- Employee names and IDs
- Department and designation details
- Joining dates and employment status
- Contact and reporting information
- Leave balances
- Salary structures
- Payroll and attendance records you need to keep
Ask the Niyuk team which file formats they need, and keep a secure copy of everything you export.
Step 3: Clean and check the data
Wrong or duplicate data in the old system becomes wrong data in the new one. Look for missing details, people who have left, duplicate entries and dates in different formats. Take extra care with salary and statutory details, because small errors there change what people are paid.
Step 4: Set up Niyuk HR
Your onboarding specialist sets up your company details, departments, designations, leave policies, holiday calendars, attendance rules, approval workflows and payroll settings. Check that each one matches how your company actually works, not how it worked three years ago.
Step 5: Import a small batch first
Start with a few employees, ideally from different departments and salary types. Check that their records look right before the rest are brought in.
Step 6: Check attendance, leave and payroll
Once everyone is in, check leave balances, attendance settings, salary components and deductions. Then run a test payroll in Niyuk HR for the last completed month and compare it with what Keka paid. Any difference should have a clear reason before you move on.
Step 7: Train your HR team, managers and employees
HR admins learn how to manage records and run payroll. Managers learn how to approve leave and attendance. Employees learn how to log in, see payslips and apply for leave. Short sessions work better than one long one.
Step 8: Go live and watch the first payroll
Switch on the date you planned. Check the first payroll run closely, line by line if you need to, and keep your Keka exports until you are sure everything matches.
Common Migration Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Switching in the middle of a payroll cycle | Pick a go-live date at the start of a month, after the last Keka payroll is closed |
| Moving dirty data | Remove duplicates and people who have left, and fill missing details before the import |
| Leave balances that don't match | Freeze leave balances on the cut-off date and check them again after the import |
| Salary components set up differently | Run a test payroll for a past month and compare it with Keka, employee by employee |
| Forgetting connected tools | List every tool linked to Keka, such as biometric devices and accounting software, before you start |
| Employees left out of the loop | Tell people the go-live date and how to log in at least a week before the switch |
HRMS Migration Checklist Before You Switch
Before moving from Keka to Niyuk HR, make sure you have done the following:
- Listed the HR processes your team runs in Keka
- Picked a go-live date between payroll cycles
- Named the HR and payroll owners for the move
- Exported and backed up all Keka records
- Cleaned and checked employee data
- Confirmed which records will be imported and which set up fresh
- Set up leave, attendance and payroll policies in Niyuk HR
- Imported and checked a small batch of employees
- Checked leave balances after the full import
- Run a test payroll and compared it with Keka
- Trained HR admins, managers and employees
- Told employees the go-live date and how to log in
What to Check in Your First Month on Niyuk HR
Going live is not the finish line. Keep an eye on these in the first few weeks:
- Attendance is coming in correctly from every location and shift
- Leave requests reach the right manager, and balances go down as expected
- The first payroll matches what you expected, with PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS correct
- Employees can log in and see their own payslips and leave
- Reports your HR and finance teams use every month are giving the right numbers
Keep your Keka exports for reference, in line with your company's record keeping policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long does it take to move from Keka to Niyuk HR?
It depends on how many employees you have, how clean your data is, and how complex your payroll and policies are. Ask the Niyuk team for a timeline once they have seen your setup.
2. Will we lose any data when we switch?
Not if you plan it. Back up all your Keka records before you start, import a small batch first, and check leave balances and a test payroll before you go live.
3. Which records can we bring across from Keka?
Most companies bring employee details, documents, leave balances, salary structures and the payroll and attendance history they need to keep. Confirm with the Niyuk team which records will be imported and which will be set up fresh.
4. Does Niyuk help with the migration?
Yes. Every customer gets a dedicated onboarding specialist. Employee data import, policy setup, integration setup and training are handled by the Niyuk HR team.
5. When is the best time to switch?
Between payroll cycles, never in the middle of one. The start of a month works well, and the start of a quarter or financial year makes statutory records easier.
6. Can we check payroll in Niyuk HR before we stop using Keka?
Yes, and you should. Run a test payroll in Niyuk HR for a month you have already paid through Keka and compare the two before your first live run.
7. Will our employees need training?
A little. HR admins and managers need the most, and employees mainly need to know how to log in, see their payslips and apply for leave.
8. What should we do with our Keka data after the switch?
Keep a full export for audits and reference, for as long as your record keeping policy requires.
Final Thoughts
Moving from Keka to Niyuk HR is mostly about preparation. Know your data, clean it before it moves, pick a date between payroll cycles, and check a test payroll before you go live.
Do those things and your HR team gets a new system without a messy month. If you would like help planning the move, book a demo and talk to our team about your setup.
