Employees

The following information is covered in this chapter:

• Employees tab window
• Employee Information tab window
• Hours/Wage tab window
• Employee Direct Deposit
• Tax tab window
• Employee pay history
• Using employee lists

Employees tab window

Employees are the backbone of your business. There would be no reason for a payroll application without them. All the processes for creating and maintaining your employees start here. The Employees tab window offers a complete spectrum of tools and command buttons to assist you with creating new employees, maintaining multiple employee lists, keeping notes, and setting default values for pay rates.

Setting up new employee defaults

The process of entering employees into the payroll program involves setting up the default information file for new employees and then entering each employee with their own specific information (e.g., pay rate).

In many cases the default information will not differ greatly from one employee to the next. For instance, all the employees may have the same city, state, and zip code or from the Human Resources tab (see Human Resources ) all the deductions like Federal taxes, State taxes, Social Security and Medicare may be the same.

As a result of the payroll installation process, a file called Default Stationery was created. This file contains all the deductions, employer paid contributions, and other information. It can be thought of as a "new employee template" because when you click the New Employee button, the program starts a new employee file that consists of the information contained in the Default Stationery file (e.g., pay period, zip code). All you have to do is enter each employee's unique information.

You can edit the new employee default settings at any time however, it is best if you make any necessary changes before entering new employees to be sure that the defaults reflect your "average" employee.

Before entering your employees, verify that the new employee default settings are set up as needed. The new employee settings should include information such as pay period, filing status, state, and zip code. After setting up the new employee defaults, enter your employees (see Entering new employees ). Once an employee is entered, the name is displayed in the employee list on the left of the window.

Commands on the button bar

New Empl.

Use this button to create a new employee. See Entering new employees.

Delete Empl.

Use this button to delete an employee. See Deleting employees.

Be very careful not to accidentally delete an employee for which you need to process reports such as the W2 report.

Personal Info

Clicking this button will display a window used to enter additional information. See Adding personal information.

Pay History

Select an employee and then click this button to view the pay history for the employee. See Entering past pay history.

Notes

Enter additional notes for the selected employee. See Adding notes to employee files.

Save

Saves the current employee record. See Saving employees.

Employee Information tab window

Setting up employees in order to process payroll involves:

• Entering employee information
• Entering prior pay history, if applicable
• (Optional) Creating additional employee lists
• (Optional) Setting up performance evaluation forms for evaluating employee work performance

Entering new employees

After the new employee default settings are set up, you need to enter the individual employee information such as name, address, social security number, and pay information. Each employee file starts with the new employee default settings, but information can be changed as needed.

Entering a new employee

Before entering your employees, verify that the new employee default settings are set up as you wish them to be. For details, refer to Setting up new employee defaults .

1. In the Employees tab window. click the New Employee button.
2. If you are importing your employee information, select File > Import Employees.

For details, refer to Importing employee information .

3. Enter the employee's information.

Employee Name

Enter the employee name exactly as you want it to appear on reports and paychecks. The name should be in this format: John P Smith (first name, middle name or initial, last name). The name must not exceed 25 characters and should not contain a colon (:) symbol.

An employee's name should always be entered exactly the way it appears on their Social Security card. Titles that come before or after names, such as Dr., Jr., Esquire, II, etc., are not desired by filing entities on state and federal payroll reports.

Address, City, State, and Zip Code

The address line should be used for the employee's street address, including the route number or apartment number. Use the two-letter abbreviation for your state and type it in capital letters (e.g., CA for California). NOTE: The selections for tax deductions and filing status are based on the state you select for your employee! When you set up your company or enter a new employee, please make sure you enter the correct state to ensure the tax deductions applied when you process payroll will be correct.

Telephone Number

Enter the employee's telephone number.

Social Security Number

Enter the Social Security number in this format: 456-56-6789. Include the dashes.

4. Designate a department and group that applies to this employee by choosing the appropriate selections from the pop-up menus.

For information on creating departments/groups, refer to Departments and Groups .

You can have your Gross Pay expensed by departments. This allows you to post to multiple G/L accounts in your accounting software. For details, refer to Gross pay expensing by department .

5. Verify the date in the Date Hired field.

The field automatically fills in with the date you create the employee file. You can change this date by clicking the mouse in this field and typing in the appropriate hire date.

