Payroll Setup

The Properties option in the Payroll system must be set up prior to creating any time card entries or handwritten checks. This option contains the tax rates information, the interface with the Ledger, the check stub defaults, the certified payroll format defaults, direct deposit account information, as well as the default printer assignment for payroll checks.

The master lists located in the Controls option of the Payroll system should be set up before any employee information is entered into the system. This option contains the master lists for department codes, union codes (or prevailing wage codes), workers compensation insurance codes, local deduction codes, a link to the job master list, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) setup items.

After the payroll properties and the payroll controls have been set up, then the employee information can be added to the Enployee Center by selecting the Employees menu option. Be sure to also set up employee health insurance information using the ACA Employee Records option, if applicable. The employee file contains all of the basic employee information including tax withholding, base pay rate, direct deposit account information, and miscellaneous pay and deduction rates.

If the payroll data is set up at the beginning of a new calendar year before any payroll checks have been written, then the normal processing of timecard entries can be started immediately. However, if your data conversion starts after payroll checks have been written in the current calendar year, then beginning balances for each employee will need to be established before normal timecard entries and checks can be processed. Beginning balances are established for each employee by entering a handwritten check for each employee to represent the period-to-date earnings. The suggested method is to enter a single handwritten check for each employee for each quarter. Once the handwritten checks have been entered, print an Employee Transaction Report - Employee Totals Only for the entire calendar year to verify that the year to date earnings for each employee matches your manual records. Once these totals are correct, you may process new timecard entries as normal.