diff --git a/app/Controllers/EmpDataServiceController.php b/app/Controllers/EmpDataServiceController.php
index 4ce78926..36e3690c 100644
--- a/app/Controllers/EmpDataServiceController.php
+++ b/app/Controllers/EmpDataServiceController.php
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ use App\Controllers\Jobs;
 use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Spreadsheet;
 // use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Xlsx;
 use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx;
+use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory;
+use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Exception as SpreadsheetReaderException;
+
+use function PHPUnit\Framework\returnSelf;
 
 class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
 {
@@ -479,6 +483,12 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
         $file = $import_data['file'];
 
         $data = $this->readExcelToArray($file);
+
+        if (!$data) {
+
+            return 0;
+        }
+
         unset($data[0]);
         array_pop($data);
         $count = count($data);
@@ -491,18 +501,16 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
             try {
 
 
-                if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa'){
+                if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa') {
 
                     if ($value[15] === null) {
                         $missing_id[] = $key + 1;
                     }
+                } else if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer') {
 
-                }else if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer'){
-
-                    if ( $value[16] === null) {
+                    if ($value[16] === null) {
                         $missing_id[] = $key + 1;
                     }
-
                 }
 
                 $emp_code = $value[2];
@@ -519,14 +527,12 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
                 $query->where('employees.client_id', $client_id);
                 $query->where('employees.name', $name);
                 $query->where('employees.emp_code', $emp_code);
-                if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa'){
+                if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa') {
 
                     $query->where('(employee_polices.tpa_id IS NULL OR employee_polices.tpa_id = "")');
-
-                }else if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer'){
+                } else if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer') {
 
                     $query->where('(employee_polices.uhid IS NULL OR employee_polices.uhid = "")');
-
                 }
                 $query->where('employee_polices.is_active', 1);
                 $query->limit(1);
@@ -547,7 +553,7 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
         $empty_id_count = count($empty_emp_tpa_uh_ids);
 
 
-        if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa'){
+        if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa') {
 
             if ($empty_id_count == 0) {
 
@@ -558,9 +564,7 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
 
                 return 2;
             }
-
-
-        }else if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer'){
+        } else if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer') {
 
             if ($empty_id_count == 0) {
 
@@ -571,7 +575,6 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
 
                 return 4;
             }
-
         }
 
         // if ($missing_id_count != $count) {
@@ -585,7 +588,7 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
         //     return 3;
         // }
 
-       
+
 
         // dd($empty_emp_tpa_uh_ids);
 
@@ -607,15 +610,14 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
 
             if (!empty($value)) {
 
-            
-                if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa'){
+
+                if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'tpa') {
 
                     $tpa_id = $value[15] !== null ? $value[15] : '';
                     $uhid = $value[16] !== null ? $value[16] : '';
 
                     $data = ['tpa_id' => $tpa_id, 'uhid' => $uhid];
-
-                }else  if($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer'){
+                } else  if ($import_data['insurer_or_tpa'] == 'insurer') {
 
                     $tpa_id = $value[15] !== null ? $value[15] : '';
                     $uhid = $value[16] !== null ? $value[16] : '';
@@ -623,11 +625,9 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
                 }
 
                 foreach ($empty_emp_tpa_uh_ids as $id) {
-                    
+
                     $this->employeePolicyModel->where('id', $id)->set($data)->update();
                 }
-
-
             } else {
 
                 return 0;
@@ -1532,34 +1532,42 @@ class EmpDataServiceController extends BaseController
 
 
 
+
     public function readExcelToArray($file)
     {
-
         if ($file->isValid() && !$file->hasMoved()) {
             $file = $file;
+    
+            try {
 
-            $reader = new Xlsx();
-            $spreadsheet = $reader->load($file->getPathname());
-
-            // Get the active sheet
-            $sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();
-
-            // Iterate through rows to read data
-            $data = [];
-            foreach ($sheet->getRowIterator() as $row) {
-                $rowData = [];
-                foreach ($row->getCellIterator() as $cell) {
-                    $rowData[] = $cell->getValue();
+                $reader = IOFactory::createReaderForFile($file->getPathname());
+                $spreadsheet = $reader->load($file->getPathname());
+    
+                // Get the active sheet
+                $sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();
+    
+                // Iterate through rows to read data
+                $data = [];
+                foreach ($sheet->getRowIterator() as $row) {
+                    $rowData = [];
+                    foreach ($row->getCellIterator() as $cell) {
+                        $rowData[] = $cell->getValue();
+                    }
+                    $data[] = $rowData;
                 }
-                $data[] = $rowData;
+    
+                return $data;
+
+            } catch (SpreadsheetReaderException $e) {
+
+                error_log('PhpSpreadsheet reader exception: ' . $e->getMessage());
+                return false;
             }
-
-            return $data;
         } else {
-
             return false;
         }
     }
+    
 
 
     public function insertBatchFileAndBatchListForImportExcel($data, $ids)
diff --git a/app/Controllers/EmployeeController.php b/app/Controllers/EmployeeController.php
index 2676257c..1871fab0 100644
--- a/app/Controllers/EmployeeController.php
+++ b/app/Controllers/EmployeeController.php
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ class EmployeeController extends AdminController
                     return redirect()->to(base_url('employee/upload'));
 
                 }else if($return == 3){
-                    session()->setFlashdata('error', 'The following list of employees has already been updated with the TPA ID.');
+                    session()->setFlashdata('error', 'The list of employees provided has already been updated with the TPA ID, or this is not the correct file');
                     return redirect()->to(base_url('employee/upload'));
 
                 }else if($return == 4){
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ class EmployeeController extends AdminController
                     return redirect()->to(base_url('employee/upload'));
 
                 }else if($return == 5){
-                    session()->setFlashdata('error', 'The following list of employees has already been updated with the UHID.');
+                    session()->setFlashdata('error', 'The list of employees provided has already been updated with the UHID, or this is not the correct file');
                     return redirect()->to(base_url('employee/upload'));
 
                 }