To terminate an employee (i.e., make inactive, designate that the employee is no longer on the payroll), click the Termination date checkbox and enter the date of termination. After being terminated, the employee's name will appear in the Employee List as red bold type (plain bold type on a monochrome monitor). Do not delete terminated employees from your hard drive if you need to process reports (e.g., W2, 941) using their payroll data.

If you have an employee who becomes deceased, click the Deceased checkbox and enter the deceased date. The program tracks this information for your W2s.

6. (Optional) Click the Personal Info button if you want to add personal information to this employee's file.

For detailed information, refer to Adding personal information .

7. Click the Hours/Wage tab.

Hours/Wage tab window

The Hours/Wage tab window of the Employee window is used to set up the pay information for your employees.

Setting up employee pay

1. Select the Pay Period from the pop-up list.

• Daily
• Weekly
• Bi-Weekly (paid every two weeks)
• Semi-Monthly (paid twice a month)
• Monthly
• 10 Monthly (employees paid only ten months out of the year such as teachers)
• Quarterly
• Semi-Annually
• Annually

2. Enter the pay amount either for Hourly or Salary for the employee.

If the employee is paid on an hourly basis, click the Hourly radio button, then enter the Hourly Rate (e.g., 10. 75) in the per hour field. Do not type in a $ (dollar sign). When you tab out of the per hour field, the program automatically calculates the Annual salary for you.

If this is a salaried employee, click the Salary radio button, then type in the employee's annual salary in the Annual salary field. Do not type in a $ (dollar sign). When you tab out of the Annual salary field, the program recalculates the annual salary amount for the selected pay period.

3. Mark the Direct Deposit checkbox if this employee's paycheck is deposited into a bank account via Direct Deposit.

For information on using Direct Deposit for employee paychecks, see Employee Direct Deposit . When you print your paychecks from the Check Queue, paychecks will be printed for regular employees and pay stubs will be printed for the direct deposit employees.

4. Click the Tax tab to enter the employee's tax information.

Tax tab window

The Tax tab window of the Employee window is used to set up the tax information for your employees.

Set up tax information

1. From the Filing status pop-up menu, select the marital status of this employee.
2. Click the Payment Eligible checkbox if this employee is eligible to receive advance Earned Income Credit payments added to his/her paycheck.

Refer to IRS Circular E, Employer's Tax Guide to verify EIC requirements.

If this employee's spouse has also filed to receive advance EIC payments, click the Both spouses filing checkbox.

3. Set up the claims, extra withholding, and exempt settings.

The Number of claims fields are used to enter the number of allowances that the employee claimed on the W-4 for Federal, State, and Local taxes. If nothing is entered, the program calculates taxes based on zero exemptions claimed.

The Extra Withholding fields are for any extra withholding the employee may wish to have taken out of his paycheck for federal, state or local taxes. The extra withholding will be above and beyond what is normally taken out for taxes based on the tables you are using. You can enter a different amount for each of the three taxes, or leave them at zero.

Select the appropriate Federal, State and/or Local Exempt checkboxes if this employee is exempt from any Federal, State and/or Local taxes.

4. Mark the 1099 Recipient checkbox if you are giving this individual a 1099 form.

This is a good way to remind yourself that the individual is a 1099 recipient.

5. Click the Save button.

An employee file will be created and saved in the Employee Files ƒ folder of the currently open company. For more information on saving employee information, refer to Saving employees .

6. Open the Payroll Items tab window and select the employee you are setting up.
7. Mark (√) the payroll items that you want assigned to this employee and modify if necessary.

For details on personalizing a payroll item, refer to Editing payroll items .

Some states require you to set up a special employee tax status. In Payroll 16, this is easier than ever since once your enter your employee's State and go to the Tax tab window, the proper selections for filing status and claims, based on State, appear automatically in the popup list.

Assigning employees to departments and groups

Assigning employees to departments and groups is simple and can be very useful in a wide variety of managerial and reporting situations. To assign employees to departments and groups, you must first have set up the departments and groups in the Company tab window.

Assign employees to departments/groups

1. In the Employees tab window, highlight the name of the employee in the Employee List.
2. In the Employee Information section, select the appropriate department and group from the popup lists.

3. Click the Save button.

If you do not click the Save button, an alert message will prompt you to save the changes to the employee file. You can make changes to the department and group assignments at any time.

Saving employees

When saving a new employee file, the program automatically places the new record in the Employee Files ƒ folder of the currently open company and adds the employee's name to the Master List. If an Employee List other than the Master List is open when a new employee is saved, the program also adds the employee's name to this list.

