Reports
The following information is covered in this section:
Reports
The Reports tab window provides a number of different
selection criteria to help you gather the information you want.
For example, you can limit your reports to specific employee lists,
specific time periods, and specific departments. The Reports tab
window is further divided into specific groups or types of reports.
- Print & Mail: Displays a list of state
and federal reports that are processed using the powerful, easy
to use Aatrix FormViewer. Print & Mail reports are a subscription
service from Aatrix Software. See
Print
& Mail reports
for more information on processing Print & Mail reports. NOTE:
Thumbnails of Print & Mail reports are not available as Sample
Previews
- Standard: Displays standard built-in reports
such as the Employee Data Summary report.
- Custom: Displays the custom reports created
with the EZ Report Builder and the Freeform Report Builder.
- Bundles: Allows you to group several reports
together in a "bundle" for batch printing purposes.
This provides a convenient way of printing out, in a single print
job, all the reports you generally print (e.g., after payroll).
For more information on report bundling, please refer to
Report
Bundles
.
Generating reports
In the Reports tab window, select either a specific
employee or an employee list.
- Specific employee: Select the Report on Employee
radio button above the Employee List box, and then highlight the
name of the employee on whom you wish to report.
- Employee list: To report on an employee list,
select the Report on List radio button and then choose the appropriate
list from the Employee List pop-up menu.
Click the appropriate report category tab (Print &
Mail, Standard, Custom, Bundles).
Select the report you want from the list that displays.
Set report criteria.
Report on: You can generate a report from an entire
Employee List or an individual employee by clicking the desired
radio button. The name of the currently selected Employee List and
the name of the currently selected employee is displayed. If you
wish to change to a different Employee List, select
the appropriate list from the Employee List pop-up menu. If you
wish to report on a different employee than the one currently selected,
highlight the desired employee's name on the Employee list. Some
reports only use an Employee List, in which case the Employee option
is grayed out even when an employee is selected.
Report on the period: You can limit the report with
the following options:
- All Periods: This option accumulates data from
all pay periods in the employee file.
- One Year: This option uses all the information
that has accumulated in the employee file for the year you enter.
- One Quarter: Select this option if you want
the report to reflect an entire quarter of activity. Choose the
quarter you want and enter the appropriate year. The date range
the program uses are:
- One Month: This option narrows the data gathered
to a specific month of a specific year. Enter the appropriate
choices in the text box.
- One Day: This option generates a report based on payroll information
processed specifically on the date you enter in this format: DD/MM/YY.
- Between: Upon selecting this option, enter a data range from
DD/MM/YY to DD/MM/YY in the appropriate text boxes.
Skip employees not paid: Mark this
box if you do not want the report to include employees who were
not paid during the selected reporting period.
Report Limits: Click the Set
report limits button to further restrict the report using
options such as: name, City, State, and Hire Date. Mark the checkboxes
and fill text fields as needed. Click the OK button
when finished, or Cancel to exit.
Preview or Print
your report.
Preview allows you to view the report
on-screen, and Print sends it directly to the printer.
The Preview mode offers special advantages discussed in the next
section.
IMPORTANT: All state and federal Print
& Mail Reports require you to click the Preview
button to launch the Aatrix FormViewer. Instructions for state and
federal Print & Mail reports processed with the Aatrix FormViewer
are discussed later in this chapter. See
Aatrix FormViewer
.
Previewing Reports
You may want to view a report on screen for various
reasons before sending it to the printer. Previewing allows you
to catch errors before you print, which ultimately saves printing
time and paper. While in Preview mode, you can then send the report
to the printer or to the Print Queue. While previewing a report,
a Preview menu is available with the following
commands.
- Next Page/Previous Page: Allows you to advance forward
or return to prior pages in a multi-page report.
- Index: Selecting this command allows you to view thumbnail
images of each page in the report. Clicking a thumbnail image
will open that page in the Preview window.
- Print Page/Print All: These commands allow you
to print the currently displayed page or all the pages in the
report.
