Calculating Payroll

From the Payroll screen, select the Check Cycle menu and then Calculate Payroll.
If a batch already exists, the Calculate Payroll Batch Search screen will appear. To recalculate an existing payroll batch, select the desired batch by double-clicking on the batch description; otherwise, to calculate a new batch, click the New Record button. If a batch does not exist, the Calculate Payroll screen will appear immediately in order to create a new batch.

Note: Only one payroll calculation batch can be open (unposted) at a time, unless a batch is defined with the Test Payroll (No Checks) field selected or has Purchase Order as the Payroll Type.

On the Regular Options screen (tab), enter the appropriate type of calculation to complete (Regular, Extra, Expense Payroll, Pay Off Contracts, Purchase Order, or Reversing GAAP) in the Payroll Type field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. To pay one unit for all contract employees within the specified pay groups and all entries in the selected batches for pay period entries, employee absences, and deduction/tax adjustments, enter Regular. To only pay those employees in the selected batches for pay period entries, employee absences, and deduction/tax adjustments, enter Extra. To expense the remaining contract balances for the employees within the specified pay groups and the entries in the selected batches at the end of the fiscal year, enter Expense Payroll. To pay the remaining contract balances for the employees within the specified pay groups (in separate checks or combined in one check) and the entries in the selected batches at the end of the fiscal year, enter Pay Off Contracts. To create a payroll purchase order for the remaining contract balances for the employees within the specified pay groups and the entries in the selected batches, enter Purchase Order; refer to the Payroll Purchase Order Setup and Calculation Checklist for step-by-step instructions on creating payroll purchase orders. For Iowa school districts who reverse GAAP expense, enter Reversing GAAP to reverse GAAP expense the remaining contract balances for the employees within the specified pay groups and the entries in the selected batches at the end of the fiscal year, if applicable; if the payroll calculation batch is reverse GAAP expensed, the totals do not post to the accounts, but are reflected on the C.A.R. Leave the field blank to default to Regular.

Note: The Reversing GAAP payroll type is only available for those Iowa school districts who have specified they reverse GAAP expense at the end of the fiscal year (the Reversing GAAP field is selected in the System File).

Enter a unique description for the new batch in the Batch Description field. The description can be alphanumeric and up to 50 characters long. Leave the field blank to use a default description assigned by the system.

Note: If a unique description is not entered, the system will add a dash and four numbers starting with 0001 at the end (for example, Batch Description-0001) to make it distinctive.

In the Processing Month field, enter the fiscal period for which to post the entries within the batch to the applicable modules; for example, enter the month for which to post the entries to General Ledger, if applicable. Use the mm/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date. Leave the field blank to default to the current month (as based on the computer date).

Note: If the month entered in this field is more than two months different from the current month, a warning icon will appear to the right of the field; verify the month entered is correct. If the specified processing month is in the next fiscal year and there are funds in the Fund File in General Ledger with the Automatically Start New Fiscal Year field not selected, the Start New Fiscal Year option will need to be completed for the appropriate funds if it has not already been done.

Enter the date to print on the checks in the Check Date field. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date. Leave the field blank to default to the current date.

Note: The Check Date field is disabled if Expense Payroll is specified as the Payroll Type. If the date entered in this field is more than two weeks different from the current date, or more than two months different from the current date, a warning icon will appear to the right of the field; verify the date entered is correct. If the date entered in this field is more than six months different from the current date, or a Quarterly 941 has been electronically submitted for the particular quarter (applicable for Payroll Types of Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts only), the system will not allow the date to be saved and an error icon will appear to the right of the field; verify the date entered is correct, and if needed, contact Customer Support for assistance.

Tip: The date that is entered in this field is used to determine which contracts are included (based on the Start Date of the contract) and which deductions and direct deposit items are included (based on the Start and/or End Date of the deduction or direct deposit item).

If Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts is specified as the Payroll Type, the Last Worked Date field is enabled. Enter the last date of the pay period in the Last Worked Date field. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date. Leave the field blank to default to the current date.
Enter the appropriate pay period (frequency) for which deductions to include in the calculation in the Week Number for Deductions field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. For example, to include only those deductions defined with amounts for Every Pay Period, enter Every Pay Period; or to include those deductions defined with amounts for Every Pay Period and those with amounts for a specific week (used if there are multiple payrolls in one month and deductions are only withheld and expensed on a specific week), enter the appropriate week number, such as Week 1, Week 2, etc. Leave the field blank to default to Every Pay Period.

Note: The Week Number for Deductions field is disabled if Expense Payroll is specified as the Payroll Type.

If Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts is specified as the Payroll Type, the Days This Pay Period field is enabled. If applicable, enter the number of days included in this pay period in the Days This Pay Period field. The number can be up to 2 digits long (no decimals). When calculating a payroll, the number entered in this field is multiplied by the number entered in the Hours Per Day field on the Wages screen for the applicable contract pay codes to reflect the total number of hours worked in the pay period for the employee (for all pay codes).