Click the Save button upon entering a new employee or editing an existing one.

Editing employees

When an employee's marital status, pay rate, or other information changes, their file needs to be edited and saved with the new data.

Editing an employee

1. In the Employees tab window, select the employee you want to edit from the Employee List on the left.

If this employee is on more than one list, it does not matter which Employee List is open. Changing employee information in one list changes that same information in all lists.

2. Make the necessary changes.
3. Click the Save button.

Renaming an employee in the Employees tab window does not change the name of the employee on the Employee Lists, just on the screen. To change the name of an employee, use the Rename Employee feature. For details, refer to Renaming employees .

Deleting employees

The Delete Employee feature permanently deletes from your hard disk all information associated with an employee (e.g., pay history, time card logs, etc. ).

Deleting an employee

Deleting an employee PERMANENTLY removes that employee from the program! Use extreme caution when deleting an employee. Be very careful not to accidentally delete an employee for which you need to process reports such as the W2 report.

1. In the Employees tab window, select the employee you want to delete from the Employee List on the left.

It does not matter which employee list is open, deleting an employee file deletes the employee from all lists.

2. Click the Delete Employee button.

A window will appear warning that if you continue, the selected employee will be permanently deleted from your hard disk.

3. Click Delete to delete the employee or Don't Delete to close the window without deleting the selected employee.

Finding employees

The Find feature allows you to quickly locate an employee in the currently open employee list based on the search criteria you specify.

Finding an employee

1. On your keyboard, press Command-F.
2. From each pop-up menu, choose the search criteria you want to use to find the employee.

The Find feature will look for an employee whose ID Number, SSN, or Name contains or matches what you enter in the text box.

3. Click Select.

If the program finds an employee meeting the search criteria, that employee's name is highlighted in the employee list.

Renaming employees

There will be times when you need to change the name of an employee (e.g., a marriage or the name was not spelled correctly in the first place).

Renaming an employee

Renaming an employee by just typing a new name into the Employees tab window will not change the name in the system, just in the screen. We recommend the following instructions to rename an employee.

1. In the Employees tab window, select the name of the employee you want to rename from the Employee List on the left.

It does not matter which employee list is open if the employee is on more than one list. Renaming an employee in one list changes the name in all lists.

2. From the Employee List pop-up menu, select Rename Employee.
3. Rename your employee (middle name or initial is optional).

An employee's name should always be entered exactly the way it appears on their Social Security card. Titles that come before or after names, such as Dr., Jr., Esquire, II, etc., are not desired by filing entities on state and federal payroll reports.

4. Click the OK button.

The new name will appear in your employee list(s) and will be used for checks and reports. The program also renames the employee's file name.

Importing employee information

Once the payroll program is installed, you can import a tab-delimited file that contains employee's information (e.g., name, address, wages). This can save the time of having to manually enter much of the general employee information requirements.

The tab-delimited text file format may be created with any word processor providing the file is saved in text format. In the Save dialogue, name the file and select TEXT from the pop-up menu.

The information for each employee must be typed in sequence using all of the following information, even if it is zero. A Tab must be put between each field and a Return after each employee.

Employee Name

Address

City

State

Zip Code

Social Security Number

Base Wage (if the Base Wage is a salary, tab once, add an X and tab again)

Number of federal exemption claims

Number of state exemption claims

Marital status (1=single, 2=married, 3-married-filing separately, 4=head of household)

Employee Name <tab> Address <tab> City <tab> State <tab> Zip Code <tab> Social Security Number <tab> Base Wage <tab> Number of federal exemption claims <tab> Number of state exemption claims <tab> Number of local exemption claims <tab> Marital Status <RETURN>

Ignore what the text file might look like on your screen, the important thing is that you put a Tab space between each field and a Return keystroke after each employee.

Adding personal information

The information you enter in the Personal Information window allows you to keep a small human resource database for your company. You can also use the personal information in the Check Designer utility as actual items to place on a checkform template.

Adding personal information

1. In the Employees tab window, select the employee you want to add personal information to from the Employee List on the left.
2. Click the Personal Info button.
3. Click the Standard Fields tab and enter the personal information of the selected employee.

Phone Number

The phone number of the employee can be useful when questions appear concerning the employee's paycheck.

Personal Contact

This field can be used to enter the name of the person to call in case of an emergency.

