Cash-basis Reporting and Payroll Accounts

By default, timesheet postings are not cash entries. To include payroll postings in your cash-basis reporting general ledger, you must enable Cash-basis Reporting, then map payroll accrual accounts to cash-basis accounts.

  • If you do not enable this option, the entire labor expense amount is posted to one overhead account (the cash-basis payroll expense account that you have mapped to the job cost variance account).
  • If you enable this option, the labor expense amount is posted to separate accounts for direct and indirect labor, and separate accounts for employee types.

Mapping Payroll Accounts for Cash-basis Reporting

How you map your payroll accounts depends on how you want to manage payroll accounts in your cash-basis general ledger.

The following table provides you with details on mapping payroll accounts for cash-basis reporting purposes. It uses account numbers from the standard chart of accounts and refers to the following settings:
  • Post net payroll directly to bank option on the General tab of Settings > Payroll > General.
  • Enable Cash-Basis Postings for Labor Transactions option in the Posting section on the General tab of Settings > Advanced Accounting > System.
Payroll Settings Timesheet Settings Comments
Post net payroll directly to bank = ON Enable Cash-Basis Postings for Labor Transactions = OFF
  • Deltek posts the net payroll amount to the cash account.
  • Map the job cost variance account (703.00) to the cash-basis labor expense account (709.00).
  • Do not map the payroll liability accounts to cash-basis accounts. The liability balances will clear as paid.
Post net payroll directly to bank = OFF Enable Cash-Basis Postings for Labor Transactions = OFF
  • Deltek makes no cash-basis posting for the payroll amount.
  • You must enter a cash-only journal entry to record the payroll disbursement (debit labor expense account (709.00)).
  • Map the payroll liability accounts and the job cost variance account (703.00) to the cash-basis labor expense account (709.00).
Salaries Payable Account = Liability Enable Cash-Basis Postings for Labor Transactions = OFF
  • Deltek makes no cash-basis posting for the payroll amount.
  • You must enter a cash-only journal entry to record the payroll disbursement (debit labor expense account (709.00)).
  • Map the payroll liability accounts and the job cost variance account (703.00) to the cash-basis labor expense account (709.00).
Post net payroll directly to bank = ON Enable Cash-Basis Postings for Labor Transactions = ON
  • Deltek posts the net payroll amount to the cash account, including the debit to the job cost variance account (703.00).
  • The timesheet posting represents the labor expense as the total of the labor expense debits along with the job cost variance amount.
  • Do not map the payroll liability accounts or the job cost variance account (703.00) to cash-basis accounts. The liability balances will clear as paid.
Salaries Payable Account = Liability Enable Cash-Basis Postings for Labor Transactions = ON
  • Deltek makes no cash-basis posting for the payroll amount.
  • You must enter a cash-only journal entry to record the payroll disbursement (debit labor expense account (709.00)).
  • The timesheet posting represents the labor expense as the total of the labor expense debits along with the job cost variance amount.
  • Map all payroll liability accounts to the job cost variance account (703.00). Do not map 703.00 to 709.00.
Manual journal entry to record payroll disbursement Enable Cash-Basis Postings for Labor Transactions = OFF
  • The journal entry can be posted to both the accrual and cash-basis general ledgers, or you can post cash-only amounts.
  • If you do not use the Deltek Payroll application, you need to complete a journal entry for both the accrual-basis and cash-basis general ledger.

    The journal entry debits the job cost variance account and the employer portion of the FICA expense account on the accrual side, and debits the cash-basis labor expense account.

    The journal entry credits the appropriate salaries payable and payroll liability accounts on the accrual side, and credits the mapped cash-basis accounts.