Contents of the Configure Payroll Settings Screen

Use the fields and options to configure the Configure Payroll Settings screen.

Payroll Options

Field	Description
Allow Changes to Edit Payroll Screen	Select this check box to allow changes on the Manage Payroll Records screen. Typically, you would not select the check box until a need arises to make a change. At that time, you can temporarily select the check box so you can make the change, then return to this screen and clear it, thereby disabling changes to the Manage Payroll Records screen once again.
Default Pay Cycle	Enter, or click to select, a default pay cycle.

Enable Audit File Tracking

Use the selections in this group box to designate whether all user modifications made to certain payroll records are written to the associated audit file table. Modifications are tracked only for user-initiated changes made on the associated maintenance screens. Modifications made through other means in Costpoint, such as batch changes like printing paychecks and conversion from Deltek System1, are not tracked. The associated inquiry screen displays all fields contained on the maintenance screen table; you can verify the updated fields by comparing the most recent line to the previous line.

If a check box is selected, any additions, updates, and deletions to a given payroll record are also written to the associated audit file table and are retained until deleted by the Purge Audit File Data program. If a check box is not selected, any additions, updates, and deletions to the payroll records are not written to the associated audit file table.

Field	Description
Basic Employee Information	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Information screen. These modifications are available for display on the View Basic Information screen. If this check box is later cleared, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Basic Employee Info Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Salary Information	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Salary Information screen. These modifications are available for display on the View Salary Information and History screen. If this check box is later cleared, all future record additions, updates and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Salary Info and History Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Taxes	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Taxes screen. These modifications are available for display on the View Employee Taxes screen. If this check box is later cleared, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Employee Taxes Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Deductions	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Deductions screen. These modifications are available for display on the View Deductions screen. If this check box is later cleared, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Employee Deductions Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Contributions	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Contributions table. These modifications are available for display on the View Contributions screen. If this check box is later cleared, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Employee Contributions Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Edit Payroll	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Payroll Records screen. These modifications are available for display on the View Payroll Edit Table screen. If this check box is later cleared, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Payroll Edit Table Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Earnings	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Earnings History table. These modifications are available for display on the View Employee Earnings screen. If this check box is later cleared, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Employee Earnings Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Savings Bonds	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Savings Bonds screen. These modifications are not available for display on the View Bond Information screen. If you later clear this check box, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Employee Bond Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Bank Information	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Bank Information screen. These modifications are available for display on the View Bank Information screen. If you later clear this check box, all future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Employee Bank Info Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Employee Garnishments	Select this check box to enable audit tracking for adding new records, updating existing records, or deleting existing records on the Manage Employee Garnishments screen. These modifications are available for display on the View Employee Earnings screen. This check box is available only if you select the Employee Garnishments option in the Select Garnishment Method group box. If you later clear this check box, future record additions, updates, and/or deletions are not written to the audit file table. The Employee Garnishments Audit table still contains any records written when the check box was selected.
Negative Gross Pay Method	Use this drop-down list to select the gross pay method for a negative amount. Valid options are: Do Not Allow Create Negative Check Create Zero Balance Check
Zero Check Deduction	Enter, or click to select, the zero check deduction amount.

Processing Options

Select check boxes in this group box to enable the different payroll processing options.

Payroll Computation/Reporting Options

Select check boxes in this group box to enable the payroll computation and reporting features.

Field	Description
Enable Deduction Priority Functionality	Select this check box to prioritize how deductions are taken on a company-wide basis or an employee basis.
Enable Deduction in Arrears Functionality	Select this check box to print a report (after payroll is computed) that lists employees whose paycheck was insufficient to pay out all deductions due to a negative net pay condition.
Enable SUTA Reciprocity Functionality	Select this check box to enable SUTA reciprocity between states; this tells Costpoint that employee SUTA earnings for one state apply to the other states as well. If you select this check box, employee eligible SUTA wages apply to the SUTA limit for other states for SUTA reporting. When an employee moves to another state, any SUTA eligible wages from the first state apply to the second state. If you leave this check box cleared, Costpoint uses the current functionality, where SUTA eligible wages apply to only one state’s SUTA limit. If the employee moves to another state, the SUTA earnings are reset to zero for the second state, and the earnings from the first state do not apply.
Use Reference Date for X, Y, Z, V, and W Records (Applies to Taxes only)	Select this check box to use the reference dates on checks when selecting X, Y, Z, V, and W type records in payroll applications. This functionality applies only to taxes and does not include deduction limit calculations. If you enable this feature, payroll applications will select records using the reference date on an employee’s check. If a reference date does not exist or if you opt not to enable this feature, payroll applications will select records using the check date.

Payroll Posting

Use this group box to establish whether you are posting to multiple general ledger accounts for SUTA accruals and expenses, or to only one default account. The home organization of the employee is used for the expense accounts, if the Post Fringe Expense at Balance Sheet Level check box on this screen is not selected. If this check box is selected, the Balance Sheet Level from the Manage Organization Structures screen for the home organization of the employee is used instead. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level for the employee's home organization is used for the SUTA accrual.