Contact Phone

Use this field to enter the phone number of the personal contact in case it is not the same as the employee's.

ID Number

Many companies use an ID number in addition to the Social Security number. This number can be entered in this field and used on any report or paycheck layout.

Birthday

Use this field to keep track of your employees' birthdays.

Gender

Some states require employee gender data. You can designate whether the selected employee is male or female by clicking the appropriate radio button. This feature is used only for those State Forms that require gender data.

4. Click the OK button.
5. Click the Custom Fields tab to define up to ten (10) custom fields.

To create titles for the fields, click the Setup button.

In the window that appears, enter a title for each of the fields you want to set up (e.g., fax number, e-mail address), then Click the OK button.

The titles of the fields appear on the Custom Fields window.

The fields you set up in this window can be used in reports created with the EZ Report Builder.

6. Click the OK button to return to the Employees tab window.

Adding notes to employee files

Built into your payroll program is a special word processor. It allows you to enter and date stamp up to 16 pages of notes for review, reprimand, or other information regarding each of your employees.

Adding a note to an employee file

1. In the Employees tab window, select the employee you want to add notes about from the Employee List on the left.
2. Click the Notes button.

When a file or program is made secure, requiring a password for entry, it is encrypted. This program offers the option of encrypting employee files to prevent unauthorized access. To secure this employee's information, click the Yes button and enter a password for this file.

This password applies only to this file, so use a password that can be linked to the employee (e.g., employee #, first name), or use the same password with all your protected files.

3. Make sure you write your password down in a safe place because there is no way to discover or change this password once it is entered.

Once you have entered the password (if one is desired), the Notes window opens and notations concerning the selected employee can be entered.

The Notes feature works the same way any Macintosh word processor does with the font, style, and margin control. You can move the cursor with the mouse or by using the arrow keys.

Options in the notes window

Date menu

It is extremely important that you date your employee's personal notes. The program automatically stamps the note with the day and date as soon as you open the Notes window. If you are only reviewing the notes, delete the date. To turn off this feature, select Date > Auto Stamp On Start Up.

From the Date menu, choose whether or not to include the Day, Date, or Time, then select the desired style for each. A checkmark (√) will appear next to the options you have selected. The program automatically enters today's date at the position of the cursor in the format you selected.

Margins

To set the margins and/or tab size, select File > Set Margins. A window will appear allowing you to set up your margins.

Selecting text

Selecting text is accomplished by clicking the mouse and then dragging over the desired text. Once selected (highlighted), you can cut and paste the text, remove it (Clear), or change the format (font, size, style).

Deleting text

Text can be deleted by selecting it and choosing the Edit > Cut, or by using the delete key.

Deleting files

When you have added notes to an employee's file, select File > Return to Payroll. A dialogue will display, asking if you want to save your changes.

These text files will have a .txt extension. If you wish to delete a text file, drag it to the Trash. These files are found in the Employees Files ƒ folder, which is in your company folder located in the Aatrix Payroll or Top Pay folder.

Employee Direct Deposit

In Chapter Two - Company, we discussed setting up the company for direct deposit. Employees who wish their payroll checks deposited directly into a checking or savings account must be set up individually. This next section discusses the procedure involved.

Processing direct deposit payroll involves some different steps as well, and this is explored in the Process Payroll chapter. For now, let's set up the direct deposit employees.

Setting up individual employees for direct deposit

Before you can pay your employees through direct deposit, you must first set them up so the program knows which employees get paid via direct deposit and those employees who are paid with a regular paycheck.

You will need to gather the banking information of those employees who want direct deposit. A convenient way to get this information is to have your employees provide you with a voided check or deposit slip from their bank.

Setting up an employee for direct deposit

1. In the Employees tab window, click the Hours and Wage tab.
2. Select the name of the employee for which you are setting up direct deposit and mark the Direct Deposit checkbox.
3. Click the Direct Deposit Settings button.
4. Enter the employee's bank information.

Bank routing number

Enter the employee's bank routing number.

Account number

Enter the employee's bank account number.

This is a savings account

If the account is a savings account, indicate this by selecting the checkbox.

This employee has been "pre-noted"

Refer to the instructions in the window to determine if you need to check this box.

If this is the first time you are setting up Direct Deposit, the above option should not be marked.

5. Click the OK button.
6. The program returns you to the Employees Hours/Wage tab window.
7. Click the Save button.
8. Continue setting up your direct deposit employees following the instructions in steps 2 to 7.

