PAYROLL OVERVIEW
WHAT CAN IT DO FOR ME - FEATURES
- DESIGN - MAIN PROGRAMS
The Payroll system will save you time. There are savings in several
areas:
- Organizing the data for the government forms takes forever (and
it's getting worse). Our system gives you the information to know your
liabilities, and meet those liabilities on time and without penalty.
It reports on wages, misc earnings (e.g. Cafeteria Plans), income tax withheld,
deductions (e.g. 401K, ect.), unemployment, IRA contributions, and workman's
compensation. It prints your quarterly 941 report, as well as federal and state
unemployment wage and contribution reports. It prints W-2's at the end of year.
- If you have more than just a few employees, it will take less time to
calculate the payroll with the computer than by doing it manually. It is always
faster to use the computer if you are using the system to automatically
calculate cafeteria plan wage reductions; or 401K, IRA, or misc deductions.
- If some of your employess are paid by the hour, you can use our time clock
feature to have them "punch in/out" on the computer terminal. This
time clock data is automatically summerized and passed into the employee's
paychecks.
- No more hand written checks. Time is too valuable to waste it manually
writing checks.
- If you are audited or there is a dispute with an employee, the check
history database can be used to easily verify every check written to an
employee.
- Because the Payroll system interfaces to both the General Ledger and the
Check Reconciliation systems, it takes no time to pass information to
those systems. This eliminates double work and also eliminates the possibility
of entry errors.
The Payroll system can provide a valuable service to your employees. With
the direct deposit feature, both you and your employees are happier as neither
of you have to mess with checks.
The Payroll system will keep you current with government mandated
requirements, like submitting W-2's on magnetic media. Currently this is only
required if you have 250 or more employees, but those requirements will be
changed to include smaller employers.
The Starr Computer Systems, Inc. Payroll System allows a company to prepare
it's periodic payroll for hourly, salaried, and commissioned employees while
accumulating the necessary information for tax reporting. It generates the
monthly, quarterly, and annual returns to be filed with local, state, and
federal governments. It also prepares employees' W-2's and maintains an
up-to-date information reference for each employee. The Payroll System includes
tables for federal withholding and FICA as well as withholdings for all fifty
states and up to twenty localities from pre computed or user generated tables.
The system will automatically produce payroll checks or direct deposits..
Each program contains a complete set of prompts and other helpful messages
that allow even an inexperienced operator to make full use of the system with
minimal instruction time.
The Payroll System is designed to interface with the Starr Computer Systems
Inc. General Ledger System. This feature provides automatic monthly journal
entries to the General Ledger. The Payroll System also has an optional link to
Labor Distribution for automatic entry into the payroll accounts from a time
sheet.
An optional Time Clock feature is provided, which lets hourly employees
punch in/out directly into the computer via the terminal screen. Using this
feature means the employee hours are already known by the system, via the
computer time clock.
Particular features of the Starr Computer Systems Payroll System include:
- Interactive, menu-driven programs
- Self-instructing user documentation
- User changeable tax tables and limits for all tax deductions. Allows for
all 50 states, and up to 20 localities from pre-computed or user generated
tables.
- Regular, as well as three additional user defined hourly earnings. Also
eight user defined non-hourly (misc) earnings.
- FICA, federal, state, and local deductions, as well as twenty additional
user defined deductions. The user defined deductions can be set up to be taken
out every period, every other period, etc.
- Ability to take deductions either before or after tax calculations, as
allowed by "cafeteria plans" or "401K" rules.
- Handles salaried, hourly, and commission employees; pay periods can be
weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly.
- Maintains a complete record for each employee.
- Automatically posts to the General Ledger based upon user definable
accounts.
- Automatically writes Check History records from checks
- Automatically writes Check Reconciliation transactions from checks
- Automatic time card entry. Optionally can receive information from the time
clock programs.
- Optionally can receive information from the time sheet entry (Labor
Distribution) programs.
- Prints pay check with check protection and detailed check stub. Uses the
same check for A/P.
- Tracks sick and vacation earned and used.
- General reports include: "Employee file & deductions", "Direct
deposit employees", "Sick & vacation", "Checks", "Check
register (short form)", "Check register (long form)", "Check
deductions", and "Direct deposit register".
- Monthly reports include: "Month to date summary", "Monthly
wages", "monthly unemployment", "Monthly IRA", "Monthly
workman's compensation", and "Post to G/L" audit trail.
- Quarterly reports include: "941 report", "Federal
unemployment contribution", "State withholding liability", "State
quarterly wage schedule", "State unemployment wages", and "State
unemployment contribution".
- End of year reports include: "Generate W-2 floppy" and "Print
W-2's".
- Magnetic Media W-2 Reporting
The Payroll System maintains a record on each employee in your company,
storing such information as name and address, Social Security number,
deductions, pay type, pay period; and a month, quarter, and year to date record
of each employee's pay and deductions. The system uses these records to
calculate the payroll, including all deductions for each employee, print checks,
and print reports and government forms.
