Employee Payroll Item Settings dialog

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The tabs and fields in this dialog generally mirror those in the Setup > Payroll Items screen. Some fields in this dialog allow employee-level overrides for payroll items. Most fields and settings in the Main tab and the entire Tax Exemptions tab are view-only and can be modified only at the client level. You can modify some (but not all) information in the Special Timing tab for individual employees.

Choose Setup > Employees, click the Payroll Items tab, and then click the Ellipsis button in the Pay, Deductions, or Employer Contributions section.

Tabbed pages in this dialog

Use the Main tab of the Employee Payroll Item Settings dialog to specify information about payroll items - pay items, deduction items, and employer contributions. The majority of this information is set up in the Setup > Payroll Items > Main tab and cannot be modified at the employee level.

    • Identification. Information in this section cannot be modified at the employee level.
    • Calculation. The options in this section vary depending on the type of the current payroll item.
      • Calculation type. This field displays the selection made at the client level, but you can modify it here for the selected employee.
      • Special type. (Pay items only). This field cannot be modified at the employee level.
      • Link to. Use this field to select a "parent" payroll item to which to link the current payroll item, making it a "child" payroll item. The child payroll item shares the calculation type and pay rate of the parent payroll item but can maintain a unique description on payroll checks. See Linking payroll items for an employee for more information.
      • Alternate minimum wage. (Pay items only). This field is active only for pay items using the Tipped wages special type. To specify an alternative minimum wage rate to be used for the employee, enter that rate here. For more information, see Specifying an alternative minimum wage amount for tipped employees.
    • Special Type. (Deduction items only). Information in this section cannot be modified at the employee level.
    • Auto-Pay. (Pay items only). Mark the Standard hours checkbox if you want to automatically populate the standard hours during check entry based on the pay frequency.
    • Taxability. Information in this section cannot be modified at the employee level.
    • Garnishment Calculation Details. (Child Support type garnishments only). This calculation is used when an employee has multiple orders and not enough income to cover the garnishment amounts in full.
      • Prorate. If there is not enough disposable income to cover the garnishment amounts, Accounting CS prorates the garnishment amounts using the ratio of each order amount, compared to the total disposable income amount.
      • Divide equally. This method is not currently available.
      • Montana method. This method is not currently available.
    • Wage Type. (Pay items only). Information in this section cannot be modified at the employee level.
    • Multipliers. (Pay items only). The fields are available only when the calculation type is Hourly rate or Salary - Hours sensitive. The Overtime and Double time fields default to 1.5000 and 2.0000 respectively, but can be modified here at the employee level.
    • W-2 Additional Boxes. Information in this section cannot be modified at the employee level.
    • Limit. (Deduction items and employer contributions only). The fields in this section differ by payroll item. If there are limits on the payroll item, specify if they are month to date, per check, perpetual, or year to date, and then specify the amount or percent as applicable.
      • For deduction items using the special type Garnishment - Other, you can choose from the following options. For more details on these options, see Setting up Other type garnishments.
        • Maximum % of disposable income. You can specify the maximum percentage of the employee’s disposable income on which to calculate the garnishment amount.
        • Amount exempt from garnishment. When the Maximum % of disposable income field is set to 100%, you can enter an amount of net pay that is exempt from the Other garnishment calculation.
        • Use lesser of maximum % of disposable income or amount by which disposable income exceeds 30 times the: You can choose to specify a limit of the lesser of: the maximum percent of the employee's disposable income or the amount by which the employee's disposable income exceeds thirty times the federal or state minimum wage. 
      • For Retirement/Cafeteria plan deductions:
        • Do not apply catch-up limit. This checkbox is available for deduction items set up with retirement special types 401(k), Roth 401(k), 403(b), Roth 403(b), 457 or Simple 408(p). Mark this checkbox to specify that the retirement plan catch-up contribution limit increase should not be applied to the selected deduction item for this employee regardless of their age. For more information, see Customizing settings for employee retirement catch-up contributions and limits.
        • Subtract cafeteria 125 deduction before calculating. This checkbox is available for deduction items set up with retirement special types 401(k), 403(b), 457, or Simple 408(p) and for all employer contribution items. When this checkbox is marked, and the item is set up to calculate based on a percent of gross pay, the application will subtract any Section 125 special type deduction items from the employee's gross pay before calculating the deduction item or employer contribution.
      • For Perpetual limits, you can specify a Begin limit date to prevent the limit from reducing the deduction amount unless the check date falls on or after the specified date. You can also specify a Previously deducted amount, which is included in the calculated total when enforcing the specified limit. The amount in the previously deducted field does not include amounts from checks that have been entered.
    • Exclusions. Information in this section cannot be modified at the employee level.
    • Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. This section is displayed only for deduction items with a special type of Garnishment - Chapter 13 bankruptcy. For information about the fields in this section, refer to the Setting up Chapter 13 bankruptcy garnishments procedure.
    • Child Support Orders. This section is displayed only for deduction items with a special type of Garnishment - Child support. For information about fields in this section, refer to the Setting up child support garnishments procedure.
    • Creditor garnishments. This section is displayed only for deduction items with a special type of Garnishment - Creditor garnishment. For information about fields in this section, refer to the Setting up creditor garnishments procedure.
    • Defaulted Student Loan. This section is displayed only for deduction items with a special type of Garnishment - Defaulted student loan. For information about fields in this section, refer to the Setting up defaulted student loan garnishments procedure.
    • Federal Levy Information. This section is displayed only for deduction items with a special type of Garnishment - Federal levy. For information about the fields in this section, refer to the Setting up federal levy garnishments procedure.
    • Other. This section is displayed only for deduction items with a special type of Garnishment - Other. For information about fields in this section, see Setting up Other type garnishments.
    • Rates and General Ledger Accounts. The grid displays a row for each of the employee's active location/department combinations. You can modify the rate and/or GL account for the payroll item for each individual location and department combination.
      • Weighted allocation. Mark this checkbox to distribute the deduction or employer contribution item across the locations and departments that are displayed in the grid. You can modify the fixed amount of the item in the field next to the checkbox. For more information, see Setting up weighted allocation of fixed amount payment items.
    • Direct Deposit. This section is applicable only for payroll items that meet the following criteria.
      • The payroll item is either a deduction item or an employer contribution item.
      • The payroll item is linked to a payroll agent.
      • The payroll agent has Direct Deposit selected as the Method in the Payment Preferences section of the Main tab of the Setup > Vendors screen.