Field	Description
Accrue SUTA by State	Select this check box to accrue by state; this tells Costpoint that the payroll journal must update a separate account for each state accruing state unemployment taxes. If you select this check box, you must then enter the SUTA posting accounts on the Manage State Taxes screen. You cannot enter posting accounts for SUTA on this screen. If you leave this check box cleared, only the accounts you select in the Posting Accounts group box are used for posting SUTA.
Post Fringe Expense at Balance Sheet Level	Select this check box to post fringe expenses, such as FICA, FUTA, and SUTA, at the Balance Sheet Level for the employee's home organization. The Balance Sheet Level is specified on the Manage Organization Structures screen; the employee's home organization is set up on the Manage Employee Salary Information screen. If you do not select this check box, fringe expenses are posted to the employee's home organization exactly as specified on the Manage Employee Salary Information screen.

Payroll A/P Voucher Creation

Enter, or click to select, the A/P vendor ID for either tax type 941 or 940.

Field	Description
Federal 941 A/P Vendor	Enter, or click to select, the A/P vendor ID to be used when creating A/P vouchers. When you click , only those vendor IDs who are not on hold and whose Payroll Vendor check box is selected on the Manage Vendors screen display. If you enter an A/P vendor ID in this field, you must assign account numbers to one or more of the following fields in the Posting Accounts group box: Federal Income Tax W/H, Social Security W/H > , > Social Security > Accrual, Medicare W/H, Medicare Accrual > ,and/or Advance Earned Income Credit.
Federal 940 A/P Vendor	Enter, or click to select, the A/P vendor ID to be used when creating A/P vouchers. When you click , only those vendor IDs who are not on hold and whose Payroll Vendor check box is selected on the Manage Vendors screen display. If you enter an A/P vendor ID in this field, you must assign an account number in the FUTA Accrual field in the Posting Accounts group box.

Posting Accounts

Costpoint uses the accounts in this group box when you post the Payroll Journal. When you post the journal, the home organization of the employee is used for the expense accounts if you did not select the Post Fringe Expense at Balance Sheet Level check box on this screen. If you selected this check box, the Balance Sheet Level from the Manage Organization Structures screen for the home organization of the employee is used instead. The resulting account/organization combinations are validated against the general ledger when the payroll journal is posted.

The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is always used for postings to the Payroll Variance, the withholding (including Advance EIC), and the accrual accounts.

All fields in this group box are required except for Variance.

Field	Description
Payroll Variance	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account for posting of the payroll variance. The payroll variance is the difference between the employee's labor cost per the timesheet and the amount of the employee's normal pay period salary. Timesheet charges credit the accrued salary account, and the payroll journal debits the accrued salary account. Enter a general ledger account in this field only if you want to accumulate such differences by pay cycle. Most payroll variances must be corrected when incurred and must never be posted to the general ledger. The variance account is usually a contra-account to the accrued salary account. If variances are not corrected before the payroll is posted to the general ledger, the variances end up in the accrued salary account, or, if an account is entered here, in the payroll variance account. Hence, the payroll variance account is used only as a way to separate the payroll variance items from the regular accrued salary amounts.
Federal Income Tax W/H	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used for the employee's Federal Income Tax (FIT) withholding amount. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal. During posting, the account/organization linkage is validated against the G/L.
Social Security W/H	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used for the employee's Social Security withholding amount. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal; the account/organization combination is validated against the G/L at that time.
Social Security Accrual	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used for the employer's Social Security accrual amount. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal; the account/organization combination is validated against the G/L at that time.
Social Security Expense	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used for the employer's Social Security expense amount.
Medicare W/H	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used for the employee's Medicare withholding amount. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal; the account/organization combination is validated against the G/L at that time.
Medicare Accrual	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used for the employer's Medicare accrual amount. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal; the account/organization combination is validated against the G/L at that time.
Medicare Expense	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used for the employer's Medicare expense amount.
Advance Earned Income Credit	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used when Advance Earned Income Credit is paid to the employee. This is usually a liability account in the range of accounts with federal withholdings. The account normally has a debit balance representing the amount by which to reduce the federal tax deposit for the EIC paid to employees. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal; the account/organization combination is validated against the G/L at that time.
FUTA Accrual	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used to accrue Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA). The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal; the account/organization combination is validated against the G/L at that time.
FUTA Expense	Enter, or click to select the general ledger account to be used to record the employer's expense for Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA).
SUTA Accrual	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used to accrue SUTA. The organization at the Balance Sheet Level (see the Manage Organization Structures screen) for the employee's home organization is used when posting the payroll journal; the account/organization combination is validated against the G/L at that time.
SUTA Expense	Enter, or click to select, the general ledger account to be used to record the employer's expense for SUTA.

Subtasks

Subtask	Description
Direct Charge Options	Click this link to select direct charge options and the related direct charge employer fringe expense accounts.
Reference Number Settings	Click this link to select the payroll reference number settings.