- Add to Report Queue: Selecting this command sends
the report to the Report Queue whereby you can print it later
along with a batch of reports. For complete details, refer to
Report
Queue
.
- Exit Viewing: Selecting this command closes
the active report window.
Reports List
The Reports List in the Reports tab window initially
displays all the reports that were installed with the program. You
can modify this list using the instructions provided in this section.
Edit Reports List
In the Reports tab window, click the Edit
List button.
In the Edit Reports List dialogue, select ( √
) the names of the reports you want to display in the Reports List.
Selecting a report that is already selected removes
the checkmark and the report will not display in the Reports tab
window.
Click the OK button.
Your customized report list displays the next time
you access the Reports tab window and click the Custom
reports tab.
Report Queue
The Report Queue (pronounced simply like the letter
"Q") is similar to a print spooler. Use this feature to
store a list of reports to print all at once, at the time you choose.
Since the report queue file is saved to your hard disk, the reports
already in it will remain even if you exit the program.
Adding reports to the Report Queue
In order to use the Report Queue feature, you must
first add the reports you want to it. The following instruction
set guides you through this process.
Adding a report to the Report Queue
In the Reports tab window, click the Standard
or Custom tab and select a report in the Reports
list.
Click the Preview Report button.
Select Preview > Add to Report Queue.
A dialogue appears confirming that the report was
added to the Report Queue.
Click the OK button.
To return to the Reports window select Preview
> Exit Viewing.
Printing/viewing the Report Queue
All reports that are added to the Report Queue remain
there until you are ready to print them.
Printing/viewing the Report Queue
Select File > Print/View Report Queue.
Each report that is waiting to be printed is displayed
with the report name, company name, number of pages, and the date
the report was queued.
Decide whether you want to Print,
Preview, or Remove a report in
the Report Queue.
Print
To print a single report, select the report and then
click the Print button. The standard Macintosh
Print dialogue will appear allowing you to print the report. To
print all the reports, click the Print All button.
After printing all your reports using the Print All
option, a message window will appear asking if you would like to
delete all of the reports from the Report Queue.
Preview
If you want to preview a report before printing it
or removing it from the Print Queue, select the report and then
click the Preview button. To exit the preview
mode, select Preview > Exit Viewing.
Remove
To remove a single report from the Report Queue, select
the report and then click the Remove Report button.
A dialogue will appear asking if you are sure that you want to remove
the report. Click the Yes button to remove the
selected report or the Cancel button to return
to the Report Queue. To remove all the reports in the Report Queue,
click the Remove All button.
Click the Done button when you are
finished with the Report Queue.
Print & Mail reports
The reports listed in Print & Mail tab view all
are processed with a program called Aatrix FormViewer. This program
will prompt you to check for updates at the end of each quarter.
This ensures you are using the latest government approved forms.
The Forms Subscription is an annual subscription,
valid for one year from purchase date. You will be prompted to enter
a registration code when printing or previewing forms from the Print
and Mail selections. Once the registration code has been entered
you will not be prompted again until the subscription expires. For
purchasing and pricing information, please contact Aatrix Sales
at (800) 426-0854.
Processing Print & Mail forms
The following instructions will walk you through a
generic form process. For those processing Form 941, please see
Processing
Form 941
.
When all the criteria have been set for your report
in the Reports tab window, click the Preview button.
This will launch the Aatrix FormViewer, which will display the report
with most or all of the data fields filled in for you. Report processing
is divided into three simple steps and through each step, the program
displays prompts to guide you. An alert message outlining the basic
steps appears. After reviewing the steps, click the OK
button to close it and proceed.
Step One - Review / Edit
In the FormViewer window, review the report for accuracy.
Any red fields will have to be filled in manually. If the report
you are processing has required (red) fields, an alert will notify
you.
Review and edit a report
In the Aatrix FormViewer window, verify imported information
and enter information in areas marked by red.
