The following FAQs for the Payroll CS are divided into categories. Click the appropriate topic below to view the questions and answers for that area of interest, or scroll through the FAQs one at a time.
General
Payroll CS and Payroll Compliance module data are saved for two years. Because these modules save data for two years, earnings and check information are available only for the prior and current payroll years. To save information spanning a longer time period, you have the option to back up the client, allowing you to restore the information at a later time, if necessary.
Conversions
Payroll check entry
Error message
You may not add an unprinted check in a processing period that is not the latest processing period. Move to the latest processing period to add an unprinted check.
This error message is generated when the current payroll period is not the same period currently listed as the latest payroll period in the Payroll tab of the File > Client Properties dialog. The latest period is either the most recent payroll period in which printed or handwritten checks exist for the client, or it can be the latest payroll period accessed in the client. If the current period is not the latest period, it is displayed in the far right pane of the CSA status bar marked by an asterisk (*).
Unprinted payroll checks can be entered only from the latest period, and only handwritten checks can be entered for a prior period.
Example
Suppose that you have advanced the payroll period to June and created and printed payroll and vendor checks. Later, you discover that you need to go back to May to enter and print new vendor or payroll checks for May. Once printed or handwritten checks exist in the June payroll period, the application treats May as a prior period and so it will not allow any unprinted checks to be recorded for May unless you revert to the prior period.
For details on how to correct this issue, see the Reverting to a prior payroll period topic.
I have set up my employees, but in Payroll Check Entry I get a message that "The employee selected is inactive or does not have any pay items that match the frequency indicated in the current calculation profile." I checked and the employee does not have an inactive date. What should I do next?
- Check your calculation profile by choosing Setup > Calculation Profiles. Edit the profile and (on the General tab under Focus Employees) verify the option setting within the Focus Employees group box (on the General tab of the Calculation Profiles dialog):
All single frequency employees (default selection)
- Includes every employee for whom all pay items are of the same frequency (regardless of which frequency).
- Includes every employee who meets the single-frequency criterion specified in the bulleted paragraph above and for whom one or more pay items of non-periodic frequency are also specified.
- Includes (for each listed employee) all of the single-frequency pay items.
Selected frequency
Includes every employee with at least one pay item of the selected frequency. If choosing this option, also choose the desired pay frequency from the drop-down list (as listed in the followed bulleted paragraph).
- Includes (for each listed employee) every pay item of the selected frequency (Daily, Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Twice Monthly, Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annually, Annually, or Non-periodic).
- Verify the setup information for each employee (from the Setup > Employees window, both in the Earnings tab and in the Item Properties dialog for each pay item) to determine what is keeping the employees from matching the focus criteria for the selected calculation profile.
You will need to first create a global pay item for weighted average overtime, set up the appropriate employees with the new pay item, and then exclude any pay items from weighted average overtime if necessary.
See the following procedures:
Payroll taxes
You will first need to set up a pay item that is not subject to the SUTA or FUTA taxes. See Setting up a pay item that is not subject to SUTA or FUTA taxes. Then, complete the setup for the employee (by choosing Setup > Employees) and select the newly created pay item. Mark the Family of Owner checkbox on the Personal/W-2 tab of the Employees window.
There can be a number of reasons your FICA, FUTA, and other taxes may be calculating incorrectly. You can refer to this list of possible causes to determine the reason.
Payroll reports
When a report is run with a selected range option, in this case March, the report will include anything with a check date within the selected range; this would include checks entered in the February, April, or any other payroll period as long as it has a check date of March. The report run with a current month option of March will show only checks entered in the March payroll period.
For more information see both the Range options for reports overview topic and the Report Options for Payroll CS and the Payroll Compliance module (PDF)
Why do I get a "No data to view" message when I use the latest check date on my payroll journal?
The latest check date option pulls from the latest check date in the application, and this includes vendor checks. Therefore, if you have entered vendor checks with a later date than the payroll checks, when you use the latest check date option for a payroll journal you will get the "No data to view" message. If this is the case, use another data range, such as the selected range option.
For more information see both the Range options for reports overview topic and Report Options for Payroll CS and the Payroll Compliance module (PDF).
Vendor checks
For each of the vendor checks that need a separate GL account trigger, you can set up duplicate vendors with different names.
For example, if you need to make separate FICA and FUTA payments, each of which require a different GL account trigger, to the same bank, you would set up the bank as a vendor twice, each time using a different vendor name (Keybank1 and Keybank2, for example).
Note: It is not recommended that you add leading or trailing spaces to differentiate vendor names, as this may cause problems during transaction entry.
On the Address & Accounts tab, enter the vendor's information in the Alternate name and address group box and enter the appropriate GL account number information in the GL account triggers group box.
Note: The information on the Address & Accounts tab overrides information on the General tab, therefore checks will be created using that information. The differing names entered on the General tab will not display in reports or on checks.
This method can be used for handling multiple child support payments. See the Example for creating multiple vendor checks to the same vendor.
Payroll year-end processes
For a list of FAQs related to payroll year-end processes, please see the FAQ section of the CSA Payroll Year-End Processing Tips user bulletin. Choose Help > Bulletins from the CSA main window and select it from the list.