Did you know...?

• You can search for specific information (such as a state name) in this article. Details

  Follow these steps.

  1. Expand the text for the applicable sections or click the Show expandable text link at the top of this article to expand all text in the article.
  2. Press CTRL+F on your keyboard to open a search field above the toolbar.
  3. Enter the search term in the search field. As you type your search term, the Help & How-To Center highlights all instances of the term in the body of the article.
• If you are looking for a specific update, but it doesn't appear in this bulletin, try checking the Accounting CS Alerts & notices article. 
• New features and new reports that are released in this version might be protected by security privileges. If your firm has enabled firm security, please evaluate all enhancements and update your security groups as needed.

We are closely monitoring tax law changes as they are announced, and we will continue to alert you to upcoming changes as we work to meet the requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response (FFCR) Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

To find out how we're responding to the impact of COVID-19 on your firm's payroll process and general operations, and to access additional resources and news, see Accounting CS Coronavirus response - updates and resources.

COVID-19 changes

• We have added the ability to defer the employer Social Security (ERFICA-SS) tax payments for clients to the end of 2021 and 2022. Details
  • We have added the COVID-19 Acts tab to the Setup > Clients screen, where you can mark the Defer payment of ERFICA-SS to the end of 2021 and 2022 checkbox. When this checkbox is marked, Accounting CS splits the liability amount into two, and then specifies new due dates for the end of years 2021 (for 50% of the amount) and 2022 (for the remaining 50% of the amount).
    • For each security group that will access this tab, an administrator must mark the permissions desired in the Setup > Firm Information > Security Groups screen and the Setup > Firm Information > Client Security Groups screen.
  • We have added the Deferred column to the Manage Payroll Liabilities grid in the Actions > Manage Payroll Liabilities screen. The Deferred checkbox in that column for each liability row makes it easy to tell, at a glance, which tax liabilities in the grid have been deferred. In addition, the words "Deferred per CARES Act" displays in the Notes column for deferred liabilities. 
  • We have automatically filtered deferred tax liabilities from the Funding dialog (accessed via the Actions > Process Direct Deposit screen) so that the liabilities do not get impounded with the other liabilities, but are still available for future funding purposes. To display those liabilities, mark the new Include payments deferred per COVID-19 Acts checkbox.
  • We have added the COVID-19 - Deferral of employer Social Security tax payments article to the Help & How-To Center.
• We have added new COVID-19 sick paid leave and tax deferral variables to the variable tree. Details
  • We have added the Defer Payment of ERFICA-SS to the End of 2021 and 2022 variable to the Client > COVID-19 Acts Information section of the variable tree in the Report Designer.
  • We have added the Special Type variable to the following sections of the variable tree in the Report Designer and in the Layout Designer for payroll check layouts.
    • Payroll > Check > Pay Items
    • Payroll > Check > Pay Items > Location and Department Distributions
• We have added new reports, containing COVID-19 totals and information, to the Accounting CS Library. These reports are intended to help you easily access the information you need to handle payroll and liability changes related to the COVID-19 acts. Details

  We have added the following reports, which include COVID-19 totals and information.

  • Cash Requirements and Deposits - COVID-19
  • Depository Totals - COVID-19
  • EFTPS Payment Worksheet - COVID-19
  • EFTPS Phone Payment Worksheet - COVID-19
  • Preprocessing Summary - COVID-19

  For details about these reports, see COVID-19 Custom reports.

• We have added an alert message that displays during payroll check entry if the hours you've entered for a COVID-19 sick paid leave item exceed the employee's available limit.

Accounting

• We have addressed the following issues in the Actions > Manage Payments screen that caused the application to close.
  • In certain circumstances, the application closed during attempts to navigate to the Detail tab.
  • In certain circumstances, the application closed after payables were paid or AP checks were printed using the Pay/Print button in the Detail tab.

Accounting CS Payroll, for live payroll processing

In addition to any changes made for general payroll features listed above for after-the-fact payroll processing, the following changes have been made for the live payroll processing features specific to Accounting CS Payroll.

• For every release, be sure to check the Updates for payroll tax rates, limits, and minimum wage rates (year to date) article to stay on top of changes that may affect your firm and clients.

Updates for payroll tax forms, tax agents, and new hire files

To search for a specific state, locality, form, or file in one of the sections listed below, follow these steps.

• Tax agents updated

  We have updated the following tax agents.

  Local

  • Pennsylvania
    • We have updated the municipality and school district liabilities for the following tax agents.
      • Berks E.I.T Bureau – LST

Accounting CS includes two interactive tools that provide valuable payroll tax information.

• The Payroll Form and Filing Information portlet provides information on federal, state, and certain local tax agents in the Home Dashboard or Firm Dashboard.
• The State-specific payroll tax form information article provides information on state payroll tax forms, processing tips, due dates, filing methods, agency information, tax payment details, state ID formats, e-filing notes, new hire reporting requirements, and more.

Related articles

Prior release user bulletins

Support Contact Information page on our website

Finding answers in the Help & How-To Center

Accounting CS Ideas Community

Ordering Forms W-2, 1099, and 1095-C

Payroll Year-End Processing tips