Date
The date on the form always defaults to the current
day (as defined by your computer's internal clock). If this needs
to be changed, move the cursor into the date field and click the
right mouse button. This activates a drop down menu with choices
for clearing the date or setting the value to the current date.
You may also use the arrow located on the right side of the date
field to drop down a calendar display. Click on the month and day
you need, and the date is set accordingly.
Calculations
The program automatically calculates the data necessary
for most form fields. However, you should double check all calculations
in monetary and numeric data fields.
Click the Next Step button when
red fields have been filled.
If you missed any required (red) fields and click
the Next Step button, an alert will appear to warn
you that you must go back and complete the report. You cannot advance
to the next step until all required fields have data in them.
(Optional) You can print a draft or review copy in
this phase by clicking the Print button. Clicking
the Save button will save a copy of the incomplete
report.
Click the Next Step button when
finished reviewing and filling required fields.
A Verify Report Complete message appears.
Click Agree to proceed; click
Double Check to go back and review the report.
This message will appear also for the next phase of
the process and ensures that you validate the accuracy of your report.
Although the software is produced, tested, and proven to perform
accurate calculations, errors are possible for many reasons. Aatrix
Software, Inc. is not responsible for inaccuracies that might occur.
Clicking the Agree button shows that you have verified
the accuracy of all the data and information that appears in the
report.
The application saves your report and proceeds to
the next step.
Step Two - My Copy
When Review / Edit is completed, it is time to print
a copy of the report for your records. My Copy is printed on plain
paper. A large diagonal watermark indicated that the report is a
records copy only.
Printing a records copy
Click the Print button on the toolbar.
In the Print dialogue, select options for paper source,
pages, and copies.
Click the OK button.
Review and file your records copy.
Click the Next Step button when
your report has printed.
Step Three - Finish and print State or Federal copy
Printing a State / Federal filing copy
Before printing the final copy, use the Page
Align function to ensure the data will print in the correct
locations. See
Page
Align
.
Insert paper or pre-printed form into printer.
Click the Print button.
If you choose to eFile, please see
eFile
.
Sign and mail your report.
Once the report has printed, you can close the FormViewer
and return to the payroll application.
Printing Print & Mail forms
Clicking the Print button in different
phases of the process will have different results. If you are in
the Review/Edit step, the form will print with the watermark DRAFT
on it. In the My Copy step, it will print with the watermark RECORDS
COPY on it. The Federal copy step will print a report that can then
be submitted to the appropriate agency.
If you have not purchased the Form Subscription, all
copies will print with a large, repeated DEMO watermark.
Page Align
Before printing the final filing copy of a state or
government form, you should always print a test page to ensure the
data will print in the form boxes correctly. To use Page Align,
select File > Page Align and click the Test
Print button. Every form will print with a registration
mark in an unused corner. This registration mark should always be
an inch from the left and bottom (or top) margin.
If the registration mark on your test form is off,
make adjustments as needed by entering a numerical value or with
the sliders to move the data up or down, left or right. You should
always print a test alignment form when switching to a new printer
or printing for the first time to a preprinted form.
Form 941
The IRS requires every employer to submit a Form 941
- Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return at the end of each quarter.
It reports the amount of earnings withheld from your employees'
paychecks against how much you actually deposited to the IRS over
the course of the quarter. Categories included on a Form 941 report
include Federal Income Tax, Social Security, and Medicare.
Your payroll program culls the information for the
Form 941 from information already stored in your employees' Pay
History files.
Processing
Form 941
The following series of instructions lead you through
the process of generating a 941 report. Because your payroll program
has the ability to separate your payroll data by quarter and year,
you can generate a 941 after a new quarter has started.
The steps by which you process all of your Print &
Mail forms will be similar to those illustrated below for the 941
form.
Processing Form 941 - Step One
Before processing Form 941, print out the Federal
Tax Summary report, or the Pay History Detail, report (in the Standard
tab view) for the same quarter you are processing Form 941. Use
the information from the report to assist in processing Form 941.
