Setting up third-party user provisioning with Merge.dev

Deel supports inbound user provisioning from some HRIS or IT systems through Merge.dev. This integration automatically creates Persons Without a Contract (PWACs) in Deel for IT and Engage use cases.

PWACs are users who don’t have an active contract in Deel but still need access to Deel products like IT, Engage, or HRIS. They are designed for non-payroll use cases only and cannot be used for Contractor, EOR, or Payroll use cases. If a worker needs a contract later, you can create one either through the contract creation flow or directly from the worker’s profile.

This article explains how to connect your HRIS or IT system to Deel using Merge.dev and provision PWACs automatically.

In this article

• Before you begin
• Step 1. Prepare Merge.dev integration
• Step 2. Connect the integration
• Step 3. Activate worker data sync
• Record sync logic for HRIS systems via Merge.dev
• Step 4. Sync data manually

Before you begin

To successfully complete this setup, you’ll need:

• A user with an admin role in Deel
• A user with an admin role in your external system

We recommend checking Getting started with third-party user provisioning to understand how PWACs work in Deel before following this guide.

Step 1. Prepare Merge.dev integration

Before connecting Deel to Merge.dev, you need to configure your external system so that it can sync worker data into Deel. 

Follow the instructions from Merge.dev for one of the supported integration:

• Charlie
• Dayforce 
  • Google Workspace 
• Gusto (follow instructions but link prod not demo)
• Humaans 
• JumpCloud 
• Justworks
• Keka
• Microsoft Entra
• Paycor
• Sage HR
• Workday
  • Via OAuth
  • Via Integration System User (ISU)
• Zoho People

If your third-party integration is not listed above, you can make a request through your Deel IT representative. Following this, we will conduct a quality assessment with Merge.dev to evaluate whether to start supporting the new integration.

Step 2. Connect the integration

In this section, we’ll guide you through how to connect Deel to Merge.dev.

To connect to Merge.dev:

1. Go to More > Apps and search for Merge.dev.

2. On the Merge.dev integration page, click Connect Merge.dev.

3. Select your HR provider and click Connect & go to settings.

4. Follow the instructions in the Merge.dev popup modal to finish the integration.

After connecting the integration, you can now activate the worker data sync.

Step 3. Activate worker data sync

In this section, we’ll guide you through configuring the integration so that data can sync successfully.

To activate the worker data sync:

1. On the Merge.dev integration page, go to the Plugins tab.
2. On the Worker data sync for non-payroll plugin, click Enable.

3. In the confirmation pop-up, acknowledge that you’ll use this plugin only for non-payroll workers, then click Continue.
4. (Optional) On the Worker data sync page, turn on automatic invitations if you want workers to be automatically invited to Deel.

5. Map the Deel fields with the values coming from your HRIS system, then click Continue. See the PWACs integration reference for a complete list of supported fields.

Use filtering to avoid duplicates

If you are importing PWACs and you also use Deel Payroll, to avoid duplicates, you must exclude workers who already have a contract that is managed through Deel from the sync. You can do so using the AI filter when reviewing the list of workers.

6. On the Import workers tab, review which worker profiles to import based on your set criteria, then Continue to import.
7. In the Ready to Sync pop-up modal, click Sync to start importing the selected worker profiles.

The selected worker profiles will be imported into Deel from your HRIS. You’ll receive a notification once the import is completed.

Record sync logic for HRIS systems via Merge.dev

When a new employee record in your HRIS (for example, Workday, BambooHR, or HiBob) passes the integration filter criteria, Deel automatically attempts to sync it and either create or link a worker profile.

• If the work or personal email matches an existing worker profile in Deel, a new one is not created. Deel links the existing profile to the HRIS record using the external provider ID provided through Merge.dev
• If there is no email match, Deel creates a new worker profile and links it automatically to the HRIS record using the external ID
• Once the record is linked, any future updates in your HRIS, such as name or email address changes, are automatically reflected in Deel  

This process applies only to HRIS integrations that sync worker information.
For identity provider (SSO) integrations such as Okta or Entra ID, Deel manages user access but does not create or update worker profiles.

Step 4. Sync data manually

Although worker data sync runs automatically once per day, you may want to trigger a manual sync:

• If you’ve made important changes in your HRIS and need them reflected in Deel immediately
• If you notice missing data or errors that suggest the last sync didn’t complete correctly

To sync manually:

1. Go to the Merge.dev integration page on Deel.
2. Click Sync Merge.dev.

Recent changes in employee data will be synced from your HRIS to Deel.