The pay check records can optionally be loaded with hours and pay by the
Labor Distribution system. Alternately, they can optionally be loaded with hours
by the Time Clock system.
Four types of information files are pooled to calculate the payroll and
prepare reports:
- The Payroll Control file, which tells the Payroll System which General
Ledger accounts its various entries should be posted to. It is created and
maintained by the "Control file maintenance" program.
- The Tax Information file, which contains tables for federal, state, and
local taxes. It also contains the General Ledger accounts for the state and
local entities. It is created and maintained by the "Tax file maintenance"
program.
- The Employee Master file, which includes the employees' pay rate, type of
pay, number of exemptions, and so forth. It is created and maintained by the "Employee
file maintenance" program.
- The Employee Deduction file, which (optionally) defines adjustments, up to
eight misc earnings, and up to twenty misc. deductions for each employee. It is
created and maintained by the "Deduction file maintenance" program.
Each pay period the following five programs are run:
- The "Calculate paychecks" program to compute the gross and net
pay for each employee.
- If you have direct deposit employees, the "Generate direct deposit"
program is run to generate a direct deposit file to be electronically submitted
to the bank.
- A "Direct deposit register" program is run to print a "check
stub" from the paycheck record for each direct deposit employee.
- The "Print checks" program to prepare the checks and stubs.
A Paycheck History subsystem optionally creates a brief check history record
for each check written.
A Check Reconciliation subsystem optionally creates a check reconciliation
record for each check written.
- The "Check register" program should then be run to obtain a
detail report for that pay period. Running this program after printing the
payroll checks will print the register showing the check number of the actual
check given to the employee.
You could run the check register program twice; first, before writing the
checks to preview the totals, and secondly, after printing the checks to record
the check numbers.
The "Employee file & deductions" report may also be run at
this time to get a full audit of the monthly-to-date activity.
There are three end of period menus:
- The "End of month" menu contains the programs to print the
monthly reports, creates the monthly General Ledger transactions, and clears the
monthly fields in the Employee master records.
- The "End of quarter" menu contains the programs to print the
quarterly reports and clear the quarterly fields in the employee master records.
- The "End of year" menu contains the programs to generate W-2
floppy disks, print paper W-2's, and clear the year to date fields in the
employee master records.
The Payroll System contains sixty programs which collectively perform the
creating, maintaining, updating, and report generating functions of the system.
Each main program is briefly described below.
- Control File Maintenance - This program allows the user to set up
and maintain the Payroll Control file parameters.
- Weekly Period Maintenance - This program allows the user to set up
and maintain the weekly period dates, which are used by the Time Clock system to
compute overtime.
- Workman's Compensation Maintenance - This program allows the user
to set up and maintain the workman's compensation codes and rates.
- Federal Tax File Maintenance - This program allows the user to set
up tax files for federal withholdings. Also contains other federal tax
parameters.
- State/Local Tax File Maintenance - This program allows the user to
set up tax files for state and local tax withholdings. Also contains other
state/local tax parameters. Also contains General Ledger accounts for the taxing
entities.
- Employee Master File Maintenance - This program maintains employee
master records. The record includes the following employee information: employee
key, name, address, phone, social security number, marital status, tax
exemptions, pay period, pay type, pay rate, default expense account, dates, and
current monthly, quarterly, and yearly earnings and withholdings.
- Deduction File Maintenance - This program is used to maintain
employee misc. earnings/deduction records, for those employees who have
adjustments and/or misc. earnings/deductions. Includes ability to specify how
often to take out each earning/deduction; e.g. every period, every other period,
etc. Can take out an amount, an amount per hour, or a percentage. Can take
deductions either before or after taxes.
- Paycheck File Maintenance - This program is used to maintain
employee paycheck records. Can be used to calculate paychecks, but is generally
used to make corrections to paychecks after the "Calculate paychecks"
program is run.
- Calculate Paychecks - This program calculates the paycheck for each
employee. This can optionally be done automatically without additional
information from the operator. In manual mode, information, such as hours worked
or commission earned must be entered for each employee. This program may also be
used to issue manual checks to one or several employees, or pay extra items such
as bonuses.
- Generate Direct Deposit - This program generate a direct deposit
file from the paycheck records; the direct deposit file can then be
electronically submitted to the bank. It also optionally writes Check History
and Check Reconciliation records.
- Post Current Payroll - This program adds the current paycheck
information to the month, quarter, and year-to-date fields within the employee
master file. Also verifies that the previous paycheck was posted, paycheck
written, etc.
- Employee Adjustments - This program makes manual adjustments to the
month, quarter, and year-to-date fields of an employee master record. Options
are provided for how to adjust the fields and which fields to adjust.
- Set Deduction Counter - This program sets the deduction counter for
a specific deduction. It is used to for deductions that are taken on an
irregular basis (don't occur on a regular frequency).