Make sure you have set up your company for Direct Deposit and have created the Prenotification Files. For information on Prenotification Files, see Prenotification Files in Chapter Two - Company.

Employee pay history

All payroll checks are stored in Pay History. To access an employee's pay history records, open the Employees tab window, select an employee from the Employee List on the left, then click the Pay History button.

The Pay History window allows you to view or edit existing paycheck records. To open/view an already issued paycheck, select the date it was recorded from the Select Check Date pop-up menu. Once open, the paycheck record can be edited, duplicated, deleted, or reprinted.

If the selected employee does not have any paycheck data stored in Pay History, the screen appears blank and no paycheck records appear in the Select Check Date pop-up menu.

WARNING! When editing in Pay History, changing the Gross Pay or the deductions will cause Net Pay to change. Use caution when making changes, especially when the employee has cashed the paycheck: changes will cause discrepancies between the Pay History record and the actual paycheck recorded in your accounting program.

How does the paycheck date affect reports?

Paychecks are recorded into pay history with both the paycheck date and pay period ending date. By default, the program uses the paycheck date for reporting purposes. If you would rather use the pay period ending date for reporting purposes, change the information in the Payroll Preferences dialogue (Program > Preferences and click the Payroll tab) and change the default to pay period ending date.

The monthly/quarterly reports you generate are based on the dates that the paychecks are recorded. In other words, if you want the payroll information reported in the first quarter, it must be saved using a date within the first quarter.

Entering past pay history

If you begin using the payroll program in the middle of the year, you need to enter your employee's prior pay history totals in order for reports such as the W2 and 941 to calculate correctly.

Before you begin entering prior pay history data, your employees must be set up with the correct deductions, employer paid contributions, regular pay (hourly/salary), extra income, and claims information. If needed, refer to Setting up new employee defaults .

We recommend that you use the Process Payroll tab window to enter your prior pay history. Also make sure that you have payroll reports from your other accounting program or accounting system available. In the Process Payroll tab window, instead of printing the paychecks, click the Record Check button and enter the appropriate dates for the paycheck information. For details on processing employee paychecks, refer to Chapter 6, Processing Payroll .

Before you begin, decide which of the options described below will be used to enter the past payroll data. When you enter your employee's paycheck data, make sure the values match the original paychecks. You will need to have payroll reports from your other accounting program or method on hand to enter the pay history accurately. If needed, you can change an amount by clicking the cursor directly on the field you wish to edit. Make sure that you enter the amount for each payroll item as you paid it originally, so that your reports will be accurate.

Available options for entering prior pay history

No matter which option you choose for entering prior pay history, it is essential that you enter an exact audit trail of what took place. For example, the deductions and employer paid amounts for the pay period for which you are making adjustments must exactly match the corresponding amounts on the previous pay history records from which you are referring.

Enter every paycheck for every employee.

This option is the most time consuming, but will give you an accurate breakdown for your reports.

Enter monthly, quarterly, or yearly totals for each employee's paycheck, depending on the reports you need.

If you are entering the data by quarters, use the quarter ending date for each of the quarters completed in the current year (i.e., Mar. 31, June 30, Sept. 30, Dec. 31).

Enter one total for each employee's paycheck to instantly "catch up" your employee's Pay History records.

This allows you to print W-2s, but not other reports you might need. Since the government requires quarterly reports, this method may not be appropriate for your use.

Entering past pay history

1. IMPORTANT: Have all the previous pay history records and/or reports from your other accounting software or system available for reference.
2. In the Process Payroll tab window, highlight the name of the employee for whom you are making adjustments.
3. In the Pay Rate column, highlight the Regular Pay dollar amount.
4. Press the Delete key on your keyboard, or use the backspace key to remove the entry.
5. Enter the new Gross Pay amount for the past pay period (or month, or quarter).

If the employee is salaried, you just need to enter the new Gross Pay amount in the Pay Rate column, The program will automatically calculate the deductions and employer paids, but you will need to check the deduction items individually to ensure they match your data. See the next step for more detail.

If the employee is paid hourly, you can tab into the Hours column and enter in the hours worked if desired, or simply set the hours to 1.00.

6. Next, update the amounts for payroll items in the Deductions and/or Employer Paid section of the employee's paysheet.

Consult the records/reports of past pay history that you are using, and make sure the exact amounts of Federal withholding, State withholding, and other payroll items are entered for the pay history time frame you are entering. This way you have an exact audit trail that will match the records in your other accounting system.

