How to migrate from Keka to VetanBandhu

Keka bundles payroll inside a full HR platform. If your team is smaller or payroll is the only process you actively use, VetanBandhu offers a lighter, fixed-price alternative. This guide shows the exact Keka export path, real column names, what migrates, what does not, and how YTD works across the cutover.

Export path in Keka

1. Go to People > Employees and use the Export option for the employee directory.
2. Open each employee profile and export the Compensation / Salary Details section, or request a salary summary from Keka support.
3. Go to Payroll > Reports > Payroll Register and export each month from April of the current financial year to the cutover month.
4. Download statutory reports for PF, ESI, PT and TDS under Payroll > Compliance.
5. Export Leave Balances and any loss-of-pay records.
6. Save payslip PDFs and challan records as backup.

Typical Keka export columns

| Group | Common column names | |---|---| | Employee code | Employee Code, Emp Code | | Name | Employee Name, Full Name | | Date of joining | Date of Joining, DOJ | | Date of birth | Date of Birth, DOB | | Gender | Gender | | PAN | PAN | | UAN | UAN | | ESI number | ESI Number, ESIC IP Number | | Bank account | Bank Account Number, Account Number | | Bank IFSC | IFSC Code, IFSC | | Bank name | Bank Name | | Work location / state | Work Location, State | | Department | Department | | Designation | Designation | | Earnings | Basic, HRA, Special Allowance, Conveyance, Variable Pay | | Deductions | Employee PF, Employee ESI, Professional Tax, TDS, Advance | | Employer contributions | Employer PF, Employer ESI, LWF | | Net pay | Net Pay, Take Home |

What carries across to VetanBandhu

• Employee master — employee code, name, date of joining, date of birth, gender, PAN, UAN, ESI number, Aadhaar, bank account, IFSC, bank name, work state, department and designation.
• Salary structure — fixed earnings such as Basic, HRA, Special Allowance and Conveyance. Variable pay such as bonuses can be added as ad-hoc or monthly earnings.
• Deductions and employer contributions — employee PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS and employer PF/ESI/LWF. If Keka shows employer PF inside CTC, use the employer contribution setting in VetanBandhu.
• Tax declarations — employee investment declarations for the current financial year can be imported or re-entered.
• Leave balances — opening balance and leave taken during the year.

What does not carry across

• Recruitment, performance and org chart data — these Keka modules are outside the payroll scope.
• Keka payslip PDFs — keep them as backup; they are not imported as documents.
• Custom Keka workflows — approval chains, document requests and onboarding flows must be recreated.
• User access and roles — set up owner, payroll admin and viewer memberships in VetanBandhu.
• Salary history before the latest structure — only the current structure and year-to-date totals are needed.
• Reimbursement claims and off-cycle payments — add these as ad-hoc earnings or deductions in the first VetanBandhu run.

YTD implications of the switch month

VetanBandhu builds Form 16 and TDS from the YTD you import. Prepare one row per employee per month from the financial-year start to the cutover month.

• Backfill every month. Include all earnings, deductions, employer contributions and net pay.
• TDS continuity. Compare the total TDS with Keka's Form 16 and the total PF with the PF ECR. For employees who joined after April, only import months from the date of joining.
• Partial-year TDS. Use Form 12B for employees who switched jobs mid-year to avoid under- or over-deduction.
• Mid-year salary revisions. Record the new salary from the effective month and adjust YTD only from that point.
• PT and LWF. Per-month state deductions must be imported so the next state return is correct.

Cutover and go-live steps

1. Close the final Keka payroll, lock attendance and generate all reports.
2. Create your organisation in VetanBandhu and configure PF, ESI, PT and TDS rules.
3. Add branches and states as needed.
4. Import the employee master and salary structures.
5. Upload the YTD worksheet and leave balances.
6. Run a test payroll and compare payslips with Keka.
7. After sign-off, make the next payroll live in VetanBandhu.
8. Keep the Keka account active for historical records and compliance documentation.

Ready to move?

Start with the comparison on VetanBandhu vs Keka, or start the import at Dashboard > Employees > Import.