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Time & Attendance - PBJ Reporting

PBJ Reporting in Empeon: How to Process Your Quarterly Report

Long-term care facilities are required by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to submit Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) reports on a quarterly basis. Empeon helps streamline this process by generating the files you need in the correct format for CMS submission.

This article walks you through how to generate and download your PBJ report from Empeon.

Note: Before processing your report, make sure your PBJ-related settings are configured correctly. For guidance, see our article: PBJ Settings in Empeon

Step 1: Navigate to PBJ Processing

  1. Go to the Actions menu.

  2. Select Attendance > PBJ Processing.

pbj processing

Step 2: Choose Reporting Period

In the PBJ Processing screen:

  1. Confirm the Year and Quarter for which you are preparing the report.

  2. Once selected, Empeon will compile the data for that time frame.

Step 3: Download Your Files

You can download any of the following files:

  • PBJ File – This is the XML file required for submission to CMS.

  • Detail File – A breakdown of all employee time entries included in the PBJ report.

  • Summary File – A summary view of hours and employees for review.

These files ensure full transparency and make it easier to review or troubleshoot before uploading to CMS.

Final Steps

  • Once your PBJ XML file is downloaded, you can submit it directly through the CMS PBJ submission portal via QIES.

  • We recommend reviewing the Detail and Summary files before submission to catch any discrepancies.

    • If you need to adjust PBJ Settings, you can access the card here, make your edits, and then download the reports again. 
    • The PBJ Employee ID can be found on the employee's profile under Attendance > Clock Settings. In Empeon, this is set by default using the employee’s unique ID, prefixed with EMP (e.g., EMP1001).
    • Employees will show on this report based on their exempt type. If an employee is coded incorrectly, you can adjust it in their profile. There are two ways to set a PBJ Exempt type in Empeon: PBJ Employee Type or the PBJ Employee Type that is linked to the Employment Status. Please refer to the PBJ Settings article for more information on this. 

 

Need Help?

If you're unsure how to configure PBJ settings or run into errors during processing, please reach out to our Support Team.