7. When done entering the amounts, click the Record Check button.
8. In the Record Check dialogue, make the pay period date for the check you are recording match the date for the pay period history you have just entered.

For example, if you entered a gross pay amount for the month of January, 2005, enter January 31, 2005 in the Pay Period Ending date text box.

You do not need to print this check.

9. If necessary, continue updating other employees using the above instructions.

Editing pay history records

Many of the numeric fields in a pay history record can be edited and if needed, you can add or remove pay items. In addition, if you have an employer paid contribution that needs to be changed retroactively, use the feature called Update Rates. You can access Update Rates at any time in the program by selecting Edit > Update Rates from the File menu and entering the new rates into the Update Rates dialogue. For instructions, refer to Updating employer paid rates in pay history .

To enter or change an amount on a paycheck record, click the cursor on the field you wish to edit. Once a field is selected, it becomes highlighted and you can enter the amount you want. Press the Tab key to move from field to field.

Be careful to change all fields as necessary because changing one field will NOT automatically affect the other fields (i.e., changing Regular Pay will not change the Federal Tax amount). Also, be careful if this is a check that the employee has already cashed because changing or adding a deduction or income item will affect the net pay.

You can revert changes made to a paycheck back to the original values by clicking the Revert to Original button.

Adding pay items to paychecks

If necessary, you can add payroll items to an existing paycheck record. Be aware that when you enter an amount for the new item(s), the program does not recalculate deductions and contributions. You must change the values yourself.

Other than being in different windows, the instructions for adding payroll items to a paysheet in the Process Payroll window are similar to adding pay items to a paycheck in Pay History.

Adding pay items to a paycheck record

1. In the Employees window, select an employee from the Employee List on the left, then click the Pay History button.
2. From the Select Check Date pop-up menu, select the paycheck to which you want to add a payroll item.
3. Click the Add Item button.

The Add Pay Item window lists all payroll items not currently on the paycheck or paysheet. This list is available to all employees and may include some items that are not assigned to the selected employee.

4. Select the payroll item you want to add to this paycheck record.
5. Click the Add button.
6. If needed, repeat steps 4 and 5 to add more pay items.
7. Click Done when you have finished adding the pay item(s) you want.

This action adds the payroll item(s) to this paycheck record only. It is not permanently assigned to the employee's payroll file.

8. Once the payroll item is added, enter the appropriate values (e.g., wages, amounts) for this period.

Keep in mind that the amounts for

9. Click the Save button when you have finished modifying the paycheck.

Removing pay items from paycheck records

If needed, you can remove payroll items from a paycheck record. Be aware that after removing the payroll item(s), the program does not recalculate the deductions and contributions.

Other than being in different windows, the instructions for removing payroll items from a paysheet in the Process Payroll window are similar to removing pay items from a Pay History record.

Removing pay items from a paycheck record

1. In the Employees tab window, select the employee you want from the Employee List on the left, then click the Pay History button.
2. From the Select Check Date pop-up menu, select the paycheck from which you want to remove payroll item(s).
3. Click the Remove Item button.

The Remove Pay Item window lists only the payroll items for the selected paycheck. The Regular Pay item can not be removed from the paycheck record, however you can zero it out by editing the Regular Pay field.

4. Select the payroll item you wish to remove from this paycheck record.
5. Click the Remove button.
6. If needed, repeat steps 4 and 5 to remove more pay items.
7. Click the Done button when you've finished removing the item(s) you want.
8. Click the Save button when you are finished making changes.

The program removes the pay item(s) from this paycheck only. It does not remove the payroll item(s) from the employee's assigned payroll file.

Updating employer paid rates in pay history

You can update the pay history records with new employer paid rates. This is especially useful when you must retroactively update payroll items (e.g., FUTA, SUTA) because you did not receive the new rates at the start of the year.

Updating an employer paid rate

If you've added an employer paid item to a paycheck using the Add Pay Item button, be sure to enter the applicable wages for the employer paid item on the paycheck, otherwise the Update Rates feature will not work correctly.

1. Select Edit > Update Rates from the File menu.
2. From the Change the rate of pop-up menu, select the desired item.
3. Enter the new percentage rate and the date the change is to take effect.
4. Click the Update button.

