## Zoho Payroll Documentation Index

Access the complete documentation index at:
https://www.zoho.com/uk/payroll/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available documentation pages before proceeding.

# Employee Preferences

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**Employee Preferences** let you control how employee records are set up in Zoho Payroll. You can choose how employee IDs are created, and add custom fields to store extra details that the default fields don’t cover.

You can manage these settings under **Settings > General Modules > Employees**. The page has two tabs:

*   [General](/uk/payroll/help/employer/settings/employee-preferences.html#general) — how employee IDs are created
*   [Custom Field](/uk/payroll/help/employer/settings/employee-preferences.html#custom-field) — extra fields on employee records

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## General

On the **General** tab, you choose whether Zoho Payroll creates employee IDs for you, or whether you enter them yourself.

### Auto-generate employee IDs

Select **Auto-generate employee IDs** if you want Zoho Payroll to create a unique ID each time you add an employee.

Then enter:

*   **Prefix** — text that appears at the start of every employee ID, for example `TV`
*   **Number** — the starting number. Zoho Payroll uses this for the next new employee, then increases it by one for each employee after that

For example, with Prefix `TV` and Number `6577`, the next new employee gets the ID `TV6577`. The one after that gets `TV6578`, and so on.

![Auto-generate employee IDs in Zoho Payroll](/payroll/help/uk/settings/employee-preferences/auto-generate-employee-ids.png)

### Manually enter employee IDs

Select **Manually enter employee IDs** if you want to type each employee’s ID yourself when you add or edit them. Zoho Payroll will not create IDs for you.

![Manually enter employee IDs in Zoho Payroll](/payroll/help/uk/settings/employee-preferences/manual-employee-ids.png)

When you’ve chosen your preference, click **Save**.

**Note:** Employee IDs help you identify employees across payroll records, reports, and payslips. Choose a method that matches how your organisation already tracks staff, and keep IDs unique.

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## Custom Field

Custom fields let you store extra employee information beyond the default fields. For example, you can add a field for an emergency contact number, or any other detail your organisation needs.

The **Custom Field** tab lists each field with its name, data type, whether it’s mandatory, and its status (**Active** or **Inactive**). The page also shows how many custom fields you’ve used, for example **Custom Fields Usage: 1/50**.

![Custom fields list in Employee Preferences](/payroll/help/uk/settings/employee-preferences/custom-fields-list.png)

Once created, a custom field appears on employee profiles. You can also choose whether employees can see it in the Employee Portal.

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### Create a Custom Field

To create a custom field:

1.  Go to **Settings** and click **Employees** under _General Modules_.
2.  Switch to the **Custom Field** tab.
3.  Click **Create New**. If you haven’t created any fields yet, click **Create Custom Field**.
4.  Enter the details:

**Field**

**Description**

**Field Name**\*

The label shown on the employee record, for example “Emergency Contact Number”.

**Data Type**\*

The kind of information this field stores, for example Phone, Text, or Date. Zoho Payroll shows how many fields of that data type you still have available.

**Help Text**

Optional guidance shown to the person filling in the field.

**Data privacy**

Select **ePHI** or **PII** if the field stores sensitive personal information. If you mark it as PII, choose whether to encrypt and store it, or store it without encryption. Encrypted PII can only be viewed by users with access, and cannot be used in advanced search.

**Prevent Duplicate Values**

Select **Yes** if each employee must have a unique value in this field. Select **No** if the same value can be used for more than one employee.

**Input Format**

Optional. A validation pattern that the value must match when someone enters it. Enter this as a regular expression (regex), not as a display mask. For example, `07[0-9]{9}` accepts a UK mobile number that starts with `07` followed by exactly 9 digits.

**Is Mandatory?**\*

Select **Yes** if users must fill in this field before they can save the employee record.

**Show in Employee Portal?**\*

Select **Yes** if employees should see this field in the Employee Portal. Select **No** to keep it admin-only.

**Note:** Fields marked with an asterisk (\*) are mandatory. A preview on the form shows how the field will appear on the employee profile.

**Insight:** **Input Format** checks that the value entered is valid. It does not change how the field looks. If the value doesn’t match the pattern, Zoho Payroll won’t accept it.

![Create a new custom field for employees in Zoho Payroll](/payroll/help/uk/settings/employee-preferences/new-custom-field.png)

5.  Click **Save**.

The custom field is now available on employee records.

**Scenario:** Zylker wants every employee record to include an emergency contact phone number. The payroll admin creates a custom field called “Emergency Contact Number”, sets the data type to **Phone**, marks it as **PII**, sets the Input Format to `07[0-9]{9}`, makes it mandatory, and shows it in the Employee Portal. From then on, the field appears when they add or edit an employee, and only valid UK mobile numbers are accepted.

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### Edit a Custom Field

To edit a custom field:

1.  Go to **Settings** and click **Employees** under _General Modules_.
2.  Switch to the **Custom Field** tab.
3.  Click the **More** icon next to the field and select **Edit**.
4.  Make the necessary changes and click **Save**.

![Edit a custom field in Zoho Payroll](/payroll/help/uk/settings/employee-preferences/edit-custom-field.png)

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### Mark a Custom Field as Inactive

If you no longer need a custom field but may use it again later, mark it as inactive instead of deleting it.

1.  Go to **Settings** and click **Employees** under _General Modules_.
2.  Switch to the **Custom Field** tab.
3.  Click the **More** icon next to the field and select **Mark as Inactive**.

![Mark a custom field as inactive in Zoho Payroll](/payroll/help/uk/settings/employee-preferences/mark-custom-field-inactive.png)

The field no longer appears on employee records. To use it again, select **Mark as Active**.

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### Delete a Custom Field

**Note:** You cannot delete a custom field if it still has data for any employee. Remove that data from employee profiles first.

**Warning:** Deleting a custom field is permanent and cannot be undone.

To delete a custom field:

1.  Go to **Settings** and click **Employees** under _General Modules_.
2.  Switch to the **Custom Field** tab.
3.  Click the **More** icon next to the field and select **Delete**.
4.  In the popup that appears, click **Yes**.

![Delete a custom field in Zoho Payroll](/payroll/help/uk/settings/employee-preferences/delete-custom-field.png)

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### Configure Access

From the same **More** menu, you can also select **Configure Access** to control which users can view or use the custom field. Use this when the field stores sensitive information and should not be available to every user.