Compliance & Legal
How to Export Data from BambooHR (2026): Step-by-Step
BambooHR exports are one of the better ones in the HRIS category, which makes the pre-cancellation steps even more important. Here is the full sequence.
Key takeaways
- A BambooHR export is only as good as the account state it was run from.
- Fields get deprecated, plans gate features, and an account in the middle of a plan change can export something different than one at steady state.
- The sequence below is ordered so that every step happens while access is full.
- Exports require admin permissions, and in many restaurant groups that is one or two people.
- Confirm the exporter's admin rights before starting, because a partial export discovered after the fact is the most expensive kind.
- From the BambooHR admin area's People section, run the data export.
Why the sequence matters
A BambooHR export is only as good as the account state it was run from. Fields get deprecated, plans gate features, and an account in the middle of a plan change can export something different than one at steady state. The sequence below is ordered so that every step happens while access is full.
Step 1: Confirm who is doing the export
Exports require admin permissions, and in many restaurant groups that is one or two people. Confirm the exporter's admin rights before starting, because a partial export discovered after the fact is the most expensive kind.
Step 2: List the data with a home
- People data — every field you actually use: identity, employment, compensation, time off. Export the full field set, not the default view.
- Documents — hire paperwork, handbook acknowledgments, signed forms, and any write-ups or incident documents stored on profiles.
- Time off — balances and history, if the new system tracks time off.
- Reports — any custom reports your team runs, exported as data.
Step 3: Run the people export with all fields
From the BambooHR admin area's People section, run the data export. When choosing fields, select everything you use in operations, payroll, or compliance — it is easier to drop a column during import than to re-export a closed account.
Save the CSV to a neutral, shared location. Not a personal laptop.
Step 4: Retrieve the documents
Open a sample of employee profiles and confirm the attached documents are accessible and downloadable. For the employees who matter most — recent terminations, open claims, long-tenured managers — download the documents individually and store them with a copy of the profile data.
If document access is gated by your plan, contact BambooHR support while active and get what you need in writing.
Step 5: Export time off and report data
- Time-off balances and history from the time-off module
- Custom report data from the Reports area
These are the exports people forget, and they are the ones payroll and the new system ask for first.
Step 6: Verify before cutover
- Spot-check three employees across locations: do the export fields match the profile?
- Confirm the document sample is complete
- Confirm time-off balances match what the team sees
- Confirm the new system's test import shows the same data
Step 7: Run in parallel, then close
Keep BambooHR active and read-only for at least one reporting period after cutover. Confirm payroll and reporting are clean on the new system, then close the account — after sending support a written confirmation of what is retained and for how long.
The gap the export reveals
A BambooHR export gives you the record's home: people data, documents, time off. It does not give you the record's creation:
- No capture workflow — the incident notes and write-ups exist only because a manager created them outside the system
- No timestamps tied to the event — a document uploaded in March about an event in January carries the upload date, not the event date
- No discipline sequence — the chain of coaching, warnings, and steps is whatever the files show, not a tracked sequence
If your documentation quality depended on manager discipline, the export preserves exactly that: a file that is as complete as the habits that created it. The fix is not a better export. It is a capture layer that makes the record exist in the moment, with structure and a trail. That is the layer Docu-Coach™ covers, and it pairs with whatever HRIS you move to next. See Docu-Coach™ vs BambooHR for the division of labor.
Checklist
- Exporter's admin permissions confirmed
- Data list written (people, documents, time off, reports)
- People export run with all fields
- Document sample verified and downloaded
- Time-off balances and history exported
- Custom report data exported
- Test import completed in the new system
- BambooHR kept read-only through one reporting period
- Retention confirmed in writing from BambooHR
- Documentation layer decided on (the gap the export exposed)
Bottom line
Exporting from BambooHR is a normal, well-supported process, and doing it in the right order means the data you keep is complete. The export will also show you what an HRIS was never designed to preserve: the moment the record was created. If that moment has been living in manager memory and text threads, the migration is the right time to give it a system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I export my data from BambooHR?
Yes. BambooHR provides data export for administrators, including employee data as CSV and document access through the system. You can also build custom reports and export their data. The exact options depend on your plan and admin permissions, so confirm what is available in your admin area before you need it.
Where is the export in BambooHR?
Exports are an admin function. In the BambooHR admin area, people data can be exported from the People section, and report data from the Reports area. The interface has been updated over time, so if you cannot find a specific export, check your admin permissions first and then contact BambooHR support while the account is active.
What should I export before leaving BambooHR?
Four things: the full people list (every field you use, for every current and recent employee), the documents on each profile (hire paperwork, signed forms, write-ups you stored there), the time-off balances and history if you are moving to a different time-off system, and any custom report data your team relies on. Export people data as CSV with all fields, not the default view.
Does the export include attached documents like write-ups?
Documents attached to employee profiles are part of the system, but how you retrieve them depends on your plan and admin setup: some exports include document metadata while the files themselves are downloaded from the profile. Verify before cutover that the signed forms you need are actually in your hands, not just listed in an export.
How do I import BambooHR data into a new HRIS?
Most HRIS platforms accept CSV import of employee data. Export with all fields, map the columns in the new system, and do a test import with a small group of employees before the full load. Keep the BambooHR account active and read-only for at least one reporting period after cutover, and confirm the new system shows the records you expect before you close anything.
How long does a BambooHR migration take?
A single-location move is typically a few days: exports, mapping, test import, verification. Multi-location groups should budget a week, with the cutover scheduled for a slow period and the old system kept read-only through at least one payroll or reporting cycle. The documentation layer (incidents, coaching, discipline notes) is not migrated this way at all, because an HRIS export does not reconstruct the capture workflow that created those records.
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