The program recalculates the amount of the selected employer paid item using the new rate and makes the appropriate changes in your pay history records. The program also changes the rate in the employer paid setup.

Printing paycheck records

You can print paycheck records exactly as they appear in the Pay History window using the Print as Report feature.

Printing a paycheck record

1. In the Employees tab window, select the employee you want from the Employee List on the left, then click the Pay History button.
2. From the Select Check Date pop-up menu, select the paycheck you want to print as a report.
3. Click the Print as Report button.
4. Click the OK button in the print dialogue which appears.

The paycheck record will be printed exactly as it appears in the Pay History window.

Deleting paychecks from pay history

If for some reason you need to delete a paycheck from an employee or an entire Employee List, you can do so using the Delete Paycheck feature. Be sure to use extra care when you are deleting paychecks to protect necessary records for W-2s and other government reports.

Deleting a paycheck from pay history

If you have two paychecks recorded with the same date, the program will only delete the check you select.

1. In the Employees tab window, select an employee from the Employee List on the left, then click the Pay History button.
2. From the Select Check Date pop-up menu, select the date of the paycheck you want to delete.
3. Click the Delete Check button.
4. In the window that appears, select whether you want to delete the paycheck for the selected employee only or for all the employees in the currently open Employee List, with that check date.
5. Click Continue to delete the paycheck(s) from pay history or Cancel to return to the Pay History window.

When you delete a paycheck from pay history, the program automatically voids the deleted paycheck in the check register.

Reprinting paychecks

There may be times when you need to go back and reprint a paycheck. This can be done using the Reprint Check feature.

Reprinting a paycheck

1. In the Employees window, select the employee for whom you want to reprint a check, then click the Pay History button.
2. From the Select Check Date pop-up menu, select the date of the paycheck you want to reprint.

If necessary, change the date and check number of the paycheck before printing, since the regular date dialogue box does not appear when you print from the Pay History window. To do so, highlight the check number or date field you wish to edit and enter the new information.

3. Click the Reprint button.
4. In the Reprint Check dialogue, select the checkform you wish to use, then click Reprint.
5. The standard Macintosh print dialogue will appear allowing you to reprint the paycheck.
6. Before going to the next task, click the Save button to record your changes.

Duplicating paycheck records

If you need to enter a group of paychecks and they are all for the same amount (such as for a salaried employee), you can do so with the Duplicate Paycheck feature.

Duplicating a paycheck record

1. In the Employees window, select the employee for whom you want to duplicate paycheck records, then click the Pay History button.
2. From the Select Check Date pop-up menu, select the date of the paycheck you want to duplicate.
3. Click the Dup. Check button.

The program creates a new record exactly like the one that is currently open and adds it to the bottom of the Check Date pop-up menu.

4. Once the new paycheck is created, select it from the Select Check Date pop-up menu and make any necessary changes (such as the date and check number).

Duplicating a paycheck in Pay History will not create that duplicate paycheck record in your Check Register.

5. Click the Save button.

Using employee lists

An employee list is simply a list of employee names. You can create as many employee lists (e.g., Part-time Help, Health Insurance, Interns) as you need, and an employee can be on as many lists as you deem necessary.

The lists themselves actually contain no data except for the employee names. Except for the Master List (which is described below), names may be added or removed from these lists at any time. You can use the Master List for processing payroll and department employee lists for running reports.

What is the Master List?

The Master List is an employee list which is automatically created every time you start your payroll program. It includes the names of all the employees who are in the Employee Files ƒ folder of the currently open company.

The Master List is automatically created with all the employees in the Employee Files ƒ folder.

How employee names are displayed in employee lists

The status of an employee determines how his or her name is displayed in an employee list.

Blue type

Current employees (i.e., those you process payroll for) are displayed in blue type.

Red type

An employee who has been terminated appears in red type.

You may not see the name appear in red type until you exit and re-enter the program.

The Employee List pop-up menu

The top portion of the Employee List pop-up menu contains the commands needed for creating and configuring your Employee Lists.

The bottom portion of the Employee List pop-up menu displays the names of your employee lists. A checkmark appears next to the name of the currently open employee list.

You may have to move your mouse pointer up and down to see every option on the Employee List pop-up.