      Use the Direct Deposit grid to link the selected payroll item to a direct deposit allocation. This allows your client to make health savings account (HSA) deposits for their employee, for example, or to automatically deposit an employee's alimony payments into a particular bank account. For more information, refer to the Linking an employee health savings account (HSA) deduction to a direct deposit allocation procedure.

      Note: Direct deposit allocation information may be required, if the Require direct deposit allocation checkbox is marked in the Main tab of the Setup > Payroll Items screen.

The fields in this tab mirror those in the Setup > Payroll Items > Tax Exemptions tab and can be modified only at the client level.

Use the Special Timing tab to set up special frequencies and dates for recurring payroll items to be used on payroll checks for this employee. Special timing can be used for garnishments, bonuses, or any recurring payroll item. The default special timing information for pay items is set up at the client level in the Setup > Payroll Items > Special Timing tab but you can modify most of this information for the selected employee here.

  • Order. This section is available only if the selected payroll item is a garnishment with more than one order. The fields in the Frequency and Date sections will affect the currently selected case identifier. To specify frequency and date options for another order, change the selection in this field and then update the Frequency and Date sections.
  • Frequency.
    • All payrolls. The payroll item will calculate for all payrolls processed within the dates specified in the Dates section. This is the default setting.
    • Selected weeks. Mark the checkboxes for each week the payroll item should be calculated.
    • [select] payroll of the month. Select the payrolls of the month for which this payroll item should be calculated.
    • Based on. Choose whether to base the special timing frequency on the check date or the period end date for this client. This choice, made in the Setup > Payroll Items > Special Timing tab, will apply to all employees of the client and cannot be modified at the employee level.
  • Dates. Select the appropriate dates for the special timing to begin and end. Specify the start and end date and whether to base the special timing dates on the check date or the period begin and end date.

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