Step One - Set Criteria
In the Reports tab window, click the Print
& Mail tab and then select 941 Form
from the Reports list.
If the 941 Form option does not
appear in the Reports list, be sure it is checked in the
Edit Reports List window. If necessary, refer to
Edit
Reports List
.
Select the Report On List radio button
and select the correct Employee List from the the Employee
List pop-up menu.
Set Report Period.
Select the appropriate quarter from the pop-up menu
and then enter the year for which you are generating the 941 report.
Set other Report Limits, if required, by clicking
the Reports Limits button and making selections
in the Other Limits dialogue.
When all selections have been made, click the
Preview Report button.
Step Two - Review / Edit
Review the 941 Report for accuracy.
The 941 you see on the screen is designed to look
like an actual pre-printed Form 941, with certain fields automatically
filled in by the program. It is a self-calculating form - meaning
that any time you change a value on the form, the fields affected
by this change will be reset with the appropriate values.
If the form is not readable on the screen, you can
enlarge it by selecting View > Double Size or View > Triple
Size.
Fill red fields and make any necessary changes in
those containing data.
If you are a Semiweekly or Monthly Schedule Depositor
with over $2500 in Line 13, you can mark the appropriate checkbox
and enter the deposits made.
Manual entry of certain information may be needed
in some fields, such as your name and title at the bottom of the
form. To enter information in any of the non-calculating fields,
click the cursor in the field and type in the needed information.
Click the Next Step button when
red fields have been filled.
If you missed any required (red) fields and click
the Next Step button, an alert will appear to warn
you that you must go back and complete the report. You cannot advance
to the next step until all required fields have data in them.
(Optional) You can print a draft or review copy in
this phase by clicking the Print button. Clicking
the Save button will save a copy of the incomplete
report.
Click the Next Step button when
finished reviewing and filling required fields.
A Verify Report Complete message appears.
Click the Agree button to proceed;
click the Double Check button to go back and review
the report.
This message will appear also for the next phase of
the process and ensures that you validate the accuracy of your report.
Although the software is produced, tested, and proven to perform
accurate calculations, errors are possible for many reasons. Aatrix
Software, Inc. is not responsible for inaccuracies that might occur.
Clicking the Agree button shows that you have verified
the accuracy of all the data and information that appears in the
report.
The application saves your report and proceeds to
the next step.
Step Two - My Copy
When Review / Edit is completed, it is time to print
a copy of the report for your records. My Copy is printed on plain
paper. A large diagonal watermark indicated that the report is a
records copy only.
Click the Print button on the toolbar.
In the Print dialogue, select options for paper source,
pages, and copies.
Click the OK button.
Review and file your records copy.
Click the Next Step button when
your report has printed.
Step Three - Finish and print State or Federal copy
Printing a State / Federal filing copy
Before printing the final copy, use the Page Align
function to ensure the data will print in the correct locations.
See
Page
Align
.
Insert paper into printer.
click the Print button.
Clicking the Print button will print
a copy of your 941 form that you may then mail to the IRS.
Alternatively, if you choose to eFile, click the eFile
button. This will connect you to the Aatrix eFile server and Aatrix
will submit your form electronically. This feature does involve
extra setup and have additional service fees. If you choose to eFile,
please see
eFile
.
Upon printing or eFiling, the program will archive
your completed form so that you may view it or edit it at a later
date. You may then exit the Aatrix FormViewer by selecting Aatrix
FormViewer > Quit Aatrix FormViewer.
eFile Print & Mail forms
Aatrix eFile provides a secure transfer directly from
your payroll software to the government agencies involved. Upon
completing your State or Federal form, you may eFile, saving time
and money by avoiding formatting, packaging, postage and mailing.
You are now able to complete the form, submit the form and pay your
liability due in one sitting.
There is a fee to use the eFile service. Please contact
Aatrix at (800) 426-0854 or
FormsSupport@aatrix. com
for more information.