Note: Tracking hours worked is required if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Hours Tracking option within the School Accounting System will be completed. Also, tracking hours worked is required for inclusion on the applicable government reports for school districts in Idaho (for applicable employees with pay codes defined with a Pay Type of H for Hourly within the Idaho Retirement Report), Illinois (for applicable employees to be included on the Illinois Monthly Teachers Retirement Report, including only employees with contracts or rehired retirees), Missouri (for only employees with a wage type of R for Retired Working Member, T for Non-Member Sub Teaching WAR Waiver, or X for Non-Member), Nebraska, North Dakota (for teachers only), South Dakota (for only employees without retirement), and Wyoming.

If Expense Payroll, Pay Off Contracts, Purchase Order, or Reversing GAAP is specified as the Payroll Type, the Fiscal Year End field is enabled. Enter the 4-digit year of the ending fiscal year date for which contracts to include in the calculation in the Fiscal Year End field. Leave the field blank to default to the current fiscal year (as specified in the Current Fiscal Year End field in the Payroll System File).
If Pay Off Contracts or Reversing GAAP is specified as the Payroll Type, the Override General Ledger Entry Date field is enabled. If desired, enter the date to use as the posting date for the entries in the Override General Ledger Entry Date field; otherwise, leave the field blank to use the date entered in the Check Date field as the posting date. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date.

Note: If the date entered in this field is more than two weeks different from the current date, or more than two months different from the current date, a warning icon will appear to the right of the field; verify the date entered is correct. If the date entered in this field is more than six months different from the current date, the system will not allow the date to be saved and an error icon will appear to the right of the field; verify the date entered and change it as needed.

If Expense Payroll is specified as the Payroll Type, the Expense Payroll General Ledger Entry Date field is enabled. Enter the date to use as the posting date for the entries in the Expense Payroll General Ledger Entry Date field. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date.

If Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts is specified as the Payroll Type, the Write Payee Checks field is enabled. If desired, to print checks for the payees during the check cycle, select the Write Payee Checks field. A checkmark will appear in the box if this field is selected. The Write Payee Checks field will be selected by default.

Note: If this field is unselected, the direct deposit stubs to payees for deductions with Individual Bank Account Deduction as the Deduction Type (for example, health savings accounts) will still be issued (need to be printed).

If Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts is specified as the Payroll Type, the Override - No Direct Deposit field is enabled. If desired, to not make payments through direct deposit for applicable employees and payees in the specified batch and instead print checks for those employees and payees, select the Override - No Direct Deposit field. A checkmark will appear in the box if this field is selected.

Note: If this field is selected, the deductions with Individual Bank Account Deduction as the Deduction Type (for example, health savings accounts) will still be processed as normal with direct deposit payments.

If Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts is specified as the Payroll Type, the Test Payroll (No Checks) field is enabled. If desired, to calculate the payroll batch in order to only generate and print the reports (will not be able to print checks or update), select the Test Payroll (No Checks) field. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
If Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts is specified as the Payroll Type and there are previously expensed pay periods that have not yet been paid, the Expensed Payroll Check Dates to Include List appears. If applicable, select the expensed pay period for which to print the checks as part of this payroll calculation batch in the Expensed Payroll Check Dates to Include List. To select to pay an expensed pay period, click the box for the Selected column to the left of the desired record. A checkmark will appear in the box if the expensed pay period is selected.

Tip: If desired, click the Show Details button to the right of the description for an expensed pay period to view the pay groups and pay period batches that had been selected and processed with the expensed pay period.

If Extra, Pay Off Contracts, Purchase Order, Regular, or Reversing GAAP is specified as the Payroll Type, the Pay Groups to Include List appears. If applicable, in the Pay Groups to Include List, complete the following:
Select the pay groups for which employees' contracts to include in the payroll calculation, and which payee checks to print, if applicable. To select a pay group, click the box for the Selected column to the left of the desired pay group ID. A checkmark will appear in the box if the pay group is selected. To select all of the pay groups, click the Select All button located above the Pay Groups to Include List.

Note: If an employee within a selected pay group earns leave per pay period (has the Units Per Pay Period field on the Leaves screen in the Employee File completed for a leave) and will be getting paid, the leave will be accrued only if Regular or Pay Off Contracts is specified as the Payroll Type, and post to the balance using the Check Date for the payroll calculation batch (uses the Check Date of the first date sequence if a Pay Off Contracts type).

