1. Overview & When to Use CSV Upload
The NAVIT Admin Dashboard lets you manage individual employees one by one through the UI. For larger teams, or whenever you need to process multiple employees at once, the CSV (bulk) upload is the most efficient method.
Use CSV upload whenever you need to:
Onboard a group of new starters simultaneously
Set end dates for multiple leavers at once
Change employee levels or cost centres in bulk
Register temporary leaves (e.g. parental or sick leave)
Deactivate employees who should no longer have access
The CSV upload updates existing records and creates new ones based on the email address as the unique identifier. If an email already exists in the system, the row will update that user's data. If it doesn't exist, a new user will be created.
The template contains dedicated sheet tabs for each use case:
Joiners / Eintritte: Add new employees starting at your company
Leavers / Austritte: Set an end date for employees leaving the company
Update Employee Level: Reassign employees to a different benefit level or cost centre
Temporary Leave: Pause access for employees on parental, sick, or sabbatical leave
Deactivation / Deaktivierung: Fully deactivate users who should no longer access the app
2. The CSV Template - Structure & Fields
NAVIT provides a CSV template that can be downloaded directly from the Dashboard by Navigating to the User Management tag and clicking on CSV --> Download.
💡 The template also contains a reference legend on the right side of each sheet (columns N onward) explaining each field's accepted values. Delete those columns before uploading — they are for reference only.
Field Reference Guide
All CSV sheets share the same core columns. The USER TEMPLATE sheet adds additional optional fields for advanced configurations.
First_Name (Required) — Employee's first name.
Last_Name (Required) — Employee's last name.
Email (Required) — The primary identifier. Used to match existing users or create new ones. Must be unique per row.
Status (Required) — Active = activated immediately · New = activated on Start Date · Deactivated = not activated
Tax_Free (Required) — TRUE = Sachbezug/ÖPNV Zuschuss · FALSE = Sachzuwendung
Start_Date (Required, format: YYYY/MM/DD) — Date on which the employee's NAVIT access begins.
End_Date (Optional, format: YYYY/MM/DD) — Date on which access ends. Leave blank for open-ended access.
External_Id (Optional) — Internal personnel number for cross-referencing with HR systems.
Level_Name (Required) — Benefit level to assign. Must exactly match a level configured in your Admin Dashboard. Case-sensitive.
Cost_Centre_Code (Optional) — Cost centre to assign. Must exactly match a cost centre in your Admin Dashboard. Case-sensitive.
MB (Required) — Monthly Mobility Budget amount in EUR (e.g. 50).
Leave_Start_Date (Optional — USER TEMPLATE only, format: YYYY/MM/DD) — First day of temporary leave.
Leave_End_Date (Optional — USER TEMPLATE only, format: YYYY/MM/DD) — Last day of temporary leave. Access resumes automatically after this date.
Subcompany (Optional — USER TEMPLATE only) — Assigns employee to a subsidiary. Only relevant for multi-entity setups.
Is_Integration_Update_Blocked (Optional — USER TEMPLATE only) — TRUE prevents automated integrations from overwriting this user's data.
Important: If you select an end date toward the end of a month, the account will be terminated at 23:30h of the day you pick. Changing an end date cannot be done retroactively!
3. How to Upload a CSV File
Navigate to the Users section
From the left-hand menu in the NAVIT Admin Dashboard, click on "Users".Open the CSV menu
In the top-right corner of the Users page, click the "CSV" button to expand the dropdown menu.Select "Upload"
Click the Upload option from the dropdown.Prepare your CSV file
Open the NAVIT template in Google Sheets. Navigate to the tab matching your use case. Fill in the employee rows. Delete the reference legend columns on the right (columns N onward) before exporting. Then export via File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv).Upload and confirm
Select your saved CSV file. The system will validate the file and display a preview. Confirm the upload to apply changes.
4. Use Case Walkthroughs
4a - Joiners: Adding New Employees
Use the "Joiners / Eintritte" sheet when employees are joining the company and should receive NAVIT access for the first time.
Key settings for new joiners:
Set Status to New — the user will be activated automatically on their Start Date.
Set Start_Date to the employee's first day or the date from which they should have NAVIT access.
Leave End_Date blank for permanent employees.
Fill in the correct Level_Name so the right benefit configuration is applied.
