Each payroll cycle, you are responsible for uploading a completed contribution file to LINK and submitting the corresponding payment to Canaccord. This guide covers how to prepare your file, upload it to the platform, understand the upload statuses, and submit payment.

Before completing the steps below, ensure you have already run a Changed Contribution Report to review any member contribution changes for this cycle. See the Changed Contribution Report Guide for instructions.

• You will need the Contribution File Template provided by LINK in your onboarding package.

• Contribution files must be uploaded according to your payroll schedule.

• The total payment you remit must exactly match the total in the contribution file.

• Run a Changed Contribution Report before each cycle to capture any member contribution changes and update your payroll system accordingly.

Open the Contribution File Template from your LINK onboarding package. Fill in all highlighted columns accurately for each member:

• Employee number

• Plan registration number

• Contribution date

• Employee contribution amount

(the sum of the Employee base amount and any voluntary amount deducted - unless you are running a DC Pension Plan in which case the amounts remain separated)

• Employer contribution amount

• Currency

• Contribution type

All highlighted columns must be completed accurately before uploading.

Step 2. Navigate to Contributions

From your LINK Dashboard, select Contributions in the left-hand sidebar.

Navigate to Contributions in the left-hand sidebar, then click Import

Step 3. Click Import

Click the Import button on the right side of the Contributions screen.

Step 4. Select your file and upload

In the Import File dialog, click Select File, choose your completed contribution file (Excel only, 50 MB max), then click Upload.

Click Select File, choose your file, then click Upload

After uploading, the Status column on the Contributions screen will display one of two states:

Staged — File received, awaiting payment

The file has been successfully uploaded and is queued for processing. This is the expected status immediately after upload and will remain as Staged until payment has been received and processed. If no errors are shown in the Rows Failed column, the file is clean and ready — proceed to submit payment. Once funds are received, the status will automatically update to Completed within 48–72 hours. If rows have failed, review and correct the errors before submitting payment — see the Errors section below.

Completed — File processed and funds applied

The file has been fully processed and contributions have been applied to member accounts. This status will appear 48–72 hours after payment has been received by Canaccord. All rows were accepted with no failures and funds will be visible in member dashboards. No further action is required.

Staged (awaiting payment) and Completed (funds applied) statuses in the Contributions screen

If the Rows Failed column shows a number greater than zero after uploading, your file contains errors. To view the details, click the Actions icon in the Actions column.

A Staged file with rows failed — click the Actions icon to view error details

The error window will show which rows are affected and why. Correct the issues in your contribution file and re-upload. Common errors are listed below.

Member has not completed onboarding

Cause: The employee number in the file belongs to a member who has not yet finished the onboarding process on the LINK platform. Their account is not active and cannot receive contributions.

Fix: Remove this member from the contribution file. Once the member completes onboarding, they can be included in a future contribution file.

Employee number not found

Cause: The employee number entered does not match any member record in the system. This is often caused by a typo, a leading zero being dropped, or using an outdated employee number.

Fix: Cross-reference the employee number against your member list in the Members section of the dashboard. Correct the number in the file and re-upload.

Missing required field

Cause: One or more highlighted columns in the contribution file have been left blank for a particular row. All required fields must be filled in for every member included.

Fix: Return to the Contribution File Template, locate the affected row, and complete all highlighted columns. Re-upload the corrected file.

Invalid contribution amount

Cause: A contribution amount has been entered in an unsupported format — for example, including a currency symbol, using commas as decimal separators, or entering a negative value.

Fix: Ensure all amounts are entered as plain numbers (e.g. 150.00) with no symbols, commas, or negative signs. Re-upload the corrected file.

Invalid contribution date

Cause: The contribution date is missing, formatted incorrectly, or falls outside an accepted range.

Fix: Ensure the date is formatted as YYYY-MM-DD and falls within the current payroll period. Re-upload the corrected file.

Duplicate entry

Cause: The same employee number appears more than once in the file for the same contribution date and type.

Fix: Review the file for duplicate rows and remove any extras, keeping only the correct entry. Re-upload the corrected file.

If you are unsure how to resolve an error, do not guess. Contact the LINK implementations team at implementations@link-plans.com before re-uploading.

Step 5. Submit payment to Canaccord

Submit payment via Pre-Authorized Debit or Bill Payment using the bank information provided during your onboarding meeting. The total you remit must exactly match the total amount in the contribution file you uploaded.

The payment amount must match the contribution file total exactly. Mismatches will delay processing.

Step 6. Confirm processing

Once payment is received by Canaccord, the contribution file status will update from Staged to Completed within 48–72 hours. Contributions will then be visible in member dashboards. LINK invests contributions twice a month, as close to the 1st and 15th as possible.

Expect the file status to change from Staged to Completed within 48–72 hours of Canaccord receiving your payment.

• Upload contribution files according to your payroll schedule, not on a fixed calendar date.

• Payment must be submitted separately — uploading the file alone does not initiate a transaction.

• If errors are present in your file, correct and re-upload before submitting payment.

• Run the Changed Contribution Report before each cycle to capture any member contribution rate changes and update your payroll system accordingly.

Contact the LINK implementations team if:

• You encounter upload errors you cannot resolve.

• Your payment and contribution file totals do not match.

• Contributions have not appeared in member dashboards and the file has not moved to Completed within 72 hours of submitting payment.

Need Help? Contact us at implementations@link-plans.com or call +1 844-707-3700, or use the chat widget in the bottom left corner of your screen.