How to Enroll in eFile
There are two places to access the Enroll dialogues.
You may choose Company > Enroll in eFile. The
dialogue can also be found by clicking the eFile button and then
clicking the Enroll Now button in the dialogue that displays.
The Enroll dialogue has four windows which require
you to enter the necessary information for eFiling.
Taxpayer Information
This window requires your company information, including
Name, Address, E-Mail, EIN, Phone and Fax. Enter the information
requested and click the Next button.
Taxpayer Bank Information
This window requests your bank information so that
when you eFile your payments can be submitted. Enter the information
requested and click the Next button.
Preparer Information:
This window allows information for a second party
preparer. The window defaults with your information entered, with
a checkbox at the bottom noting that "Preparer is taxpayer".
Enter the information requested and click the Next
button.
Enrollment Submission
The final window gives you instructions of where to
submit your Enrollment Form upon completion. Please review this
information before printing, signing and submitting the Enrollment
Form. Click the Finish button.
After enrollment submission, you will receive your
User ID and Password via E-mail in ten days or less.
How to eFile
Follow the instructions for processing forms as detailed
in the section
Processing
forms
.
In the final step, instead of clicking the Print
button, click the eFile button on the toolbar.
Click the I Have Enrolled... button.
IMPORTANT: By this point you should
have already enrolled for eFile and provided all the necessary information.
If you have not,
please
click here to review the enrollment information at the beginning
of this section
.
In the User Information dialogue, enter the Username
and Password that you received from Aatrix when you enrolled in
eFile.
Click the Save button.
This dialogue will only display the first time you
eFile after enrollment. This information will be saved for subsequent
efiling.
If a payment is due with the form, a dialogue displays
the payment information, as well as a field for you to enter the
appropriate check number.
Enter the check number in the payment information
dialogue and click the OK button.
If no payment is due, you will proceed directly to
Step 7.
Enter your Password and click the Next
button.
Enter your credit card information in the dialogue
for eFile payment. click the Next button.
A final dialogue will display confirming the successful
eFile transaction and the charges incurred for the transaction.
Click the OK button to return to the
Aatrix FormViewer.
EZ Report Builder
The EZ Report Builder is a utility built into the
payroll program. It can be used to quickly put together payroll
information in a report format. You simply select the items you
want on the report, in the order your want them to appear, and the
program "builds" the report for you.
To open the EZ Report Builder, click the
EZ Report button in the Reports tab window.
The EZ Report dialogue contains all
the variables you need to create your own reports. Note the scrolling
list on the lower left, in the Available Report Items box. It displays
all the variables that are available for your deductions, employee
data, contributions, and extra income. The variables in the list
change depending on which report item is selected.
When you select Extra Income, all
income variables including Regular Pay and any additional extra
income you have created appear in the list. Remember that Regular
Pay refers to hourly rates and/or salary that you designated in
the Employees tab window. When Employee Data is selected, the Total
deductions, Total Contributions and Gross Pay variables allow you
to combine all applicable variables into one item on the report.
Creating EZ reports
In the Reports tab window, click the EZ Report
button.
In the Report Heading field, enter
a title for your report.
The title you enter will be printed at the top and
center of your report and displayed in the Custom
section of the Reports tab window.
Set the Column Width.
You have the option of letting the program automatically
set the column widths for you, or you can determine these widths
yourself. If you decide to set your own column widths, click the
Manual radio button and enter the width you want
(in inches) in the text box. The program will print your report
using the column width you entered (except for the employee name
column, which is automatically set at approximately 25 characters
by the program).
Depending on the order you want the items to print,
select either Employee Data, Deductions,
Employer Paid, or Extra Income.
The order is very important. The program prints the
items in the order that you add them to the Assigned Report
Items list, starting from the top. You will probably want
to add the Employee Data first, so that items such as employee name,
social security number, etc. are listed first.
Select a report item (e.g., Employee name) from the
list on the left.