✅ Once uploaded, new employees with Status New will receive an invitation email with a download link for the NAVIT app on their Start Date. They can then register and start using their mobility budget.
4b - Leavers: Setting an End Date
Use the "Leavers / Austritte" sheet to set an end date for employees leaving the company. Their access will automatically terminate at 23:30h on the end date.
Key settings for leavers:
Keep Status as Active - do not change it; the end date controls when access stops.
Set End_Date to the employee's last day of access.
All other fields should match the employee's existing data in the system.
🚫 Important: End dates cannot be changed retroactively. Once an end date has passed and access has been terminated, it cannot be restored via CSV. To reactivate a user, contact your NAVIT Customer Success Manager or create a new user entry.
4c - Updating Employee Levels or Cost Centres
Use the "Update Employee Level" sheet when employees are promoted, transferred to a different department, or need a different benefit configuration.
Key settings:
Keep Status as Active.
Update Level_Name to the new level (must match exactly what is configured in your dashboard).
Optionally update Cost_Centre_Code if the employee is moving to a different department.
Update MB if the budget amount changes with the new level.
4d - Temporary Leave (Parental / Sick Leave)
Use the "Temporary Leave" sheet — or the full USER TEMPLATE with Leave fields — to pause access for employees on temporary absence such as parental leave, long-term sick leave, or sabbatical.
Option A — Using End Date:
Set an End_Date for when leave begins. When the employee returns, upload a new row with a new Start_Date and Status: Active.
Option B — Using Leave Fields (USER TEMPLATE sheet):
Fill in Leave_Start_Date (first day of absence) and Leave_End_Date (last day of absence). This preserves the original Start Date and avoids gaps in the employee record. Access resumes automatically from the day after Leave_End_Date.
Leave_Start_Date = first day of absence. Leave_End_Date = last day of absence. Access resumes automatically from the day after Leave_End_Date.
4e - Deactivating Employees
Use the "Deactivation / Deaktivierung" sheet to immediately deactivate users. Unlike setting an end date, deactivation takes effect right after the upload is processed.
Key settings for deactivation:
Set Status to Deactivated.
Set an End_Date if you want a clean record of when access ended.
All other fields should match the employee's current data.
⚠️ Deactivated users lose access to the NAVIT app immediately after the upload is processed. Contact your NAVIT Customer Success Manager if you have questions about budget handling for deactivated users.
5. Exporting Your Current User List
Before uploading changes, it is good practice to first export your current user list. This gives you the latest data to work from and lets you verify employee details (e.g. exact Level Names, current Start Dates) before making bulk changes.
Navigate to Users in the left-hand menu.
Optionally apply Filters (e.g. Status: Active, or by Level) to narrow the export.
Click the CSV button in the top-right corner and choose:
— Download — exports all users
— Download (With Filters) — exports only users matching your active filtersOpen the downloaded CSV in Excel or Google Sheets to use as your baseline for updates.
💡 The exported CSV will contain all columns in exactly the format required for re-upload - making it easy to copy existing data into the upload template without reformatting.
6. Common Mistakes & Best Practices
Common mistakes to avoid:
Wrong date format — Always use YYYY/MM/DD (e.g. 2025/03/01), not DD.MM.YYYY.
Level_Name doesn't match dashboard — Export your current user list first to see exact Level Name values.
Leaving reference columns in the sheet — Delete columns N+ (the legend columns) before exporting to CSV.
Setting a past End_Date — End dates should always be today or a future date.
Changing End_Date after it has passed — Not possible retroactively. Plan ahead and upload changes before the date occurs.
Duplicate email addresses in the CSV — Ensure each email appears only once per upload file.
Wrong Tax_Free setting — Confirm with payroll/HR: TRUE = Sachbezug, FALSE = Sachzuwendung.
Best practices:
Export before you upload. Always download the current user list before making bulk changes.
Process one use case at a time. Don't mix joiners, leavers, and level changes in one file. Use the dedicated sheet for each action.
Test with a small batch first. For large imports (50+ employees), start with 2–3 rows to validate your file format.
Use the same spelling as the dashboard. Level names and cost centre codes are case-sensitive. Copy-paste them from the exported CSV to be safe.
Schedule end dates in advance. Since end dates cannot be changed retroactively, set leavers' end dates as soon as you know them.
Keep a local copy of every upload file. Save with a date stamp (e.g. joiners_2025-03-01.csv) for audit and troubleshooting.