If applicable, select the Exclude Contract Hours From ACA Tracking field (column) for a pay group to not have the hours worked tracked for contract pay codes for employees for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Hours Tracking option (will still be tracked for inclusion on the other applicable government reports, such as retirement and unemployment reports). A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. Typically, the Exclude Contract Hours From ACA Tracking field is selected for a pay group only during the summer months when contract employees who are defined with a service break (on the ACA Hours screen in the Employee File) are getting paid for their time while on break; for example, if the contract employees in a certain pay group who are defined with a service break did not work any hours in June, July, and August, select the field for the appropriate pay group when completing a payroll calculation to pay the June, July, and August wages. The Exclude Contract Hours From ACA Tracking field is only applicable for the Payroll Types of Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts, as hours worked are not tracked in payroll calculations with Payroll Types of Expense Payroll, Purchase Order, or Reversing GAAP.

If Extra, Pay Off Contracts, Purchase Order, Regular, or Reversing GAAP is specified as the Payroll Type, the Pay Period Batches to Include List appears. If applicable, in the Pay Period Batches to Include List, select the desired batches of pay period entries, employee absences, and deduction/tax adjustments to include in the payroll calculation. To select a batch, click the box for the Selected column to the left of the desired batch description. A checkmark will appear in the box if the batch is selected. To select all of the batches, click the Select All button located above the Pay Period Batches to Include List.

Note: If Purchase Order is specified as the Payroll Type, the Number of Times to Include Batch field on the Pay Period Batches to Include List is enabled; enter the number of times (up to 2 digits; no decimals) to calculate the batch as part of the payroll purchase order in the Number of Times to Include Batch field.

Click the Save button.
If necessary, complete the Advanced Options.

Steps to Complete the Advanced Options

If Expense Payroll is specified as the Payroll Type, click the Expense Payroll Options tab and complete the additional required fields. For each pay period to be expensed, add an entry in the Dates List and then select the applicable pay groups and pay period batches to include for the corresponding period. For example, to expense the payrolls for July and August if there is only one payroll a month, add two entries in the Dates List (one for July and one for August) and select the applicable pay groups and pay period batches for each; or to expense the payrolls for July and August if there are two payrolls a month, add four entries in the Dates List (two for July and two for August) and select the applicable pay groups and pay period batches for each. To add an entry, complete the following:
In the blank line (indicated with an asterisk) at the bottom of the Dates List, enter the date to determine which contracts are included in the pay period to be expensed (based on the Start Date of the contract) and which deductions and direct deposit items are included (based on the Start and/or End Date of the deduction or direct deposit item) in the Payroll Check Date field. Use the mm/dd/yyyy format or click the down-arrow button to select the desired date.

Note: If the date entered in this field is more than six months different from the current date, the system will not allow the date to be saved and an error icon will appear to the right of the field; verify the date entered is correct, and if needed, contact Customer Support for assistance.

Enter the appropriate pay period (frequency) for which deductions to include in the pay period to be expensed in the Week Number for Deductions field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. For example, to include only those deductions defined with amounts for Every Pay Period, enter Every Pay Period; or to include those deductions defined with amounts for Every Pay Period and those with amounts for a specific week (used if there are multiple payrolls in one month and deductions are only withheld and expensed on a specific week), enter the appropriate week number, such as Week 1, Week 2, etc. Leave the field blank to default to Every Pay Period.
Enter a description for the pay period to be expensed in the Description field. The description can be alphanumeric and up to 40 characters long.
In the Pay Groups to Include List, select the pay groups for which employees' contracts to expense in the pay period. To select a pay group, click the box for the Selected column to the left of the desired pay group ID. A checkmark will appear in the box if the pay group is selected. To select all of the pay groups, click the Select All button located above the Pay Groups to Include List. Do not select the Exclude Contract Hours From ACA Tracking field for any pay group because it is only applicable for the Payroll Types of Regular, Extra, or Pay Off Contracts, as hours worked are not tracked in payroll calculations with Payroll Types of Expense Payroll, Purchase Order, or Reversing GAAP.
All the batches of pay period entries, employee absences, and deduction/tax adjustments with the Expense Payroll field selected that are not tied to any other pay period to be expensed appear in the Pay Period Batches to Include List. If applicable, select the desired batches to expense (include) in the pay period. To select a batch, click the box for the Selected column to the left of the desired batch description. A checkmark will appear in the box if the batch is selected. To select all of the batches, click the Select All button located above the Pay Period Batches to Include List.
Click the Save button.

Tip: There must be at least one entry in the Dates List for a Payroll Type of Expense Payroll. For the pay groups including contract employees to be expensed, a pay period must be listed (with the pay group selected) for the total number of remaining payments for the contracts; for example, if the contracts for the employees in the Teachers pay group has two payments remaining, there must be at least two pay periods listed with the Teachers pay group selected.

Note: To remove an entry from the Dates List, click the Delete button to the left of the desired entry.

Click the Execute button.
When prompted, click Yes to continue calculating.
After the calculation is complete, a message will appear; click OK to view the Payroll Messages listing the number of employees calculated and any errors that were found.

Note: If any errors are found during the payroll calculation, the errors must be corrected and the batch (or individual employees with the errors) recalculated before continuing.