If applicable, select a type for the
report item. A type is active when it applies to a report
item and grayed out when it doesn't. For example, the only types
that are available for deductions and contributions are the Amount,
App. Wages, and App. Tips.
- Amount: The Amount option
prints the amount of the selected item for the period you defined
in the Reports tab window (monthly, quarterly, etc. ).
- Hours : This option prints the total hours
worked for the item you selected.
- App. Wages and Tips: Certain deductions and employer paid contributions
such as Social Security and Federal Unemployment need to report
the wages that are used to calculate the deduction or contribution.
For most employers, applicable wages will be the same as gross
wages. If you have a travel reimbursement, pension plan, or similar
non-taxed income, the applicable wages will not be the same. For
these cases, use the App. Wages option. The App. Tips option is
used for reporting tip income.
- Pay Rate: This option prints the pay rate for the income item
you selected.
Click the Add button.
The item is added to the Assigned Report Items
list.
Continue adding items to the Assigned Report
Items list by repeating Steps 4-7, until you've added all
the items you want on your report.
(Optional) Change the position of the assigned items
using the Move buttons.
- Move Up: Moves the selected report item one
position up.
- Move Down: Moves the selected report item
one position down.
- Move to First: Moves the selected report item
to the beginning of the list.
- Move to Last: Moves the selected report item
to the end of the list.
Remember, the order that the report items are listed
in Assigned Report Items field (from top to bottom), is the order
that the report items will appear in your printed report (from left
to right).
(Optional) Selecting the Departmental Report
option prints the name of each department along with the totals
of each report item.
Click OK to save.
In the dialogue that appears, select where you want
to save the report.
Saving the report to the Reports ƒ
folder makes it available only to this company. Saving the report
to the Shared Reports ƒ folder makes it available
to all companies.
Your EZ report list will display the next time you
access the Reports tab window and click the Custom report type tab.
Editing EZ reports
If you wish to make any changes to a report created
with the EZ Report Builder, select the report in the Reports list
in the Reports tab window, then click the Edit Report
button. The EZ Report Builder window appears allowing you to make
changes to the selected report.
Exporting EZ reports
Reports created with the EZ Report Builder can be saved
as a text file or in HTML format for easy posting on the internet.
To do so, select an EZ report in the Reports list, then click the
Export button. A Save (OS 9: Putfile) window displays
allowing you to name and save the report file in either text or
HTML format.
Report Bundles
The Report Bundle feature allows you to group several
reports together in a "bundle" for printing purposes.
This provides a convenient way of printing out, in a single print
job, all the reports you generally print (e.g., after payroll).
Creating report bundles
In the Reports tab window, click the Bundles
tab.
Click the New Bundle button.
In the Bundle title text box, enter
a title for your report bundle.
Select the names of the reports you want included in
the new report bundle.
A checkmark ( √ )
appears to the left of each selected report.
Because the program generates reports using the date
limits you set such as One Day, One Quarter, All periods, etc. ,
your Bundled Reports should be comprised of reports with similar
date limits. For example, you could bundle only those reports you
typically generate after eah payroll
and not include those reports you process on a quarterly basis.
(Optional) If you wish to automatically print this
report bundle when quitting the payroll program, select the
Automatically print when quitting payroll option.
Click the OK button.
The names of your report bundles are displayed in the
Report Bundle window and the Reports List in the Bundles tab window.
You can also create a report bundle by selecting Edit
Reports > Report Bundles from the file menu.
Editing a report bundle
At some point you may want to change the reports that
comprise a report bundle.
Editing a report bundle
From the Reports tab window, click
the Bundles report type tab.
Select the report bundle you wish to edit.
Click the Edit Bundle button.
When finished, close all open windows to return to
the Reports tab window.
Removing a report bundle
From the Reports tab window, click the Edit
List button.
Click the Bundles button.
Select the report bundle you wish to remove and click
the Remove button.
When finished, close all open windows to return to
the Reports tab window.
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