Creating employee lists

By default, the program automatically creates certain types of Employee Lists for you. They are created from the pay period and active/inactive (i.e., terminated) settings. For example, if you have both active and terminated employees, the program will create two lists; one that contains your active employees and another for your terminated employees. This option can be enabled and disabled in Program Preferences, located at Program > Preferences... (e.g., Aatrix Top Pay > Preferences... )

Creating an employee list

1. From the Employee List pop-up menu, select New Employee List.
2. Enter a unique name for your new employee list.

The list can be the name of a department (i.e., Sales Dept. ) or any other descriptive name (i.e., Interns).

3. Click the Save button.

When you click the Save button, the Employee List is saved to the Employee Files ƒ folder of the currently open company and its name is displayed at the bottom of the Employee List pop-up menu. If you remove this file from the Employee Files ƒ folder, it will no longer appear in the Employee List pop-up menu.

4. You can now add employee names to this list. To do so, refer to Adding employees to employee lists .

Opening employee lists

Use the following instructions to switch to a different employee list.

Opening an employee list

1. Click on the Employee List pop-up menu.

Note the checkmark displayed next to the name of the currently open Employee List.

2. Drag your mouse pointer to the employee list you want to open.

The selected employee list will open. Its name is displayed in the pop-up menu bar and the employees on that list will appear in the scrolling list.

Deleting employee lists

If you no longer want an employee list to appear in the Employee List pop-up menu use the following instructions to remove the list.

Deleting an employee list

1. Quit the payroll program.
2. On your hard disk, open the Aatrix Payroll ƒ folder.

If you use Top Pay with QuickBooks®, locate and open the QuickBooks® program folder and open the Top Pay folder within it.

3. Open the company folder that contains the employee list you want to delete.
4. Open the Employee Files ƒ folder.
5. Locate the name of the employee list you want to delete then drag this file to the trash.
6. After you trash the old list, close each of the folders you opened.

At this point you can relaunch the payroll application if desired.

Adding employees to employee lists

After you've created a record for a new employee, you will want to add him or her to one or more Employee Lists. For example, you can add Anthony A. Augustine to the Master List (which contains all employees), to a list called Part-Time Employees, and to Active Employees. This makes it easy to target certain groups of employees for customized reports and the like.

Adding individual employees

There are two ways to add individual employees to lists. One is to highlight the name of the employee, select the list to which you want to add him or her, and then select the Add Employee to List command or the Add "Anthony A. Augustine" to List command from the top portion of Employee List pop-up menu.

In actual use, the name of the currently highlighted employee will appear in the place of the examples used in this text.

If a highlighted employee is already part of a list, the name will appear grayed out.

Adding multiple employees

You can add an entire list or multiple selection of individuals to a particular Employee List using the following set of instructions.

Adding multiple employee to an employee list

You should not add the same employee twice to the same Employee List, although you may add the same employee to as many different lists as you wish.

1. Open the Employee List to which you must add names.
2. From the Employee List pop-up menu, select Add Employee to List...

This will open a dialogue containing all the names on the Master List of employees.

3. If you want all the employees in the list added to the currently open Employee List, click the Add All button.
4. When selections are complete, click the Add button.

To help you keep track of which employee names have been added to the list, the program removes the employee's name from this list when you add it to the Employee List. This way, you won't have to rely on the scroll bar to search to the bottom of a lengthy list because the list gets shorter.

5. Click the Done button when you have finished adding names.

Removing names from employee lists

There may be times when you want to remove an employee from an Employee List. For example, you may have an employee on your "Full Time" Employee List that is now working part time, or you may have an employee who is no longer on your "Union" Employee List.

Removing a name from an employee list

1. Open the Employee List that contains the name of the employee you wish to remove.
2. Select the name of the employee you wish to remove.
3. From the Employee List pop-up menu, select Remove Employee.

Find and replace

The Find and Replace feature saves you the time of having to go into each employee's file and make a change that must also be made in many other employee files. For example, if you need to change a health insurance deduction amount from $100 to $125, you simply Find the $100 and Replace it with $125, or if you need to replace your salaried employees pay from $700 to $750, or if you need to change the pay rate of your minimum wage hourly employees from $4.25 to $4.50. The Find feature also allows you to Find and Replace an amount of a deduction, extra income item, or employer paid contribution.

In the Employees tab window, select Edit > Find to open the Find dialogue.

Items such as state name, area code on employee telephone numbers, zip code, salary pay rate, and hourly pay rate are found using the Employee files option.

Previous Chapter - Human Resources | Next chapter - Payroll Items | Table of Contents | Index