- Employee File & Deductions Report - This program is used to
print the contents of the employee file, and any corresponding deduction
information. All employees or specific employees may be listed showing only
personal or all information. Additionally, only totals may be generated.
- Direct Deposit Employees Report - This program is used to print
those employees who use paycheck direct deposit.
- Sick & Vacation Report - Prints sick and vacation earned and
used for each employee.
- Print Pay Checks - This program will print pay checks for all
employees or for individual employees. Both preprinted and computer assigned
check numbers may be used for extra security. A check stub is included showing a
breakdown of earnings and deductions, including year to date totals.
- Direct Deposit Register - This program prints a "check stub"
from the paycheck record for each direct deposit employee.
- Check Register Report (Short Form) - This program prints an
abbreviated check register, printing a single line for each check. This program
may optionally be run before the check printing program is run to provide a "preview"
of the earnings and withholding data before the checks are actually printed.
- Check Register Report (Long Form) - This program prints out a
complete register showing all items that appear on each employees' check,
including the check number. This program may optionally be run before the check
printing program is run to provide a "preview" of the earnings and
withholding data before the checks are actually printed.
- Check Deductions Report - This program prints paycheck deductions
by deduction/employee. Prints detail by employee and totals for each deduction.
- MTD Summary Report - This program prints monthly earnings and
deductions by employee. Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- MTD Wages Report - This program prints monthly wages, workmans
compensation, and federal, state, and local withholding by employee. Also prints
a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- MTD Misc Earnings Report - This program prints monthly misc
earnings with detail by employee for each misc earning, and totals for each misc
earning. Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- MTD Unemployment Report - This program prints gross wages, federal,
state, and local wages unemployment wages by employee; also totals by taxing
entity. Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- MTD IRA Report - This program prints gross wages, employee and
employer IRA amount by employee; also grand totals. Also prints a month,
quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- MTD Workman's Compensation Report - This program prints gross wages
and workman's compensation amount by employee; also totals by state/workman's
comp code. Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- MTD Post to G/L - This program prints an audit trail of monthly G/L
transactions to be posted to the General Ledger. Also prints a month, quarter,
year-to-date totals page. This program also has an option to post these
transactions to the General Ledger.
- Clear MTD Totals - This program clears the month-to-date totals in
the employee master records.
- This program prints the Federal 941 report and Schedule B (report of tax
liability). Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- QTD Federal Unemployment Wages Report - This program prints federal
quarterly wages and unemployment wages by employee, with totals for each state.
Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- QTD Federal Unemployment Contribution Report - This program prints
federal quarterly unemployment wages and contribution due. Also prints a month,
quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- QTD State Withholding Liability Report - This program prints state
quarterly income tax liability by state. Also prints a month, quarter,
year-to-date totals page.
- QTD Wage Schedule Report - This program prints quarterly wages by
employee in a format acceptable for keypunching by the state. It is generally
used as a supplemental unemployment report.
- QTD State Unemployment Wages Report - This program prints state
quarterly wages and unemployment wages by employee, with totals for each state.
Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- QTD State Unemployment Contribution Report - This program prints
state quarterly unemployment wages, contribution due, and covered worker totals;
by state. Also prints a month, quarter, year-to-date totals page.
- Clear QTD Totals - This program clears the quarter-to-date totals
in the employee master records.
- YTD Generate W-2 Floppy - Generates floppy disk file(s) of W-2 data
for the Social Security Administration. Beginning with tax year 1987, employers
with 250 or more W-2 Copy A forms to file must file those forms on magnetic
media.
- YTD W-2 Report - This program processes the year-to-date fields and
prints W-2 forms. Single W-2's may be printed when an employee leaves the
company. This program also removes inactive employee records from the system.
- Clear YTD Totals - This program clears the year-to-date totals in
the employee master records.
- Punch/Print Time Card - This program is used to enter time cards
(punch the time clock). The date and time is automatically supplied by the
system. Time cards may also be displayed or printed.
- Time Clock Inquiry - This program is used to display time clock
records for a specified employee to the terminal screen.
- Time Clock Summary Report - A complete listing of the Time Clock
File is produced by this program. Can be printed for a specific date range.
- Generate Time Clock Payroll - Loads paycheck records with the total
hours represented by time clock entries for a specified date range. Prints an
audit trail of "paid" time clock entries, and marks time clock entries
as "paid".
- Time Clock File Maintenance - This program maintains employee time
clock records. Only usable by the system operator.
- Purge Time Clock - This program purges time clock records for a
specified date range.
- Check History File Maintenance - This program maintains employee
check history records.
- Check History Inquiry - This program is used to display check
history records for a specified employee to the terminal screen.
- Purge Check History - This program purges check history records for
a specified date range.
Payroll links to
Time Clock -
Labor Distribution -
Check Reconciliation -
General Ledger, and these modules then link to other
modules.
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Payroll
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